Glory Denied
Music and Libretto by Tom Cipullo
Based on the oral history by Tom Philpott
“Baritone Michael Chioldi, the older Jim, had the subtle role in which a small change in timbre and the raising of an eyebrow were all it took to differentiate rejection from resignation; in the intimacy of this performance space, such gestures spoke eloquently. Tenor Kevin Vortmann was compelling and enormously powerful as the young, imprisoned Jim. As the idealized pregnant Alyce of Jim’s imagination, Colleen Daly had the most lyrical assignment and carried it out glowingly. Caroline Worra, tasked with straddling the line between selfish self-preservation and brutal reality, did so magnificently.”
– Joan Reinthaler, The Washington Post
click here for the full review
“Glory Denied happens to be a work of our time; of special meaning to where we live . . . It engages its audience in tonal melodies, intellectual substance, emotional drama, and a concise narrative arc. It holds its own against the greatest of the classical repertoire, while helping to redefine it at the rarer scale of chamber opera.”
– Paul Moon, DCArtsBeat
for the full review, click here
Images by Clinton B Photography
SYNOPSIS
Capt. Floyd “Jim” Thompson was shot down over Vietnam on March 26, 1964. He was captured by the Viet Cong, and held for nine years; his wife Alyce was uncertain if he was alive. Faced with the prospect of raising their four children alone, she decided to move on, and settled down with another man. When Thompson returned, his long-held vision of Alyce was crushed, and his family’s lives were thrown into turmoil. Based on the oral history by Tom Philpott, the opera Glory Denied tells the true story of Jim and Alyce – their relationship, their choices, their joys, their disillusionment.
For further reading about Thompson, you can visit wikipedia here. The article is a good summary of his life and background. For a very detailed chronicle of Thompson’s life, we recommend the oral history by Tom Philpott. The opera deals with only a portion of the events surrounding Jim and Alyce’s lives – some things had to be condensed for the theater. You can read the New York Times review of the book here, and it is also available for purchase wherever you buy books.