The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs

The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs is an opera with music by American composer Mason Bates and an English-language libretto by Mark Campbell. It was commissioned by Santa Fe Opera, Seattle Opera, San Francisco Opera, the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, with support from Cal Performances. The opera is about one of the most influential people in recent history; it is set at a time when he must confront his own mortality and circle back on the events that shaped his personal and professional life.

The world premiere took place at the Santa Fe Opera in 2017, conducted by Michael Christie. The original production featured direction by Kevin Newbury, scenic design by Vita Tzykun, costume design by Paul Carey, lighting design by Japhy Weideman, projection design by Ben Pearcy for 59 Productions, and sound design by Rick Jacobsohn and Brian Loach; it was a co-production of Santa Fe Opera, Seattle Opera, San Francisco Opera, and the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs was the most popular new opera in Santa Fe Opera’s history and one of the top-selling operas in the company's history. An extra performance had to be added to accommodate the demand for tickets. In May 2018, a recording of the work was issued under the Pentatone label.

Bates was drawn to Steve Jobs as the subject for an opera, because, he says, opera “can illuminate the interior thoughts of different characters simultaneously through the juxtaposition of individual themes. That makes it an ideal medium to explore a man who revolutionized how we communicate.”^[1] Bates asked Mark Campbell, one of America’s leading opera librettists, to create the story in the libretto. According to Campbell, “Learning that Jobs was a Buddhist his entire adult life lead me to the ensō, the circle that is drawn in Japanese calligraphy to express enlightenment. I connected that with Jobs’ habit of taking long walks and the Zen practice of pacing in a circular pattern called a kinhin and began to develop a story in which Steve ‘circles back’ on his life. The title actually refers less to the revolution Jobs helped create in technology rather than the kinhin of self-reflection that propels the story.” ^[2] Gary Rydstrom of Skywalker Sound assisted Bates with the production of the opera’s electronic sounds.

Roles

Synopsis

This one-act opera features roles based on real-life figures Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, Chrisann Brennan, Kōbun Chino Otogawa, and Laurene Powell. Inspired by the life and creative spirit of Steve Jobs, the opera does not purport to depict actual events as they occurred or statements, beliefs, or opinions of the persons depicted. Synopsis by Mark Campbell.^[3]

Prologue, 1965: The Jobs family garage, Los Altos

Paul Jobs presents his son Steve with a workbench as a birthday present.

2007: Convention center, San Francisco

Steve Jobs delivers a public launch of his company's new product—"one device" that will revolutionize technology. At the end, he stops, noticeably weak and short of breath.

2007, directly after: Corporate offices, Cupertino

Steve retreats to his office. His wife, Laurene, chides him for not taking better care of himself and asks him to come home and reconnect with their family.

2007, later that afternoon: The hills around Cupertino

Steve goes on a long meditative walk. Kōbun Chino Otogawa, Steve's former spiritual advisor in Sōtō Zen Buddhism, joins him. As they gaze at the sunset, Kōbun prompts Steve to acknowledge his mortality.

1973: Reed College, Oregon

A teacher discusses the significance of the ensō, a circle drawn in Japanese calligraphy. Steve is inspired by aesthetic ideas of elegance and simplicity.

1973: The Jobs family garage

Steve's best friend, Steve Wozniak, has created a "blue box," a device that allows the user to make free calls. Steve and “Woz” celebrate the ease with which corporate giants can be toppled.

1974: An apple orchard near Los Altos

Steve and his girlfriend Chrisann lie together after taking LSD. Steve imagines their surroundings coming to life as an orchestra, playing Bach. The two start to make love when Kōbun interrupts them.

1975: Los Altos Zen Center

Kōbun informs Steve that he cannot live at the Zen Center and hints that his destiny may lie elsewhere.

1989: Lecture Hall, Stanford University

Steve meets Laurene Powell for the first time.

1976: Jobs family garage

Woz presents a new computer interface to Steve. They begin to celebrate when Chrisann arrives and tells Steve that she is pregnant. When Steve demands that Chrisann end the pregnancy, she leaves in tears. Steve and Woz dream about the future of their invention. Steve remembers the orchestra in the orchard playing Bach.

1989: Steve Jobs' home, Palo Alto

Steve shows Laurene his sparsely furnished home. Photographs by Ansel Adams in Steve’s home prompt a brief discussion about artistic inspiration. Laurene and Steve go to bed for the first time.

1980: Corporate offices, Cupertino

Steve severs ties with Chrisann and angers Woz by denying a fellow employee his pension. Chrisann and Woz lament the loss of the guy they once knew.

1981–1986: Corporate offices, Cupertino

Steve denies palimony to Chrisann for their child, Lisa, and offends Woz, who quits. Demoted by the board of directors, Steve bitterly leaves the company.

2007: The hills around Cupertino

Kōbun reminds Steve that it was necessary for him to learn from his mistakes. He shows Steve a brief replay of his life after he fell apart, revisiting the first meeting with Laurene and the evening when he fell in love with her.

2007, later that night: Steve Jobs' home

Steve returns home after his walk to find Laurene waiting for him. She confronts Steve and gets him to accept his illness and mortality. Kōbun reminds Steve of his wedding day.

1991: Yosemite National Park

Kōbun marries Steve and Laurene in a Buddhist ceremony. Steve expresses his love for Laurene and his gratitude to her for teaching him about the value of human connection. Kōbun’s 1992 death is revealed, prompting a meditation on mortality that segues into the next scene.

2011: Stanford University Chapel

Kōbun explains that Steve is witnessing his own memorial service. Steve protests a few production elements of the service, but Kōbun tells him to be still, to simplify. Laurene and Woz muse about Steve. Finally, Laurene is left alone and observes that while Steve will be both lionized and demonized, no one can deny his influence on the world.

Epilogue, 1965: Jobs family garage

As Laurene looks on, Paul Jobs presents his son with a workbench on his birthday as "a fine place to start."

Discography

• Parks, Cooke, Wu, Sorenson; Christie, 2017 (Pentatone (record label))

Sources

External links

• Musical highlights