The Tibetan Book of the Dead (opera)

The premiere production of The Tibetan Book of the Dead was performed by members of the Houston Grand Opera Studio on May 31, 1996, at the Wortham Theater at Rice University. The conductor was Charles Prince, and the stage director was Marcus Stern. The opera received critical acclaim and secured Gordon's place in the operatic genre. Despite its success and subsequent academic productions, most notably in 2018 by Eastman Opera Theater at Eastman School of Music, the opera had not received a professional staging for nearly 28 years until it was produced by Opera Grand Rapids in 2024. == Roles ==

From the introductory page of the score: "Based on some of the most sacred and revered texts ever written, The Tibetan Book of the Dead depicts the epic journey of a dying soul through a series of spiritual and emotional planes along the road of rebirth." • The Dying • The Moment of Death • Clear White Light • The Peaceful Energies • Rainbow Dance • Dream-like Realms • The Angry Energies • Mahakala • Lord of Death • Wandering Prayer • Realizing I Am Dead • Pursued by Demons • Hungry ghost • Love Making • Refusing to See • Choosing a Home • Entering Again == Instrumentation ==

The opera is orchestrated for: • Woodwind: flute (doubling alto flute and piccolo), clarinet in B (doubling bass clarinet) • Brass: trumpet in B, French horn • Percussion (3 players): drum set, tom roms (3+), snare drum, side drum, bass drum, temple blocks, woodblocks, castanets, bongos, gong (Tam Tam), ratchet, suspended cymbal, crash cymbal, whip (clapper), triangle, shaker, gourd, tambourine, acme siren, glockenspiel, xylophone, vibraphone, marimba, Bells, chimes, timpani (C2–E3) • Keyboard: piano • Strings: harp, 1 violin, 1 cello, 1 double bass == Broadcast recording ==

A performance of The Tibetan Book of the Dead was audio recorded and later broadcast on September 28, 1996, on KUHF-FM Radio in Houston, Texas. == References ==