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libretto & music by DC Meckler
dedicated to my brother Al and my wife MaryLouise, who have supported me in many ways
Space Spirit 1 soprano
Space Spirit 2 soprano
Alan Shepard tenor
Edgar Mitchell baritone
Stuart Roosa spoken
Houston bass
Various mission controllers (roles doubled by the sopranos, tenor and baritone)
(The Roosa and Houston roles may be performed by the same person.)
The Scene of the Action
At the base of the
Saturn V; inside Mission Control;
inside the Apollo 14 Command Module Kitty Hawk.
Inside the Lunar
Module Antares and on the moon.
On a golf course, at NASA, and an office at the Institute of Noetic Sciences.
The score calls for a medium-size orchestra (2222 422 2 perc timp 2 pno str). The five soloists can function as the chorus in the first and last scenes, or a chorus could be used. At the other extreme, a lean band of 4-5 keyboardists & percussionists could be used to present the opera.
Act
I
Countdown
Go Chorus
Liftoff Thoughts
Orbital Business
Docking Trouble
Act
II
Drift
Toccata di Luna
First Words
On the Moon (Extra Vehicular Activity)
Climb
Act
III
The Turning of the Great Vehicle
Savikalpa Samadhi
Splashdown
The Altruistic Astronaut Is Not Enough
Return
from Climb (synthesized demo from the short score, 1 min, < 1 MB) a marching song and a close canon.
- - - orchestration - - - scene list - - - synopsis - - - performance history - - -
Apollo 14, A Space Opera, is about the dramatic contrast between the reactions to the experience of space travel of the Apollo 14 astronauts, Alan Shepard, Edgar Mitchell, and Stuart Roosa. Traveling back from the moon, Mitchell began to rethink the potential of human consciousness. Shepard’s reaction was more about satisfaction and achievement after years of work and frustration, all topped off by the first golf swing on the lunar surface. Roosa said he was unchanged by the experience.
Shepard is a terrific character for an opera. He had to persevere through a long period of waiting (from being the first American in space to the only astronaut from the original 7 to go the moon). The theme of waiting--and fierce determination--is an important aspect of the Shepard character.
Mitchell as well is an engaging character. His trip to the moon greatly deepened his interest in parapsychology, and, on returning to Earth, he founded The Institute of Noetic Sciences, to “expand knowledge of the nature and potentials of the mind and spirit, and to apply that knowledge to advance health and well-being for humanity and our planet.” On the return trip from the moon, he experienced an epiphany, a state he later described as “savikalpa samadhi,” a particular state of enlightenment.
There is plenty of drama in the mission. Following Apollo 13 by only four months, every Apollo 14 mishap was charged with a double load of anxiety. A crucial docking failed several times. When landing on the moon, the radar went out. Finally, in triumph, Shepard tried a golf swing on the surface of the moon. (Mitchell threw a javelin.)
Shepard and Mitchell are a tenor and baritone, respectively. Two prominent vocal parts will be sung by sopranos. These aren’t characters, but rather are “free-floating space spirits” that comment on the action and express the hidden emotions of the astronauts. They function both as Rheinmaidens of Space and as adjuncts to the vocal characters of Shepard and Mitchell. A bass voice sings, from off-stage, the communications for Houston/Mission Control; he also appears on stage in a speaking role, Stuart Roosa (the Command Module pilot).
The opera follows a straightforward narrative account of the Apollo 14 mission. It begins with an extended representation of the idea of the countdown to the launch, a very austere introduction. It includes “holds,” the pauses in the countdown, that bedevil the waiting astronauts. The countdown resumes and naturally leads to a “Lift-off.” Little windows appear in the musical texture of “Lift-off” that let us in on the pre-launch thoughts of Shepard and Mitchell. These include recollections of test pilot experiences, the Mercury 7 astronauts, President Kennedy, and Shepard’s agony of being medically grounded for so many years. The busy activity of the launch and the tension of problems with the spacecraft yield to the slow drift from Earth’s gravitational field to the Moon’s gentle tug. The landing on the moon, uncertain until the last moment because of radar and computer problems, is followed by an aria based on Shepard’s first words spoken on the moon (“It’s been a long way, but we’re here.”) On the return to Earth, Mitchell experiences a sublime state of emotion and enlightenment. The epilogue presents the crew a few years after the mission: Stuart Roosa, declaring himself to be unchanged; Edgar Mitchell, embarking with a new vision; and Alan Shepard, expressing satisfaction in having achieved his ambition.
As is most of my music, Apollo 14 is
eclectic. Apollo 14 begins with extremely basic musical materials that evolve,
and associations gradually develop. The opening is austere; just the two pianos
playing descending chromatic scales at varying rates. While this description
makes it sound too simple, this iconic material soon begins to develop
individual motific character and real musical vitality. The music is without a
doubt contemporary, while it is definitely singable.
Stylistic eclecticism is used to make points in the various scenes.
Coherence emerges from a strong reliance on traditional uses of motives
(musical themes) associated with the characters and aspects of their
personalities.
Act I
The opera begins with the countdown in progress. The countdown is soon delayed by weather. The weather clears and mission controllers declare all systems "Go." The scene moves from the exterior of the rocket through the interior of Mission Control to the interior thoughts of the astronauts waiting for liftoff. After these flashbacks by Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell, the countdown resumes and “we have liftoff.” The third astronaut, Stuart Roosa, then checks out the spacecraft and begins to dock with the Lunar Module. The docking mechanism fails and Shepard declares his eagerness to engage in heroic actions to save the mission. After several attempts and advice from Houston, the docking is successful.
Act II
The spacecraft drifts to the Moon. As Shepard and Mitchell prepare their
spacecraft for landing on the Moon, there is an intermittent electrical
failure. Programmers back on Earth
create a software patch to work around the problem. Mitchell enters the new program into the spacecraft's computer
while Shepard takes over the job of flying the spacecraft (originally this was
Mitchell's assignment). This software
fix creates a third problem, causing the spacecraft's radar altimeter to fail. Shepard declares his intention to disregard
procedure and land the spacecraft manually.
Houston and Mitchell think of a solution simultaneously – switch the
radar off and on, hoping that it will function properly. It does and the landing is successful. Shepard steps out on the Moon. The Space Spirits comment on his first words
in a “lunar madrigal.” Mitchell joins
Shepard on the Moon and they set about working. Shepard is interrupted by an emotional moment. Shepard and Mitchell return to work and the
Space Spirits comment on this extension of human knowledge. Shepard and Mitchell continue to work, and
then they try to sleep. After not getting much rest, they attempt to climb to
the top of the rim of Cone Crater.
After their attempt, they "do the other things"— Shepard hits
a couple of golf balls and Mitchell throws an improvised javelin.
– intermission –
Act III
As the spacecraft drifts back to Earth, Mitchell is mesmerized by the image of the Earth rotating past the spacecraft windows. He has a moment of feeling connected to the entire cosmos. After splashdown and a Welcome Home parade, Shepard expresses his satisfaction at accomplishing the mission, Roosa recounts a story about traveling to Tibet but insists that "Space changes no one," and Mitchell contemplates his new view of the universe. The astronauts recede in our memory as the Apollo program is dismantled.
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list - - - audio excerpts - - - ideas - - - synopsis - - -
performance history - - -