Music and Libretto by Rudolf Rojahn

A dark and comic new opera that tells of a scientist’s successful experiment of implanting human glands into the body of a stray dog, but living with the dog-woman proves disastrous for all..

Title: Heart of a Dog: a chamber opera in seven scenes

Composer: Rudolf Rojahn

Libretto: Rudolf Rojahn, inspired by the novella by Mikhail Bulgakov

Duration: 35min

Instrumentation: sop, mezzo, ten, bari, alto sax, vln, vc, perc

Status: Inactive, Available for revival or touring

>> Libretto [.PDF]

ABOUT THE OPERA

Listen to the alluring banter of a belligerent carnival barker as he navigates you through a twisted carnival sideshow where the main attraction is a unique performance by a bizarre troupe of actors with an arsenal of puppets. The troupe tells a dark tale of a scientist’s overly successful experiment of implanting human glands into the body of a stray dog. But the grandeur of the scientific achievement is overshadowed by the misery of living with the half-dog/half-woman whose varied appetites and manipulations prove disastrous for all.

“I’d long been a fan of Bulgakov’s fiction so when I began thinking about writing a short opera in 2007 Heart of a Dog seemed like it could be a perfect fit. Everything from the surreal nature of the drama to the small cast of characters to the self-contained environment seemed custom tailored, not just to my compositional aesthetic, but also to the limited resources with which the production would be put on.

The piece came out in a creative rage of less than two months and when I listen to it now, three years later, I can hear the raw and crunchy sonoric exuberance of a younger version of myself. I wanted to tear down the performance space with massive walls of sound while four tragic puppets acted out their black comedy.” - Rudolf Rojahn

HISTORY

9/21/2007 - World Premiere at The Zack Box at Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Directed by Sally Stunkel. Three performances.
9/16/2010 - Revival production at The Zack Box at Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Directed by Copeland Woodruff. Six performances.
05/07/2010 - Opera America Conference at Studio 401, Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Two performances.
02/26/2011 - Harris Concert Hall at the University of Memphis, TN. Two performances.
09/12/2012 - Hubbard Hall Opera Theater, Cambridge, NY. Three performances.
06/18-26/2020 - Guerilla Encore Series Viewing Party and Video on Demand

Commissioned for and produced by Guerilla Opera in partnership with the Boston Conservatory at Berklee.

Originating Ensemble & Design Team: Peter Weathers (Doctor), Neal Ferreira (Assistant), Leslie S. Leytham (Housekeeper), Aliana de la Guardia (Dog/Police), Kent O’Doherty (Saxophone/Suitor), Beth Holub (Viola), Eliza Jaques (Cello), and Mike Williams (Percussion).

TOURING INFORMATION

Director: Copeland Woodruff

Production Design: Julia Noulin-Mérat

Lighting Design: Tláloc López-Watermann

Costume Design: Adrienne Carlile

Puppet Design: Sean Cote

PRESS

“enterprising and unmistakably alternative” THE BOSTON GLOBE

“Heart of a Dog is smart, quirky contemporary opera with a lot of talent, creativity, and professionalism behind it… A prime and rare example of opera properly compounded with theater.” @BOSTONLOWBROW

ABOUT THE COMPOSER

Rudolf Rojahn is a composer of contemporary art music. A founding artist and the formerly Co-Artistic Director of Guerilla Opera, he was the composer-in-residence for Boston’s Ludovico Ensemble from 2005-2010, a collaboration that resulted in several pieces including Antikythera Mechanism for bass clarinet and ensemble. He has also been commissioned and performed by the Quincy Symphony Orchestra, Juventas New Music Ensemble, the Lorelei Ensemble, the Arbelos Trio, Gabriela Diaz, Kent O’Doherty, Rane Moore, and the Green Light Consortium among others. From 2004-2006 he ran the Proletariat Tanning Salon, an event series pairing young composers and visual artists such as Camille Wainer and Nicole Margaretten. He has written three opera for Guerilla Opera: Heart of a Dog (2007), We are Sons (2009), and Bovinus Rex (2012).

Photos by Anthony Scibilia and Rudolf Rojahn.