Not Christine
It's Chrisann Brennan.
An opera about Steve Jobs will be premiering in 2017, titled The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs. Sante Fe Opera has commissioned the work, which "examines the life of one of the most fascinating figures of our time; an innovator who simplified communication with sleek devices, but who paradoxically learned that complex human …
It could start all jolly, like a Gilbert and Sullivan theme:-
"I am the very model of what modern venture capital
Can achieve when combined with fervour most maniacal,
I know the heads of companies, and quote ideas graphical
From my man Woz to PARC Xerox, in order categorical." etc...
It could move through the electro-pop back catalogue with a sub-theme based on Ultravox's "Vienna" (especially for the years when Gil Amelio was running Apple), then moving into Something more like Dead or Alive's "You Spin Me Round" (so many levels of possibility there), which moves into a reprise of "Vienna" as the health issues become apparent ("It means nothing to me..."), before switching to something that could sound like the Fast Show's "Boris ton Bastardo" opera parody, before rounding off with the Four Tops "I'll be there".
The audience can all take part via an iPhoneiPad app that will link their iDevices together (like the sort of thing that Dan Deacon does) to project a giant image of Steve/the changing Apple logo/a black turtleneck, etc across the auditorium, before "One more thing" scrolls across followed by a giant question mark to finish off.
Or nothing like that (apart from maybe the app thing)...
It could be similar to any of the most boring operas. All that was interesting about Steve jobs was the fact that he earned money for many people, end of story.
He was a successful business men, that's all... Apple products are consumer products, they don't have magical powers or mystical properties, they are consumer goods that must be bought and paid for....end of story.
How about we make an opera about the over-population of the world, or the rise of ISIS, or destruction of the Ukraine... At least they would fit in with the typical operatic leitmotifs.
"We have included a symphony, titled Alternative Energy, by composer Mason Bates below."
And is this the composer with whom the Santa Fe Opera (not the Sante Fe Opera, I believe) commissioned this work or was that just thrown in for additional entertainment value? Editor? A little help here, please.
Good choice of banner image, though.
Not familiar with this composer. My first thought was John Adams (whom I like) who composed the totally unexpected "Nixon in China" opera. There's just something marvelously outre about Nixon and Kissinger (baritone and bass, resp.) singing at one another on an airplane to China. So at first, my reaction to this was rather positive. Could still be interesting tho.
Not forgetting, of course,
"I'm Neither Here Nor There; I Think I'll Throw a Chair"...
Or, he could teach "Little Known Facts" (as in You're a Good Man Charlie Brown):
"Lucy: Do you see this tree? It is a fir tree.
It's called a fir tree because it gives us fur for coats.
It also gives us wool in the wintertime."
Considering that Santa Fe is a city-sized hangout for the Beautiful PeopleTM, I'd expect to see a pretty fair little opera company there, maybe with a strong whiff of cowboy...
I've never noticed much cowboy in Santa Fe. Gallup, say, or even Las Vegas (NM, not NV) - yeah, some cowboy. Santa Fe is a mix of old families (Mexican, Pueblo, and combinations thereof) and wealthy white folks who come for the climate and art scene, plus some minor amusements like state government. And yes, the opera is a big deal in SF.
Santa Fe has some good stuff, but I generally avoid it, to be honest. We prefer Española (for the food) and Taos (for everything else). But if you wanted to cal that just another sort of pretension I couldn't really argue.
Brilliant minds often belong to the most difficult, arrogant, and obnoxious people: Jobs at the top of the list. He was a gifted seer into the GUI and marketing of what became Apple, but he paid people to do the work. Yes, he was amazing, but that amazement was met by an obnoxious, child-like buffoon who couldn't handle criticism or change well at all. The fan boys and girls need to find another bandwagon.