FULL The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Joby Talbot) Dallas TX 2023 Lucas Meachem, Richard Croft, Sasha Cooke
Popular Singers in this Opera Recording
Information on the Performance
- Work Title: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
- Composer: Talbot Joby
- Libretto: GENE SCHEER Libretto Text, Libretto Index
- Venue & Opera Company: Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House, Dallas, Texas
- Recorded: November 11, 2023
- Type: Staged Opera Live
- Singers: Lucas Meachem, Richard Croft, Sasha Cooke, Deanna Breiwick, Kevin Burdette, Andriana Chuchman, Andrew Bidlack, Jocelyn Hansen, Ava Jafari, Austin Howarth, Martin Luther Clark
- Conductor: Emmanuel Villaume
- Orchestra:
- Stage Director: LEONARD FOGLIA
- Stage Designer: Elaine J. McCarthy
- Costume Designer: David Woolard
- Lighting Designer: Russell H. Champa
Information about the Recording
- Published by: Dallas Opera
- Date Published: 2023
- Format: Streaming
- Quality Video: 4 Audio:4
- Subtitles: nosubs
- Video Recording from: YouTube FULL VIDEO
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS PERFORMANCE
A PERSONAL NOTE FROM LIBRETTIST GENE SCHEER
Our opera The Diving Bell and the Butterfly tells the story of Jean-Dominique Bauby, the celebrated editor of Elle magazine. Husband and father, he’s a major contributor to the cultural and intellectual scene in Paris and throughout France. But his life shatters when a devastating stroke leaves him paralyzed and unable to speak—“locked in”—like a diver at the bottom of the sea. Yet Bauby’s spirit is indomitable, and he finds a way—by blinking with the only muscle he can still control to “write” a book about his extraordinary life.
Although physically incapacitated, Bauby has a brilliant mind that can wander and fly like a butterfly, freeing him to travel through time and space where nothing is impossible. Confronted with the brutal reality of his condition, Jean-Dominique must find meaning in what remains. Ultimately, it is his love for his children and his love for life itself, which allow him to persist. As he employs his powerful imagination and reflects on the life he has lived, he finds the strength to leave a lasting and meaningful legacy for those he loved.
My own inspiration for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly emerged when, a few years ago, I went to Paris to meet with Jean-Dominique Bauby’s family. About two hours into a four-hour dinner, Celeste, Jean-Dominique’s daughter, said to me that she understood why Joby Talbot and I wanted to turn her father’s memoir into an opera. This story of Jean-Dominique languishing with “locked-in syndrome” and almost completely unable to move, at first blush, seemed like an unusual subject for an opera. But Celeste understood that Jean-Dominique’s heroic effort to leave a testament about his life and identity was the heart of a remarkable journey that music could illuminate.
By the end of the evening, Céleste, her brother Théo, and their mother Sylvie all had only one question: “How can we help?” Over the next few days, I spent many hours with them discussing their memories of what happened and finding out more about Jean- Dominique. I explained that though we are not creating a documentary, but rather an imaginative work of art, any details that they could offer about Bauby’s life would be invaluable and allow the opera to feel especially truthful and resonant.
A few days after the dinner, I returned to Sylvie’s apartment to continue asking her questions and listen to her talk about her life with “Jean-Do.” Finally, she asked me a question: “So, where might the opera begin?” Nervously, I said to her: “In the Château d’If.” She replied, “You mean, the dungeon in The Count of Monte Cristo?” When I said yes, she laughed and exclaimed, “That’s absolutely wonderful!” She instantly got the reference to the Dumas novel and was well aware that Jean-Dominique, obsessed with the story, had been working hard on an adaptation of the classic novel at the time of his stroke. So, as the opera opens, with Jean-Dominique lost in a coma, we see what he imagines in his mind as he lies unconscious in his hospital bed in Berck-sur-Mer.
As I write this message, the opera’s premiere is only weeks away. My hope is that audiences will find it to be a beautiful and inspiring account of Jean-Dominique’s life. Joby’s score is magnificent, and the cast that The Dallas Opera has assembled is absolutely stellar. The reason this book spent years on the international best seller list is because Jean-Dominique’s story speaks so movingly of our deepest need to connect to the world and each other. To me, this piece feels especially relevant now. Living through the Covid pandemic has certainly reminded us of our own urgent need to find a way to connect and celebrate those we love. His life-affirming story also poignantly reminds us that there is no time to waste.
—Gene Scheer, librettist