The Picture of Dorian Gray (American Premiere)
by Lowell Liebermann

It’s said that every one of us must constantly deal with the struggle between our two inherent, but contradictory natures. There’s the “good,” or “light side,” that exhorts a person to do right, and a “dark side” that encourages a sociopathic life of unbridled evil, not bound by any concern for the feelings and wellbeing of others.

Haven’t we all struggled with those forces? Hasn’t everyone wanted to get rid of the angel that sits on one shoulder, whispering advice, and instead listen to the juicier advice coming from the devil on our other shoulder?

Thankfully, most of us seem to resist that devil most of the time. But, oh how we love to hear about the people who don’t. Look at our popular literature, like summertime bestsellers. Remember Hannibal Lecter? You know, that brilliant, serial-murdering, gourmet cannibal who kept us up past midnight in “Silence of the Lambs,” and who’s topping the charts again this year, in yet another book. Exactly what is it we all seem to admire about him? And he’s not the only one. The truth is, everyone seems to like to watch people doing the “awful” things that we wish, deep down, we could get away with ourselves. Whatever the reason, an awful lot of our favorite characters seem to have bludgeoned their “better natures” to death and stashed them in a closet somewhere.

This week’s opera features one of those characters, Oscar Wilde’s Dorian Gray. He wished he could remain forever young and beautiful, while only his portrait, painted when he was 20, would show the ravages of age. He got his wish, and more besides. For along with his youth, the forever-young aristocrat kept the recklessness, the insolence, and the lack of conscience that’s typical of young people in any century. And the picture of Dorian Gray not only took on the ravages of Dorian’s age, but also became the physical manifestation of his evil deeds - a heinous portrait of his true self.

This week on At the Opera host Lou Santacroce and commentator Will Berger discuss the enduring popularity of Wilde's’ story, and composer LOWELL LIEBERMANN tells us about the inspiration behind today’s opera, which is based on that work. It all a prelude to the world premiere broadcast of Liebermann’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, from Milwaukee’s FLORENTINE OPERA. You can hear that on NPR World of Opera with Steve Curwood.

Music featured this week on At the Opera: