Dracula, the Opera: A Profile of Composer Paul Ziemba

In the autumn of 2004 Iodine had the privilege of interviewing composer Alice Paul Ziemba. The followers article is the consequence of that interview.

This October (2004) those in the Buffalo, New York country will have got the chance to see an operatic version of Dracula. The composer, Alice Alice Paul Ziemba, an engaging, enthusiastic individual, spent respective old age writing and perfecting this work.

Paul loves classical music but especially that composed for guitar which is his instrument of choice. He have studied music much of his life, but only turned to composing when in his late mid-thirties and then wrote mostly for classical guitar. His introduction to authorship plant of greater length came when he wrote a musical for the school where his girls attended.

Matching his love for music is a passionateness for reading, and one of his favourite novels is Bram Stoker's Genus Dracula which was first published in 1887 and still considered the classic lamia narrative to which most others are compared. It occurred to Alice Paul that although there had been many movies and plays, about Count Genus Dracula there had never been an opera. His first measure was to reread the book that he had enjoyed many old age before. Then in 1994 Alice Paul began composing an opera based on Stoker's novel. He felt that a classical romanticist mark would be best because of the Gothic nature of the scene and plot, and because the narrative takes topographic point in the late Victorian era.

There are two basic styles of opera. The common method is the sung "through style" where the music is uninterrupted and largely without individual songs. The second, most common method is what Alice Paul names "song style" which have a musical mark divided into clearly individual numbers. It is this style he utilizes for Dracula, the Opera. The mark includes a waltz, a polonaise, a mazurka, respective romanticist arias, a lively Gypsy number, plus music to attach to respective specially choreographed ballets. Here is how Alice Paul depicts the score, "In all the music, melodic subjects are distinct and often strongly developed depending upon scene, setting, story, and of course, the characters."

Stoker's Count Genus Dracula was a baleful chap who clearly tire the stigma of evil. Of course of study this was not obvious to most mortals, especially women whom he could lure quite easily. Only Dr. Abraham Avant Garde Helsing knew immediately the awful danger he imposed. By the clip Avant Garde Helsing gets it is too late to salvage poor, sweet Lucy, but fortunately her friend Myna can still be rescued. Alice Paul wanted his opera to closely follow Stoker's tale, however, as have got other writers, he wanted to show the Count as a much more than sympathetic character. He sees Genus Dracula as a romantic, passionate Lord who is cursed. Person who have waited ages for his long lost love, and believes that he have establish her reincarnated in Mina. When Myna eventually rejects him he is crushed by her rejection. All the major fictional characters from the novel are present in the opera including Renfield who have a amusing figure in which he sings while doing his bug feeding shtick.

Paul have not read other plant of lamia fiction. Nothing could be better than Bram Stoker's creation. He has, however, seen some of the Genus Dracula versions for movie most of which he professes are awful. Still he have some favourites like Bela Lugosi's portraiture in the 1931 film, Horror of Genus Genus Dracula starring Saint Christopher Lee, and finally manager Francis John Ford Coppola's version entitled Bram Stoker's Dracula.

In the academic human race whirls a contention over whether Bram Bram Stoker actually based his lamia fictional character on the boy of Vlad Dracul widely known as Vlad the Impaler. The intrepid Mr. Omega courageously voices his opinion, "Vlad is best cognize as a autocrat who impaled people as a panic maneuver for his enemies and his ain citizens. None of this is mentioned in Stoker's novel. Bram Stoker picked a local with the right mythology and terrain that fit." So here another ballot is project on that interminable argument for those who care about such as minutia.

This October's public presentation of Dracula, the Opera composed by Alice Paul Ziemba will be performed with a cast of characters of 20 and a little orchestra. Count Genus Dracula will be played by Gary Sage, Myna Gilbert Murray by Mare Goodrich, Jonathan Harker by Joshua Snyder, Renfield by Steven Bednasz, and Dr. Avant Garde Helsing by Uhriel Bedoya. The manager is Heide Cornell. The concert dance choreographer is Lisa Taylor. The musical manager and music director is Ivan Docenko.