Steve Jobs as a Subject for Opera

This afternoon at the San Francisco War Memorial Opera, San Francisco Opera (SFO) presented the second of its six scheduled performances of the Bay Area premiere of “The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs,” a one-act opera composed by Mason Bates. While this production was commissioned in conjunction with the Seattle Opera and the Santa Fe Opera, which presented the world premiere performance on July 22, 2017, the entire narrative of the libretto takes place at different venues in our own peninsula, primarily in Silicon Valley. One may thus say that the current run of performances counts as a “homecoming” for the overall narrative.

Most readers are probably familiar with the story of Jobs, which provided scripts for two different movies. So it is probably worth asking what an operatic treatment can add to that story. One answer is that music can add perspectives that words alone may not convey as convincingly. It is also important to note that the libretto that Mark Campbell prepared for Bates’ music dispenses with chronology. The opera consists of a single act (performed without interruption) consisting of eighteen scenes along with both a prologue and an epilogue. In Campbell’s libretto the “distortion of the time-line” brings new perspectives to the chronological accounts provided by the movies. Unfortunately, it can also undermine an understanding of the motivations behind the actions.

On the basis of a single viewing, I would say that the narrative of the libretto has, indeed, been undermined by that lack of chronological linearity. To be fair, anyone familiar with past accounts of Jobs life will probably have no trouble negotiating that non-linearity. Nevertheless, there remains the question of what librettist and composer were trying to communicate and why the subject matter of that communication is significant. Thus, while most of us know the basic narrative of Jobs’ biography, I would venture to say that the music never seems to make up its mind on what it wants to reveal to the audience about the roller-coaster ride of Jobs’ dispositions. The stage direction by Kevin Newbury seldom resolves this matter, nor does the delivery of Jobs’ character by baritone John Moore, who is making his SFO debut in this production.

Kōbun Chino Otogawa (Wei Wu) standing beside Steve Jobs (John Moore) at the Los Altos Zen Center (photograph by Cory Weaver, courtesy of SFO)

Indeed, the clearest account of motive seems to reside in the character of Jobs’ spiritual advisor, Kōbun Chino Otogawa, sung by bass Wei Wu (also making his SFO debut). In a context that is more often associated with Zen paradoxes, Campbell conceived Otogawa as a font of common sense. Indeed, in the midst of that non-linear time-line, Otogawa emerges as a sort-of still center of the universe. His presence becomes a consistent relief not only from Jobs stressful nature but also the behavior of those closest to him, particularly his wife Laurene Powell Jobs (mezzo Sasha Cooke) and his closest professional partner Steve Wozniak (tenor Billie Bruley, another SFO debut).

Nevertheless, we should remember that “The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs” is an opera, rather than a documentary. SFO emphasized this with a statement in the program book:

The R(e)volution of Steve Jobs is inspired by the life and creative spirit of Steve Jobs and does not purport to depict actual events as they occurred or statements, beliefs, or opinions of the persons depicted. It has not been authorized or endorsed by Apple Inc., the Estate or Family of Steve Jobs, or by any persons depicted.

So, in the absence of reportage, what does the opera depict? Personally, I would suggest that, if the opera has any message at all, it is a relatively simple one: “Life is messy.” In that context Otogawa’s “still center” confronts the turbulence of that messiness. Campbell’s libretto provides an informative account of that turbulence, which is given a relatively clear account through Newbury’s staging. This leaves the question of what the music brings to this party.

This is where things get disappointing. Before attending this afternoon’s performance, I had listened several times to the recording that was made in Santa Fe. As a result, I could follow the unfolding of the plot with reminders of which musical passages communicated which elements of the overall narrative. Nevertheless, I fear that the experience of listening to Bates’ music in performance never contributed very much to what was coming to me from the staged activities.

The fact is that, no matter how hard I tried to pay attention to the music, it had far less impact on the overall opera production than I would have expected.