In this Throwback Thursday, I am revisiting my one (and so far, only) experience with rock opera with an interesting work called “Memory” – a collaboration with the modern classical composer Andrew Seligson.

While I wish I could claim credit, the genesiss for “Memory” was all Andrew, who was in the final stages of studying for his composition degree and was looking for a collaborator for a one-act rock opera.

Through the magic of cyberspace, Andrew and I came into contact and met in New York City, with Andrew having a score about 75% composed and the genesis of an idea about a man, a woman, and a figure who meet under a giant tree – and oh yes, a name: “Memory” – and from there, the ball was in my court to sketch out a broader narrative.

While initially unsure, I found the rather mystical concept intriguing and Andrew’s music lovely and eventually crafted a story out of the basic concept – namely, a man and a woman who mysteriously meet in a blissful, serene dream and then, later, come face-to-face in the flesh underneath a majestic spruce – but while the woman remembers the dream and the utopian peace it bestowed on her life, the man remains in ignorance, eventually causing a rupture between the two, the healing of which ultimately leads the man to a relationship of greater peace with the world and with his own place in it.

Courtesy of Andrew, “Memory” was given a concert presentation at the DiMenna Center in New York City with an extremely talented trio of actors.

The recording below is the key song sung by the young woman, explaining to the young man the peace her dream of him has bestowed on her mind.

THERE’S A PLACE
WE CANNOT SEE.
IT EXISTS
BETWEEN EACH MOMENT.
IN THAT PLACE
YOU AND ME
WE WERE ONE…