to scratch an angel ~ Ari Frankel chamber opera after Primo Levi

to scratch an angel is a new chamber opera ~ with original words and music by Ari Frankel ~ inspired by the life, writings, and death of Primo Levi [1919-1987]. Lyrically impressive and visually poetic, the work is already attracting extraordinary collaborators such as actor-director Fiona Shaw, countertenor Andreas Scholl and performance artist John Kelly.
to scratch an angel's timeline, singing and sound morph techniques in search of truth, passion, and knowledge. A serious, yet attractive and entertaining work, it looks at life, and at living without being alive; it explores emotions with unblinking honesty, observing actions and tracking consequences.
"I write because I am a chemist," explained Levi. "Chemistry is a struggle with matter, a masterpiece of rationality, an existential parable. Chemistry teaches vigilance combined with reason." "I compose because I am alive," explains Frankel. "At his best, Levi's palette was humankind and language. Those battlefields are where to scratch an angel's journey begins."
With focus, angst, passion, and talent, Frankel has created a monument of beauty, now searching for a presenting home.

IMPRESSIONS ~ LIBRETTO [pdf] ~ MUSIC ~ MATERIALS ~ on Ari FRANKEL ~ on Primo LEVI