• Home
  • About
    • All posts
    • Music
    • Art
    • Literature
    • Inspiration
    • Environment
    • Film
    • Dance
    • DJ set
    • Philosophy
    • Timeline
    • Useful Links
    • All Study
    • Artist Research
    • Composers
    • Art Exhibitions
    • Literature
    • Music Pieces
    • Places/Institutions
    • History/movements
    • Environment
  • stories
  • classicasobi
  • Signup
Menu

BALSE

amor fati next human
  • Home
  • About
  • flow
    • All posts
    • Music
    • Art
    • Literature
    • Inspiration
    • Environment
    • Film
    • Dance
    • DJ set
    • Philosophy
  • Research
    • Timeline
    • Useful Links
    • All Study
    • Artist Research
    • Composers
    • Art Exhibitions
    • Literature
    • Music Pieces
    • Places/Institutions
    • History/movements
    • Environment
  • stories
  • classicasobi
  • Signup
×

classicasobi

- Personal Listening and Insight

About Review Schedule Guide Essay Instagram

Met Opera Carnegie Hall Contemporary Classical Music Period

10.15.2025 / Israel Philharmonic Orchestra at Carnegie Hall // Guide

Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking

Kentaro Ogasawara September 25, 2023

“Direct, unaffected, and unflinchingly honest—but not without a deep understanding of the heart and humanity inside each one of us”.

-From the program note

And also-

The story concerns Prejean’s introduction to the world of capital punishment, first as a spiritual advisor to a single inmate and then slowly, inexorably, as an advocate on behalf of all individuals condemned to death. What made the book and film capture national and global attention was precisely what made the subject matter a natural candidate for the operatic stage—the moral complexity and deep nuance of its themes and characters.

In depicting this quintessentially American story, Heggie composed a score immersed in an American musical vernacular built around the characters and their inner conflicts, rather than an overt debate about capital punishment. The role of Sister Helen is scored for a lyric mezzo-soprano, with a lower tessitura depicting the character’s essential earthiness but also calling upon the singer’s upper range to express the character’s idealism. Joseph De Rocher’s music initially depicts him as a hardened criminal—with jagged, curt phrases—but gradually reveals his fears, fragility, and inherent humanity. Both roles require classic operatic vocalism, nowhere more than in their climactic Act II duet, as they relive the details of Joseph’s horrific crimes and the resulting emotions.

The important role of Mrs. De Rocher, Joseph’s mother, was composed for a mezzo-soprano who could convey deep pathos in her tone as well as being able to express both the text and subtext in her music. The score, however, does not stop at character portrayals: Ambient music plays a large role as well, including songs on a car radio, rock ’n’ roll in the style of Elvis Presley, and a traditional-sounding hymn (an invention of the composer’s) whose impact changes when heard in different treatments—a joyous celebration when sung by a choir of schoolchildren but a profound meditation when intoned a cappella by Sister Helen at the opera’s close

「率直で、飾り気がなく、ひるむことのない誠実さ――しかし私たち一人ひとりの心と人間性への深い理解を失うことはない。」
―プログラム・ノートより

物語は、シスター・ヘレン・プレジャンが死刑制度の世界に足を踏み入れる過程を描く。最初はひとりの死刑囚の霊的助言者として、やがてゆっくりと、しかし必然的に、死刑を宣告されたすべての人々の代弁者として立ち上がっていく。その本と映画が国内外で大きな注目を集めた理由は、まさにオペラ化にふさわしい主題――道徳的複雑さと深いニュアンスに満ちたテーマと人物像――にあった。

この「典型的にアメリカ的な物語」を描くにあたり、ジェイク・ヘギーは、死刑に関する直接的な議論ではなく、登場人物とその内的葛藤を軸にしたアメリカ音楽の語法を用いてスコアを構築した。シスター・ヘレンの役はリリック・メゾソプラノに書かれ、低い音域で大地に根ざした人間味を、そして高い音域で理想主義を表現するよう求められる。ジョセフ・ド・ロシェの音楽は当初、硬質で断片的なフレーズによって冷酷な犯罪者像を描き出すが、次第に彼の恐怖、脆さ、そして人間性が露わになる。両役には伝統的なオペラ唱法が不可欠であり、とりわけ第2幕の二重唱――彼が犯した凄惨な犯罪とその感情を再現する場面――が頂点となる。

ジョセフの母親であるド・ロシェ夫人の重要な役もメゾソプラノのために書かれ、深い哀感を声に込めると同時に、歌詞とその裏に潜む意味を表現できることが求められる。さらにスコアは人物描写にとどまらず、環境音楽の要素も大きな役割を果たす。カーラジオから流れる歌、エルヴィス・プレスリー風のロックンロール、そして作曲者自身による伝統的な響きを持つ賛美歌などが含まれる。その賛美歌は、子どもたちの合唱による喜びに満ちた賛歌としても、最後にシスター・ヘレンがアカペラで歌う深い瞑想としても響き方を変え、強い印象を残す。

