Mark Adamo: Lysistrata (Vol. 2)

Boston Modern Orchestra Project and Gil Rose present the world premiere recording of Lysistrata, or The Nude Goddess, an opera by Mark Adamo. Far removed from the familiar outlines of Aristophanes’ ancient comedy, this daring reimagining reshapes a canonical text into something far more psychologically intricate and musically electrifying. Set within a richly variegated score of shifting textures and mercurial transformations, the opera unfolds as a labyrinth of mirrored themes – where melodies change allegiance, identities blur, and every gesture carries double meaning. The familiar premise of women withholding intimacy to halt war becomes the starting point for a deeper exploration of desire, power, and identity. Adamo’s libretto dismantles classical certainties, replacing caricature with complexity, and recasts Lysistrata as a figure who must confront not only the politics of war, but the far more disquieting ambiguities of love itself. Under the leadership of conductor Gil Rose, the Boston Modern Orchestra Project has become an unsurpassed advocate for 20th and 21st century American music. Alongside Adamo, this marks their collective return to PENTATONE, following their GRAMMY-nominated recording of John Corigliano’s The Lord of Cries (2023). Odyssey Opera Boston Modern Orchestra Project Gil Rose, conductor