An opera in one act for solo baritone voice, solo piano and ensemble, David Lang's the loser (released February 7th, 2020 via Cantaloupe Music) has been lauded by the New York Times as a "boldly unconventional" work, and that's almost putting it mildly!

For those not in the know, 'the loser' is based on the Thomas Bernhard's 1983 novel of the same name, in which an anonymous narrator and once-promising concert pianist retells the story of his friend's suicide.

As it turns out, both were students in the same master class, taught by Vladimir Horowitz, as a young Glenn Gould and Gould’s nickname for the suicidal Wertheimer was, of course, “the loser.”

Playing in the shadow of Gould brings both to the realization that true greatness will never be theirs, wrecking both their lives forever.

scene 1 - even glenn gould, our friend (12:07)
scene 2 - strangely enough (07:22)
scene 3 - it's not my way (08:03)
scene 4 - glenn is the victor (06:44)
scene 5 - those who live in the country (04:37)
scene 6 - I’m the survivor (05:33)
scene 7 - glenn died at the perfect moment (03:17)
scene 8 - the loser was a born loser (10:44)
for glenn gould [bonus track] (14:03)

It opens with all three studying piano with Vladimir Horowitz at the Mozarteum in Salzburg in the early 1950s.

Within scene 1 ("even glenn gould, our friend") the narrator reveals the untimely, and yet natural death of Gould, recanting it as if he were a passive town crier back in the day making people aware of the daily news.

In scene 2 ("strangely enough"), the narrator’s memories bring forth how he first met Gould, atop a mountain top, strangely enough called Suicide Mountain, before scene 3 ("it's not my way") reveals more about the man; especially how he found humor in the way a piano was delivered!

In scene 4 ("glenn is the victor"), recants a story of the death by hanging of Wertheimer, whilst revealing that Glenn had had his stroke during the Goldberg Variations and in scene 5 ("those who live in the country") is a sterner, leaner recap of how one not born in the country shows a distinct lack of taste, with it also being harmful to their health.

The buoyant scene 6 ("I’m the survivor") is a passage of reflection, about being the last man standing, whilst scene 7 ("glenn died at the perfect moment") the perky speech informs us that a natural death always occurs at the perfect moment (unlike suicide).

The opera ends with scene 8 ("the loser was a born loser"), a recounting of how the sole survivor had known from the off that he would indeed be the last man standing, due to having pegged the other two as losers from the off.

Ending on the most beautiful, if not at times strained and sorrowful, near-15 minute bonus track "for glenn gould," 'the loser' is, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the most innovative and daringly magnificent acts of operatic storytelling I have had the pleasure to encounter in the past few decades.

As David Lang himself tells it, "The story is not at all about Gould, Horowitz, or classical music. On one level, the novel is an intense tour-de-force of character development, as the narrator tells you more about himself and his world."

"In its own strangely beautiful way, however, it's also about perfectionism, hard work, how we justify our lives to ourselves, and how we learn to appreciate beauty and become alienated from it at the same time."

Featuring Rod Gilfry (baritone), Conrad Tao (piano) and the Bang on a Can Opera Ensemble conducted by Lesley Leighton, 'the loser' premiered at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 2016 and made its west coast premiere at the LA Opera in early 2019.

Tracked in New York and Los Angeles, the studio recording recaptures what the LA Times described as "a mesmerizingly virtuosic performance by Rod Gilfry, destined for the annals of opera."

'the loser' is Lang’s third full-length opera recording with Cantaloupe Music. This past October, the label released Lang’s anatomy theater.

www.davidlangmusic.com

www.cantaloupemusic.com