Bates: The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs

Featuring

Michael Christie
Kelly Markgraf
Edward Parks
Sasha Cooke
Wei Wu
Mariya Kaganskaya

Garrett Sorenson
Jessica E. Jones
Adelaide Boedecker
Adam Bonanni
Kristen Choi
Thaddeus Ennen
Andrew Maughan
Corrie Stallings
Tyler Zimmerman
Santa Fe Opera Orchestra
Mason Bates

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Recording & Production

Assistance with the electronic sounds for this recording was provided by Gary Rydstrom of Skywalker Sound.

Composition History

The opera "The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs" was commissioned by The Santa Fe Opera and co-commissioned with Seattle Opera and San Francisco Opera.

Compositional Technique

The opera incorporates an acoustic guitar, an instrument rarely heard in opera houses, to illuminate Steve Jobs's internal world, as he loved the guitar.

Notable Performances

The world premiere of "The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs" took place on July 22, 2017.

Compositional Technique

Mason Bates's opera expands on Wagnerian leitmotifs by assigning each character an entire "soundworld," which blend and collide like a DJ mix.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Composer Mason Bates aimed to explore the intersection of creativity, technology, and human communication in the opera, using opera's ability to illuminate interior thoughts.

Compositional Technique

The music for Steve Jobs in the opera is a blend of orchestra and electronica, with the latter partly built using samples of Mac gear, including internal machine sounds and external sound effects.