Arts Journalist and novelist Miriam Seidel conceived her opera ‘Violet Fire’ in 2006 to commemorate the 150th birthyear of Croatian inventor Nikola Tesla. Seidel wondered why such a genius inventor, once famous at the turn of the 20th century for his many inventions, was now all but forgotten.
It is a challenging task to stage new operas and especially a bio-opera of a mostly forgotten inventor. But, fortunately in the early 2000s, Philadelphia had become a hub for an arts renaissance with the success of the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, and the establishment of several new theater and dance companies.
All the elements of this inspired project came together, apropos to its subject, with lightning speed, inspired by Seidel and her collaborative team of international artists.
Now 20 years after the opera debuted, Seidel has published ‘Tesla’s Opera’ a monograph volume about the creation of ‘Violet Fire.’ In her introduction to the book Seidel writes “ …Only an opera, I thought, could capture the extremes and the surreal quality of Tesla’s life and imagination.” The book is part bio-history of the man, his life’s work and a performance diary of the creation of ‘Violet Fire.’
In late 19th century America his inventions astounded his colleagues, and the public at large. He had worked briefly for Thomas Edison who invented the telephone, lightbulb and movie cameras, and other modern marvels.
And for a brief time Tesla worked for Edison, but soon struck out on his own and was now competing with him. Tesla had his own method of harnessing wireless electricity via Alternating Current, wireless and borderless to bring peace and prosperity to all humanity.
Tesla’s innovations and theories led to the such proto-type technologies for radio, robotics, x-ray imaging and computers. Unfortunately, Tesla kept investing his money in new experiments and projects that eventually forced him to sell his patents.
The opera in fact opens at the scene of one of his failed experiments, when in 1917 his mammoth generator site of the Wardenclyffe Tower implodes and collapses. Tesla (tenor Kristin Moody originated the role ) sings the poignant opening lines
“Perhaps I was a little premature//perhaps too far ahead of my time/My tower//The transmission of electrical energy without wires as a means of furthering peace.”
From there the opera dramatizes Tesla’s often difficult life. He nearly died of cholera as a young man just out of high school, and was hospitalized for nine months. After working for Edison, he was hired as chief electrician for the Budapest Telephone Co. A year later he suffered a nervous breakdown, but soon was an American citizen and at the top of his burgeoning field, but he eventually lost everything and at one point ended up working as a ditch-digger.
He never married and led a celibate life and by his own admission, other than his experiments and inventions, he was most captivated and entranced by pigeons and doves.
Seidel covers all of this history in the book, side-by-side with all of the artistic elements that produced ‘Violet Fire.’ Seidel musical collaborator was Jon Gibson, a founding member of Philip Glass’s quartet, Gibson also worked with Philadelphia’s acclaimed Relache Orchestra, Seidel citing his unique “gift for creating soundscapes that responded seamlessly to the other elements, and a particular affinity for creating music for dance.”
The book also chronicles the creative circumstances of its production journey from the first performance at Temple University in Philadelphia in 2004, to its international premiere in Belgrade, Croatia-Serbia in 2006 and performances at BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music)
The book includes photos of the elaborate production designs by cinematographic artist Srdjan Mihic, for combined effects to depict atmospheric templates of electrical currents slicing through the air.
In addition to Seidel’s full libretto and some of Gibson’s music charts, there is commentary and essays by the theater director Terry O’Reilly who stewarded both the Philly and Belgrade premieres. Director of the National Theater of Belgrade Ana Zorana Brajovic writes about conducting the opera. Dance journalist Merilyn Jackson describes the dance elements incorporated into the production and the performing arts scene in Philly that supported brave multi-discipline productions.
The book is immersive in tracking the history, mysteries and mystique of Nikola Tesla This is a fascinating, fun book about the world of science, opera and avian love. Poet Andrei Codrescu’s even weighs in on the current currency of the Tesla name in his fiery intro to the book to about a certain musky billionaire appropriating the Tesla name for his hideous cars for the rich.
