Penelope (for voice and sextet) (2010)

The strings initially indulge in short motifs until accompanying figures and melodies develop, align, take shape, and later repeat. The percussion introduces glassy tones, bell chimes, and soft rhythmic accents. With great skill, Kirkland Snider weaves together ethereal and mysterious, at times spiritually evocative harmonic sequences and layers. Her economical approach to instrumentation and the resulting spectral expansions create a craving for more sound while avoiding monotony.

Kirkland Snider’s opera is thus an ideal example of dramatic defragmentation and economic use of substance. Her music evokes atmosphere rather than existential urgency. One cannot deny a certain warmth and opulence in what remains of the Penelope plot.

The music by Sarah Kirkland Snider works extremely well with Ellen McLaughlin's libretto, and this reviewer felt the musical arrangement (string quintet with percussion) really worked very well, fitting the intimate nature of the performance. Penelope has been performed over 40 times in its previous incarnations; we cannot help but feel that this version will see many performances as well. Some of the pieces were particularly striking, such as "Home," which Penelope sings as she imagines her husband's trying to 􀁽nd his way back. "Where are you going, says the world. I am not through with you yet." One does not have to have served to feel that one to the bone.