Ithaca College

Darkling, an experimental opera-theatre work by Stefan Weisman and Anna Rabinowitz, was released by Albany Records on on November 1, 2011. In addition to the CD, Brian DeMaris, Associate Professor in the School of Music, was the conductor for the 2006 world premiere in New York and the 2007 tour to Berlin and Poland. 

Spanning the decades from the 1930’s to the post-World War period, Darkling is a remarkable story – both poignant and humorous – of love, loss, calamity and hope.  Past and present blur, characters are swept along by the great forces of history and lives are bowed and buffeted in this uniquely moving and captivating work. "Brave and sensitive" (The New York Times), Darkling uses opera, avant-garde theatre, vaudeville and cutting edge technology to create “an unlikely collaboration of Wagner, Sally Bowles and Steven Spielberg" (Time Out/New York). This dramatic tour-de-force views history not from a grand geo-political perspective but from the insightful, intimate outlook of a poet whose ordinary Polish-Jewish family is unexpectedly affected by extraordinary events of the Holocaust.

In 2006, American Opera Projects presented the world premiere of Darkling, conceived and directed by Michael Comlish and featuring a newly-commissioned song "The Darkling Thrush" by veteran composer Lee Hoiby.

Darkling was created for four singers (soprano / mezzo / tenor / baritone), seven actors, and string quartet with optional piano. A touring version of Darkling reduces the number of actors to three and is adaptable to multiple venues.

For additional information on the release, please contact Brian DeMaris.