Nico Muhly - Marnie and the Adaptation of Operatic Form

I found Nico Muhly’s presentation to be very transparent and informative on many fronts, but the one that interested me the most was his dive into the process behind his new opera, Marnie. New opera fascinates me particularly in how composers deal with writing within a form and standard practice that has stayed relatively consistent for hundreds of years. Muhly’s approach to form on both large and small scales seems to emphasize the function of the aria. He mentioned that he wanted to avoid “objectification through music” and rather attempted to delve into more philosophical elements of Marnie’s predicaments, rendered particularly legible by the chorus of “past-Marnies” that accompanies her during her ostensibly “private” moments. Through manipulations of standard operatic norms such as the aria and the role of the chorus, Muhly finds room for innovation and transcendence of typical form while working comfortably within the norms of opera.

Muhly’s definition of the role of the chorus in the opera struck me as one of the more effective innovations (I use the word “innovation” here to mean something that distinguishes itself from common practice opera, not that Muhly is the first composer ever to use the chorus in this way). I had the privilege to see Marnie when it ran at the Met in the Fall and one of my general impressions afterward was how well the narrative and abstract elements were balanced. On one hand, Marnie is a story based both on a book and the movie adaptation of that book and the opera tells that story with a series of events and character interactions, however the progression is marked by many moments of philosophical departure. In the presentation, he showed how the chorus flexes between the literal people in Marnie’s life and philosophical specters that give voice to the oppressive forces in Marnie’s reality. In addition to the music, the set often changed to reflect these transitions. As Muhly pointed out during the presentation, there is a scene at a crowded bar that morphs into an internal dialogue at which point the chorus disappears and the bar is removed from the stage, leaving Marnie to sing with her chorus of past selves. Additionally, the inclusion of the voiceless men in suits who simply stare at Marnie during her arias was an interesting way to acknowledge the pervasiveness of the objectification of women not only in society, but in opera. In this way, Muhly inserts the audience and himself into the part of the voyeur, allowing the viewer the opportunity to confront their own role as objectifier.

Another aspect of the project that Muhly discussed was the process of collaboration it required. I found it especially illuminating when he explained that early on he sat down with his collaborators and went through all of the logistical elements of the opera from large to small until they found something they disagreed with. Muhly mentioned that the process from start to finish lasted about three and a half years. Having never worked on a project lasting longer than a year, I am mystified by what it would feel like to work on a project like that for so long. How would you keep it all in your head? As more guests come in this semester, I hope to learn a little bit more about the logistics of long-form projects such as this.