At That Time

a chamber opera in one act, 2021
performed by the Decoder Ensemble
premiered at the Music Biennale Zagreb, Croatia
released with Infrequent Seams

Telling someone else's story can be the ultimate act of love—or robbery. This piece investigates the ambiguity of authorship in Gertrude Stein's "Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas," which ushered her into the public eye in 1933. It explores the relationship between Gertrude and Alice, both writers, as one sacrifices her career in service of the other. Over the course of the piece, Alice finds subtle and subversive ways to express her self and creativity as Gertrude navigates her new-found fame.

Video directed by Heinrich Horwitz and performed by the Decoder Ensemble: Leopold Hurt (zither), Carola Schaal (clarinet), Sonja Lena Schmid (cello), Jonathan Shapiro (percussion), and Sebastian Berweck (keyboard), with soloist Jessica Aszodi. Video by Heinrich Horwitz (director), Lara Rodriguez Cruz, and Jule Katinka Cramer. Audio recorded by Anne Taegert and Carlo Grippa, mastered by Christopher Botta.