Just out., June 20, 1997, Page 39, Image 39

ju s t o u t ▼ ju n s 2 0 . 1997 ▼ 39
INTERVIEW
“Moon Rising”
T h e S o u l L a id B a r e
Robert Seeley and Philip Littell’s song cyclef Naked Man,
harmonizes the shedding of masks, not clothes
by Theresa Demarest
Available at:
Borders Books & Music • Music Millenium
Fred Meyer • Tower Records • It's My Pleasure
Theresa and Good Company perform:
Sunday. June 29. 3PM
Taste ot Beaverton
•
by Bob Roehr
Saturday. July 12. 7-9PM
I
t begins with all of the moving solemnity of
a requiem mass. A slowly tolling bell, the
ominous, relentless swelling power of an
orchestra. The mood is awesome—evoking
wonderment, dread and inspiration. Then in
joins the force of men’s voices raised as one:
Make my spirit flesh.
Look upon my nakedness.
When 1 am dressed up,
1
Î Li
U SIC
Disguised and masked,
I am a sham.
All I want to be
Is that I am:
A naked man.
“What I really wanted to do with those pieces
is to make the characters real, endear them to the
audience. And it works. It is certainly not your
typical chorus kind of numbers, but they are
provocative. We were hoping to give people
something to think about, not just pretty music
and a fun time, but to think. Philip is so good at
telling the truth and getting at the truth, even
though life is not always pretty.”
Among the offerings is “The Dragon” of sexu­
ality prowling city streets and parks. Recollec­
tions of a troubled childhood in "Pushed Down
the Stairs” and young adulthood in “Dishonor­
able Discharge.” And the historic treasure of
“ 1878—The Ballad of Mrs. Nash,” a man passing
as a woman at a prairie outpost.
These are “the individual life portraits, almost
psychodramas, people don’t want to touch,” says
Seeley. They’re the quickest to be cut in other
performances, whether for time constraints or so
as not to offend local sensibilities.
A couple of love songs “that were quite won­
derful” were cut because of time. “Philip thought
we have had love songs in many other works, it
was time to delve into other things.”
Seeley started writing in February 1996 and
“three months later it was done. The muses were
really kicking, they were working overtime.”
The music is a pastiche of traditional choral
sounds, Broadway, even doo-wop of the 1950s, for
“A Very Very Very Very Very Good Boy.” “Mrs.
Nash” is set to the good-timey sound of a player
piano and tuba bass line of its era. It all comes
together in a remarkable musical tour de force.
“It was the scariest thing I ever did,” says
Naked Man is a whirlwind cycle of songs on
what it is to be a gay man. “When people hear the
title, all they can think of is nudity, that it is this
male erotic thing,” laments composer Robert
Seeley. “The piece has nothing at all to do with
sex, it is a shedding of ourselves. It is a statement
of who we are as fellow humans and the pain we
go through, the hope and despair.”
The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus com­
missioned the work from poet Philip Littell and
Seeley, their composer in residence. Last year, in
the space of a month, they premiered it, recorded
it and stunned the conference of gay choruses in
Tampa with its presentation there. Close
to a dozen groups have since performed
Naked Man or will do so during this
year’s Pride celebrations. The Portland
Gay Men’s Chorus will perform the
piece on June 28 and 29.
That response has simply over­
whelmed Seeley. He had written a num­
ber of songs for the chorus, but never so
large a work nor in collaboration. “It
was all very new to me,” he says, his
huge blue eyes popping even wider
with excitement. “But Philip pulled me
along at the beginning.”
Littell, a Los Angeles poet and per­
former, traveled to San Francisco for ”°'jert Neeley
two weeks, living with Seeley while he inter­
Seeley. “I was afraid that no one would like it. But
viewed about 60 members of the chorus. The pair
I think that I surprised them very much with the
avidly discussed those interviews, then Littell
range of styles and the maturity of it. They had no
returned home to write.
idea I had it in me, particularly the orchestration,
Several weeks later, “he came up with a huge
which is so beautiful.”
volume of poetry based upon the interviews. It was
He views Naked Man as a gift "from the heart”
far too much material, but he wanted to provide the
to the community. And he takes great satisfaction
two of us a smorgasbord of things,” recalls Seeley.
when “often after a performance, gay men and
They whittled the pile down to about 25, then
lesbians come up from the audience and thank us
slowly to the 15 poems finally used in the work.
for giving this to the community.”
There were technical considerations: The fin­
He will soon begin work on a piece for the
ished piece had to be about 45 minutes long, with
SFGMC’s 20th anniversary and a collaboration
numbers for break out groups and soloists, and be
with Littell for the Dallas Women’s Chorus.
excerptable for shorter performances.
“I feel just so blessed that I have been asked to
Seeley “wanted it to be very specifically about
do those and I have been in a situation where such
the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, but I also
an unknown young composer could have
wanted it to have more of a universal appeal, to
premières at Carnegie Hall, be recorded on CDs.
resonate with as many people as possible, so people
It is a fantasy beyond which I ever dreamed.”
anywhere could understand what these men had
gone through with their lives as gay men.”
Naked Man is available on CD at
Much of its focus is on the dark side, the agony
performances o f the work, at selected gay
rather than the ecstasy of living as a gay man.
bookstores, and through the San Francisco
Some sections seem lifted from a therapist’s couch.
Gay Men s Chorus, 50 Oak St., Suite 304,
"These guys really spilled their guts” in the inter­
San Francisco, CA 94102, (415) 863-4472.
views, says the composer.
Borders Books Tigard
mail: ttMresad@teleport.com
phone,fax: 888/771-6893
CD
Merchants
10th & Washington Downtown
274-7184
Only $12.00 until June 30th
CALL NOV FOR TICKETS!
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OPERA
JULY 9 - AUGUST 16
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