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Kidnapping Water: Bottled Operas

by Byron Au Yong

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1.
Hello Helicopter (Bottled Opera No. 07) 師 Shī ¦¦¦¦|¦ Hello Helicopter Helicopter Helicopter. Everyone yell “Helicopter” chop chop wave wave. Ch-ch-ch-ch-chopping through the sky above an Indian Ocean island laid waste by a ten-foot wave wave. We are in a helicopter looking for life in the flood-muddy land below low. Miracle: a lone and naked person looks up and lifts a hand, as if to say “Hello.” Hello Helicopter Helicopter Helicopter Hello Hello Helicopter chop chop wave wave. Ch-ch-chopchop closer to the wave wave man and we see he’s not waving. No, no. He pulls a string back and lets an arrow fly with the force of his great wooden bow bow. But we know the metal of our chop chop chop will split the arrow’s shaft in half half, so we turn our video camera on the scene and have a helicopter belly laugh laugh: We are in a helicopter helicopter helicopter. Can’t stop heli-helicopter chop chop chop chop wave wave. Arrow whims up, kima doms in, and the man with the bow poddles duba grin. We know fubu sah what he knew from the start: the helicopter is our great metallic heart blades beating chop chop, bleeding gasoline. Arrow cleaves a question deep in the machine: Mister Helicopter Helicopter Helicopter must you always ch-ch-chop chop wave wave? Mister Helicopter Helicopter Helicopter kill the people who you came to save? Helicopter Helicopter ch-ch-ch-ch ch-ch-ch-ch ch-ch-ch-ch ch-ch-ch-ch Wave.
2.
Lawn Sprinkler (Bottled Opera No. 18) 蠱 Gǔ |¦¦||¦ Sa sasasa sa Suí Sa sasasa sa Suí Sa Suíh Shoop shoop shoop… Lawn sprinkler Little girl Dry spot. Sa sasasa sa Suí Sa sasasa sa Suí Lawn sprinkler Little girl Cartwheel Dry spot Sa sasasa sa Suí Sa sasasa sa Suí Lawn sprinkler Little girl Flower Cartwheel Hose Sa sasasa sa Suí Sa sasasa sa Suí Sa sasasa sa Suí Sa sasasa sa Suí Shoop shoop shoop… Lawn sprinkler Little girl Red skirt Sa sasasa sa Suí Sa sasasa sa Suí Lawn sprinkler Little girl Lipstick Red skirt Sa sasasa sa Suí Sa sasasa sa Suí Lawn sprinkler Little girl Lipstick Red skirt High heels Hose Sa sasasa sa Suí Sa sasasa sa Suí Shoop shoop shoop…
3.
Puckered Skin (Bottled Opera No. 37) 家人 Jiā Rén ||¦|¦| Mama’s got a swimming pool but she don’t let Daddy swim. Mama’s got a swimming pool but she don’t let Daddy swim. Till Daddy puts his swim suit on she ain’t gonna let Daddy in. Mama’s got a diving board but she don’t let Daddy dive. Mama’s got a diving board but she don’t let Daddy dive. Ain’t done a single belly flop while Mama, she’s done four or five. Mama’s got a sauna but she ain’t gonna let Daddy sweat. Mama’s got a sauna but she ain’t gonna let Daddy sweat. He can play in the sun but that’s all the heat he’s gonna get. * * * Puckered skin. Missing teeth. Shrieking kids. Here eyes are talking have you heard? She wants to taste your salty tongue. Inner tubes. Water wings. Kings and queens. These summer days feel incomplete without your fingers underneath. Mama wants to hear her Daddy sing. Mama wants to hear her Daddy sing.
4.
Plish 02:48
Plish (Bottled Opera No. 36) 明夷 Míng Yí ¦¦¦|¦| My neighbor’s sprinkler head goes plish plish plish plish… The voice on the radio warns me: they will rise up and destroy us. The voice on the radio reveals: they poison our water with more water. The voice on the radio speaks clearly: we can’t wait any longer. Can’t wait any longer. Can’t wait. We can’t. Can’t. I come out of the garage. He’s ripping through the soft dark brown of his flower garden with a gleaming trowel. He squints up at me and wants to ask why I’m holding a lawn mower blade in my gloved hands. This won’t get any easier so I won’t wait: ah. We can’t wait any longer. Can’t wait any longer. Can’t wait. We can’t. Can’t. My arm is numb, my hands stiff. I can’t open my fingers. Gloves are wet and sticky. I shouldn’t have worn a white shirt. I shouldn’t have worn these blue pants. And the sprinkler head goes plish plish plish red plish plish white shirt plish plish plish blue pants plish plish plish plish plish plish red…
5.
I Float 01:48
I Float (Bottled Opera No. 34) 大壯 Dà zhuàng ¦¦|||| I and my goes I release with and a a I and we and for and the the… Goes I release with and a a I and we and for and the the the good rise. float…float…float… bob…bob…bob… heart…heart…heart… throb…throb…throb… sing…sing…re- lease…lease…lease… dread…dread…dread… peace…peace…peace… I and my goes I release with and a a I and we and for and the the… Goes I release with and a a I and we and for and the the the good rise. breath…breath…breath… sigh…sigh…sigh… laugh…laugh…laugh… cry…cry…cry… come…come…and… go…go…for- get…get…and… know…know…know… I and my goes I release with and a a I and we and for and the the… Goes I release with and a a I and we and for and the the the good rise. sun…sun…sun… sky…sky…sky… wave…wave…good- bye…bye…bye… up…up…de- scend…send…send… to…to…an… end…end…end…
6.
Medley 01:56

about

Adventurous contemporary operatic performances with water percussion prompted by the 易經 I Ching (Book of Changes).

Kidnapping Water: Bottled Operas was performed in 64 waterways as part of 4Culture's Site-Specific Performance Network and the Bumbershoot Festival of the Arts (2008). A Sound/Light Installation with four-channel audio and 104 animated LED lights was created in collaboration with artist Randy Moss for the Jack Straw New Media Gallery (2008). Excerpts performed at Town Hall Seattle (2010) and the Seattle Symphony Garden of Remembrance (2011).

credits

released January 27, 2009

Music by Byron Au Yong
Libretti by Eugenie Chan, Bret Fetzer, Aaron Jafferis, Archana Kumar, Carola Luther, Caroline Murphy, Vivian Umino, and Edisa Weeks

Vocalists include Josie Davis, Emily Greenleaf, Jeremiah Oliver, David Stutz with percussionists include Stuart McLeod, Dean Moore, Benjamin Morrow, James Whetzel

Audio Engineer Tom Stiles
Jack Straw Productions | Seattle

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Byron Au Yong Seattle, Washington

Byron Au Yong composes songs of dislocation, music for a changing world.

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