A disillusioned soldier in the Civil War deserts from the Confederate army and journeys home on foot to the mountains of North Carolina. A new opera based on Charles Frazier's1997 bestseller ColdMountain is having its world premiere this month at the Santa Fe Opera.
The music is by Pulitzer Prize-winner Jennifer Higdon who grew up just 60 miles from where the novel is set. Higdon talks about the process of writing her first opera and how the bluegrass music of the North Carolina mountains found its way into her score.
The complete interview with Jennifer Higdon, recorded at the Santa Fe Opera on July 29, 2015, a few days before the premiere of Cold Mountain.
jennifer_higdon_voice_long_version.mp3
Your browser doesn’t support HTML5 audio