A struggle with an eating disorder and gender identity may seem an unusual subject for an opera, but that’s what occupies the center of a new adaptation of Frank Bidart’s poem “Ellen West.” Ricky Gordon (CRF 2009), the composer of this soon to be premiered opera, first discovered Bidart’s long, narrative poem during a period of personal tragedy. Largely a composer of vocal works, Gordon has a penchant for poignantly and expertly blending modern art song, opera and musical theater. The New York City-based composer also has a history of adapting ambitious literary works into music (his three-act opera of The Grapes of Wrath premiered in Minnesota in 2007). For Gordon, “Ellen West” has long been on his list of pieces to tackle. “Frank Bidart got at something so private that I was utterly shocked when I read that poem,” he said. “As time wore on, the piece that really lived inside me, that really called out to me was ‘Ellen West.’”
Read the full article in Salmagundi here.