Oblivion

for 5 singers and chamber ensemble
(2010) 60′

Image by the composer

Libretto by the composer, adapted from numerous sources.

Instrumentation: 2 sopr, 1 mezzo, 1 tnr, 1 bar; fl, gtr, vc, 3 Himalayan singing bowls played by the 3 instrumentalists. Selected excerpts also available in piano-vocal.

Recording:
The playlist below contains multiple movements.
Click the “next chapter” icon to advance, or select a scene from the playlist on the top left.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNBs7nKLPxoFiPHdL6ys3iCnb0ikq8awn?rel=0

This was recorded July 2010, at “The Mountain” at Mount Vernon United Methodist Church, as part of the Capital Fringe Festival in Washington, D.C.  Performers include:

  • Rachel Barham, soprano (“The Plumtree”)
  • Alexander Wolniak, tenor (“Our Grey Indifference”)
  • James Rogers, baritone (“Night in Kalapa”)
  • Jessica Bateman, flute
  • Jesse Crites, guitar
  • Daniel Shomper, cello
  • Sasha Brätt, stage director
  • Alison Goldberg, stage manager

Score: Oblivion

Program Notes:
Howard is dying. While he suffers through an unexpected illness, prophetic dreams challenge his attachment to life. A chamber opera adapted from a story by H. P. Lovecraft, Oblivion confronts the threshold between existence and whatever follows…

Texts:

  • “The Plumtree” – Text adapted from the poem “The Widow’s Lament in Springtime” by William Carlos Williams
  • “Our Grey Indifference” – Original text by the composer
  • “Night in Kalapa” – poem by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, from Snow Lion’s Delight: 108 Poems (Halifax, N.S.: The Kalapa Court, 2005). Used by permission.

Honors for Oblivion:

Reviews of Oblivion:

“Oblivion is so beautiful, one hour of sheer beauty.”
     – Joel Markowitz, DC Theatre Scene

“Composer and librettist Kyle Gullings has created a beautiful, unconventional score befitting Lovecraft’s existential tale. […] Oblivion is an elegant, melancholy production that deals with the heady theme of death and rebirth with its own dignified style. With a one-hour runtime, Oblivion is a brief but wholly worthwhile journey, boasting a dreamy score, polished performances, and an existential debate that plants itself firmly in the minds of the audience.”
     – Ben Demers, DC Theatre Scene

 

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