Among the works by composer Gregory Spears that are being premiered this season are several that were inspired by or based on other works of art: "Secrets," which premieres next month at the Frick Collection, was inspired by a portrait of a woman by the 16th-century painter Giovanni Battista Moroni that is part of the museum’s collection; Opera Philadelphia will debut his adaptation of the Sleeping Beauty story called Sleepers Awake in April; and a song cycle based on and named for Herman Melville's short story Bartleby, the Scrivener, will have its premiere at the Tucson Desert Song Festival, also in April. A Tempo host Rachel Katz chats with Spears about these works and how he brought his reflections on the original art work into his pieces.
Composer Draws Inspiration from Art and Literature for Latest Premieres
Dario Acosta