In Guide Tags Met Opera
← Riccardo Muti and Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie HallDer Rosenkavalier at met 2023 Vast and complex as it is humane and charming →

RESEARCH

Archive
  • 16th Century 1
  • 17th Century 3
  • 18th Century 1
  • 19th Century 2
  • 20th Century 8
  • Art 278
  • Artist 36
  • Composers 5
  • Contemporary 31
  • History 2
  • Interview 2
  • Literature 113
  • Music Pieces 6
  • Painting 5
  • Philosophy 1
  • Photography 5
  • Places 10
  • environment 2

INFLOW

Archive
  • September 2025 22
  • August 2025 5
  • July 2025 5
  • June 2025 17
  • May 2025 55
  • April 2025 43
  • March 2025 42
  • February 2025 50
  • January 2025 68
  • December 2024 30
  • November 2024 47
  • October 2024 39
  • September 2024 21
  • August 2024 48
  • July 2024 46
  • June 2024 45
  • May 2024 47
  • April 2024 54
  • March 2024 39
  • February 2024 67
  • January 2024 47
  • December 2023 26
  • November 2023 23
  • October 2023 34
  • September 2023 61
  • August 2023 90
  • July 2023 69
  • June 2023 89
  • May 2023 35
  • April 2023 66
  • March 2023 60
  • February 2023 48
  • January 2023 26
  • December 2022 47
  • November 2022 4
  • October 2022 27
  • September 2022 13
  • August 2022 10
  • July 2022 33
  • June 2022 5
  • May 2022 20
  • April 2022 34
  • March 2022 18
  • February 2022 11
  • January 2022 21
  • December 2021 17
  • November 2021 5
  • October 2021 16
  • September 2021 7
  • August 2021 13
  • July 2021 1
  • June 2021 5
  • May 2021 1
  • April 2021 11
  • March 2021 3
  • February 2021 6
  • January 2021 4
  • December 2020 8
  • November 2020 6
  • October 2020 8
  • September 2020 12
  • August 2020 7
  • July 2020 13
  • June 2020 15
  • May 2020 20
  • March 2020 2
  • February 2020 2
  • January 2020 6
  • December 2019 3
  • November 2019 14
  • October 2019 15
  • September 2019 8
  • August 2019 17
  • July 2019 5
  • June 2019 7
  • April 2019 2
  • February 2019 1
  • January 2019 1
  • December 2018 1
  • October 2018 3
  • September 2018 1
  • August 2018 3
  • July 2018 3
  • June 2018 2
  • May 2018 1
  • January 2018 1
  • December 2017 2
  • September 2017 2
  • July 2017 9
  • June 2017 7
  • May 2017 4
  • April 2017 4
  • March 2017 1
  • February 2017 7
  • January 2017 3
  • November 2016 7
  • October 2016 4
  • September 2016 1
  • August 2016 1
  • July 2016 1
  • June 2016 2
  • May 2016 2
  • March 2016 2
  • December 2015 2
  • October 2015 1
  • August 2015 1
  • June 2015 3

STORIES

Archive
  • September 2025 1
  • May 2025 1
  • April 2025 1
  • March 2025 2
  • February 2025 1
  • January 2025 2
  • December 2024 1
  • November 2024 2
  • September 2024 1
  • August 2024 2
  • July 2024 2
  • June 2024 2
  • May 2024 1
  • April 2024 2
  • March 2024 3
  • February 2024 2
  • January 2024 5
  • December 2023 2
  • November 2023 2
  • October 2023 1
  • September 2023 3
  • August 2023 1
  • July 2023 4
  • June 2023 1
  • May 2023 3
  • April 2023 8
  • March 2023 13
  • February 2023 14

classicasobi

Archive
  • September 2025 7
  • August 2025 9
  • July 2025 1
  • June 2025 3
  • May 2025 2
  • April 2025 5
  • March 2025 7
  • February 2025 10
  • January 2025 3
  • December 2024 10
  • November 2024 2
  • October 2024 3
  • September 2024 1
  • August 2024 8
  • July 2024 12
  • April 2024 1
  • March 2024 1
  • December 2023 9
  • November 2023 4
  • October 2023 2
  • September 2023 1
  • March 2023 5
  • February 2023 2
  • January 2023 1
  • October 2022 2
  • September 2022 1
  • July 2022 3

My judge, Come forward!

Name *

Thank you!

Subscribe to Balse

Sign up with your email address to receive our bi-weekly newsletter.

We respect your privacy.

Thank you!