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Follow on Google News | Operatic Composer Don Dilworth Prepares to Premier his Version of the Persian Opera – RostamA Russian chemist wanted to write an opera, and the result was Prince Igor. That composer had little formal training, but his superb talent made up for it. If a Russian composer can do it, so can an American composer.
By: Don Dilworth 
Classical Music Composer Don Dilworth It has been Dilworth's dream for over 20 years to have his opera performed live and professionally recorded. But, with lack of interest in an unknown composer and the all-important funds needed to support the effort, this has been a nearly impossible task. Steps are now being taken to remedy this unfortunate situation with the launch of a fundraising effort which will include perks and giveaways such as original oil paintings, a free pass to the recording sessions, among others. The goal of the fundraiser is to raise sufficient funds to support an opera workshop that will be held at the Snow Pond Music Camp in Sidney, Maine in the spring of 2018. "We will rehearse and record one movement from the opera with professional- Other works of Don Dilworth to date include operas, song cycles, and chamber music. He is the composer of the well-known Annabel Lee, recorded by Joan Baez in the 60's. An arrangement of that work for three instruments and mezzo was performed in New York by members of the Metropolitan Opera in 2003. His operas include Rostam, Rasputin, The Inca, and a set of three one-acts: The Decision, The Love Machine, and Top Secret. To these may be added an operetta, The Ms Seattle Skyline Contest, with a libretto by Linda Rimel, and the ballet The Brothers of Judar, set to an Arabian Nights story. His song cycles include a set of five songs to poems of William Blake, a set of 39 songs to classical Indian love poems, and settings of Longfellow for mezzo voice and piano and for SATB chorus. Other choral music includes There is Peace, to a libretto by Linda Rimel. His chamber works include Seven Attitudes for Horn, with a version for clarinet. He has also written string quartets. He was for many years President of the Maine Composer's Forum and is represented by BMI. He holds a BS in physics from MIT. Don Dilworth's version of the opera Rostam tells the story of the Persian hero Rostam, whose epic is almost unknown in the West and is a masterpiece. "That is why I selected it for my opera" states Dilworth. Rostam is their greatest warrior. During his 600-year life, he spent exactly one night in the company of a woman, a princess named Tahmina, and the result of that union was his son Sohrab. According to the story, Rostam, who was off on his military campaigns, knew nothing about Sohrab, and the latter did not know who his father was, since Tahmina had reasons for keeping it secret. The movement to be performed tells of when Tahmina at last informs Sohrab, who is now a young man, of his father. Sohrab is inspired with an overwhelming vision of himself and Rostam together ascending the throne. Despite the tears and pleading of Tahmina, Sohrab gathers his sword and armor and sets off to find his father. Operas must of course tell of conflict, sacrifice, and inevitable death from conspiring events. Rostam and Sohrab meet on the battlefield in the last movement, but not until Sohrab has been mortally wounded does Rostam discover who his opponent is. He cradles Sohrab as his son dies. The story of Rostam has numerous interpretations but has never been staged with the musical language of Don Dilworth. He has structured this piece like classical music which should undoubtedly be more rewarding to opera lovers than other renditions out there. States Dilworth, "It should be noted that those in the West are largely unaware of the beauty to be found in classical Persian culture. Today, that culture is viewed through the prism of religious fanatics, which is sad since we are missing some fine stuff. I like to think it's a form of cultural connecting that can smooth troubled waters. Okay, I'm dreaming ….but you gotta have a dream..." We invite proponents of opera music and the fine arts to join us on this journey by visiting the fundraiser page at https://igg.me/ Don Dilworth talks about the opera Rostam https://www.youtube.com/ Fundraiser Page: https:// Follow us on our recently launched Twitter and Facebook Pages: http://www.tinyurl.com/ https://twitter.com/ Media Inquiries: Margaret Foles rostamfundraiser@ End
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