To Hell and Back • Press Coverage
Critical Acclaim
Heggie’s To Hell and Back was the radiant centerpiece of the [Philharmonia Baroque] orchestra’s program … the one-act opera is the organization’s first commissioned work … It was a bold experiment, and at Tuesday’s vibrant semi-staged performance, the results were magnificent. It will come as a surprise to those who think modern opera isn’t sufficiently tuneful. Heggie has given the score some of his most arresting orchestral writing … And, as always, Heggie writes beautifully for the voice.”
Contra Costa Times
”In Heggie’s piece, never have word settings been so vividly naturalistic, and with orchestral writing that creates the world of the characters so completely that staging isn’t necessary."
The Philadelphia Inquirer
“A striking performance in which all of the various elements fell convincingly into place, serving the powerful narrative superbly. Heggie’s score is stunning, tonal, sweetly dissonant, and much of it written in a distinctively American style. To Hell and Back may be his strongest and most convincing writing to date. The libretto by Gene Scheer is equally potent, a tight and compelling story, straightforward and eloquent and spare. The orchestra, led by Nicholas McGegan, unites score and singers in a performance that is musically charged, perfectly balanced and entirely engaged.
Bay City News Service
“A resourceful and often eloquent score. Heggie rises vividly to the challenges of using the old instruments in new but idiomatic ways, including an impressive version of a French overture that alludes to historical models while keeping its own dramatic profile and establishing a set of identifiable motifs that return tellingly throughout the piece. Stephanie’s main aria boasts a vibrancy and eloquence that are all the more touching for being a blend of melodic styles. McGegan led a vivacious rendition, moving nimbly from one phrase of the work to the next and underlining Heggie’s most arresting inventions.”
San Francisco Chronicle
"To Hell and Back has a hell of a lot of good music. As the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, conducted by Nicholas McGegan, launched into the work, I sat bolt upright … Heggie’s work punches in the stomach with a brief, intense introduction that you instantly want to hear again. Those opening measures are to be treasured – Bartok meets Gluck, Shostakovich merges with Bernstein – and yet, it’s all distinctively Heggie. Heggie’s smooth harmonic progressions and gripping orchestration offer an important contribution to contemporary music.”
San Francisco Classical Voice
“The chamber piece is intriguing, evocative, highly original, and curiously involving, one I would welcome hearing again. The wonder here is that the entire piece jells despite the many dissimilarities. Heggie writes in an accessible, consonant style, sympathetic to the voice, while fluent in emotional nuances and outbursts. His operatic experience enables him to spark dramatic situations effectively. Heggie builds crescendos to scenes of high agitation beautifully, tackling the varied styles with a fluency of rare dispatch.”
ArtsSF