Charles Calomiris: Gethsemane, Opera in One Act
Da Vinci Classics

In contrast to a sprawling three-act opera lasting multiple hours and delivered by a huge orchestra and cast of singers, Greek-American composer Charles Calomiris's Gethsemane is a compact single-act work featuring six primary characters and a modest chamber ensemble of thirteen instruments. It's tempting, perhaps, to think of it as more oratorio than opera (in fact, the composer himself describes the work as existing “at the boundary between secular drama and sacred oratorio”), and certainly it's possible to imagine it stripped of its theatrical dimension and presented in a vocal concert format. The sterling treatment captured on this recording suggests that Gethsemane would be compelling regardless of the mode of presentation.

Included with the release are program notes that bring clarity to the opera's biblical subject matter. Narrowing its focus on events that lead to the crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday, the work concentrates on the hour before he's seized in the garden of Gethsemane, where he's gone with his disciples. Struck by the scarcity of scriptural details about what transpired during that hour, Calomiris reflects on the exchanges he might have had with the three and whether Satan attempted to converse with Jesus in Gethsemane and what his intentions might have been in doing so. As the opera considers such questions, it also explores the general theme of sacrifice, Jesus's lesson that, in the composer's words, “mankind must learn sacrificial love to be reunited with God.” His climbing onto the cross not only overcomes death, it enables Jesus's followers to understand what sacrifice means and what it achieves. Though the work is, as stated, compact, it nevertheless encompasses sweeping emotional terrain when it touches on beauty, pain, sacrifice, death, resurrection, and, binding them all, love.

Six vocal soloists appear, tenor Arnold Livingston Geis (Jesus), mezzo-soprano Sophie Delphis (Satan), baritone Suchan Kim (God the Father), and as the disciples, baritone Giuseppe Brent (Peter), tenor Nick Nesbitt (John), and basses Matthew Curran and Rocky Sellers (James) on alternate tracks. Also contributing vocally to one movement is the Cathedral Choir of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity under Costas Tsourakis's direction. Supporting them instrumentally are four woodwinds, four strings, and harp, cimbalom, trumpet, horn, and percussion players. Approximately forty-four minutes in length, Gethsemane comprises ten parts and in time-honoured fashion begins with an instrumental overture that melodically foregrounds what follows. Gracefully entwining woodwinds and strings introduce the work, with harp, horns, and percussion joining thereafter. Despite its modest size, the ensemble more than capably highlights the contrasting moods and dramatic scope of the narrative to come in this engaging eight-minute opener.

Addressing his disciples in the garden and expanding on his credo about loving one's enemies, Geis makes his emotionally expressive vocal presence felt in the “The Golden Rule.” Jesus then leads them in the aria “Pray and Watch with Me,” the four collectively intoning the familiar words, “Love is patient, and love is kind”; however, as they do so, Delphis enters, her voice effective in distinguishing itself from the male voices, to make devilish contact with the disciples. During “The Only Sensible Choice,” Satan chidingly taunts Jesus, stating, “You should have listened in the desert / We would have made a great team,” and in featuring Delphis as the sole vocalist, the movement further amplifies her presence within the presentation. “Easy for him” again emphasizes Delphis, with rhythmic percussion and woodwinds magnifying the impact of her dynamic solo turn. After Satan exits, the stage is ceded to the Cathedral Choir, who in “Blessed” bring comfort to Jesus; having resumed praying to the Father, he then passionately delivers “Eli Eli Lama Sabachthani,” the desperation of his words “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” mirrored in the foreboding insistence of the music.

May 2026