Missy Mazzoli brings Lincoln in the Bardo to New York stage

Composer Missy Mazzoli prepared her new opera for its world premiere in New York at the Metropolitan Opera. The production brings George Saunders’ novel about grief and the afterlife to the lyric stage.

The story takes place in a graveyard where almost every character is dead. Abraham Lincoln appears among them, paralyzed by grief over the death of his 11-year-old son.

Librettist Royce Vavrek adapted the text from the Booker Prize-winning book. He described the work as a balance of contrasting emotions.

“It does seem quite heavy. But it’s also so effervescent, quite hilarious at times. There’s such heartbreak, and such joy.”

The concept comes from Tibetan Buddhism, where the bardo marks the period between physical death and rebirth. Ghosts in Georgetown’s Oakhill Cemetery refuse to accept their deaths, calling their coffins “sick-boxes.”

Saunders invented the term “matterlightblooming” for the fireworks display that happens when spirits finally acknowledge reality. Characters share life stories that range from inspiring to tragic to ridiculous.

Director Lileana Blain-Cruz leads the staging for the New York company. She emphasized the human humor inside the piece.

“The opera honors that life is not all doom and gloom. People have desires and hungers, and we’re silly and we’re funny. There’s something wonderful about encountering the fullness of life in all these characters.”

Willie Lincoln enters the graveyard following his death from typhoid fever. The elder Lincoln visits the crypt late at night and cradles the boy’s body.

The boy eventually accepts his death. His father departs to guide the nation through the Civil War.

Mazzoli called the child’s death her biggest composing challenge. She spent years alone with the characters.

“I really tried to inhabit the character of this boy, but it’s hard to enter that place every day.”

She focused on Willie’s realization of his freedom from earthly bounds. In an aria, he realizes he can fly, drink rum, and attend parties.

The staging includes a chorus playing kazoos during the prologue. Mazzoli explained her preference for using everyday tools alongside skilled opera singing.

The show opens Oct. 19 for a run of nine performances. Music director Yannick Nezet-Seguin conducts the orchestra.

Baritone Peter Mattei plays the grieving president. Counter-tenor Anthony Roth Costanzo sings the role of Miss Elise Traynor.

Soprano Christine Goerke appears as the Reverend, a part created specifically for her. The vocal line drops two octaves from a high C.

“I have waited my whole life to have a role written for me. It’s the most meaty, spectacular role.”

Unlike other spirits, the Reverend knows he is dead. He fears eternal damnation before making a final sacrifice.

The staging incorporates puppetry, pyrotechnics, and a live black mustang named Zeus. The horse carries Lincoln back toward the White House at the close.

The work marks the sixth artistic partnership between Mazzoli and Vavrek. Their previous piece, “The Galloping Cure,” premiered in Edinburgh and heads to San Francisco next season.

Met general manager Peter Gelb said the house plans to present more works by Mazzoli. Saunders also wrote a screenplay for an upcoming film version starring Tom Hanks.

The Metropolitan Opera operates as a major performing arts institution based at Lincoln Center in New York. The venue stages repertory productions alongside new commissions each season.

Director Duke Johnson will direct the planned film project using stop-motion and live action.