Critical Acclaim for “The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs”

“Energy of the composer reacts to that of his subject to create something theatrically arresting & new.”
— Wall Street Journal

“…Bates’ musical setting… brilliantly captures all the implacable ambiguity and thrilling creative energy of the event.”
— The San Francisco Chronicle

“The opera, which is having its world premiere at the Santa Fe Opera in a theatrically arresting production… draws you in at every opportunity.”

“At the end of the world premiere of The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, the audience roared its approval as if it had witnessed a blockbuster musical.”
— Financial Times

“Exhilarating, moving, shocking, and enlightening…”

“A gripping and illuminating musical, dramatic, and visual achievement — one that transcends the divides of generations and genres — has just joined the operatic canon.”

“The score swings between mechanical, extremely visceral passages and surprisingly touching, lyrical ones of timeless beauty. It carries a deeply human resonance, transcending the ever-increasing anonymity of our computer age. The opera’s music is infused with wows and wonder, but also with warmth and wisdom.”
— San Francisco Classical Voice

“…Steve Jobs seems destined to enchant the very people who adore its namesake’s sleek minimalist devices, which means pretty much everyone.”
— The San Jose Mercury News

“Bates’ music is some of his most inventive and alluring to date…”
— Chicago Tribune

“[Bates’s] first opera reveals a genuine feeling for the theater.”
— The Los Angeles Times

“Mason Bates, composer, and Mark Campbell, librettist, had a triumph on Saturday night with the world premiere of The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs at the Santa Fe Opera. The audience let out a whoop as soon as the music ended, and the curtain calls were downright raucous.”
— The Washington Post

“There’s no question that the near-capacity audience for the second performance (July 26) voted its enthusiastic approval. They appeared won over as instantly as are the fictional conference attendees at the iPhone presentation, who join in singing one of the opera’s key ideas: ‘One device / All you need…’

Which is to say: The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs makes a distinct first impression—itself a laudable achievement for a debut opera—and knows how to do what it wants to do effectively. The partnership between Bates and veteran librettist Campbell (who’s pretty much become the sought-after Metastasio of the current crop of American opera composers) has produced a sleek, streamlined work that’s user-friendly, ideally suited for frictionless consumption.”
— Musical America

“The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, an important, often thrilling new work…”

“Bates’ score has equally playful moments. Powerful brassy passages alternate with the gentle sound of acoustic guitar. For each of the main characters, there is a specific sound world: Tibetan prayer bowls and soft Chinese gongs for the Buddhist temple scenes; a bustling mix of orchestra and electronics for Jobs; a grounded sense of calm for Laurene.

‘Mason is changing what opera sounds like,’ said Campbell.”
— Minnesota Post

“A good deal of advance chatter focused on Bates’ use of electronic sounds, which he presided over from his computer setup in the orchestra pit. But it’s not like olden days when superimposing electronic sounds over an orchestra had an oil-and-water quality.

Bates has spoken of how he considers modern electronica to be a further family of symphonic music-making — strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, electronica — and this score exemplifies his contention, with the electronic sounds weaving in and out of the integrated texture with a sense of inevitability.

These are hardly unfamiliar sounds, to be sure. We hear them all the time in movie soundtracks, but Bates shows real expertise in using them to enlarge orchestral texture.”
— The Santa Fe New Mexican

AT SAN FRANCISCO OPERA
“Steve Jobs, the avatar of sleek perfectionism, turns human on the operatic stage…The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs… tackles its subject with unhesitating assurance. From the virtuosic opening scene, in which Jobs gives an extended pitch for the transformative power of the newly released iPhone, through the translucent elegiac finale after he dies of pancreatic cancer, the opera maintains a double focus on both the man and his societal impact.

Bates’ score, built around an eclectic pop sensibility, bounces and hums with theatrical fervor — now reflective, now breathlessly driven. Campbell’s libretto is full of tenderness and dry wit.

What makes it such an ebullient and haunting evening in the opera house are the beauty and inventiveness of Bates’ score and the brisk efficiency with which Campbell… splices together the piece’s component scenes. It’s a vibrant, spangly creation, as sleek and irresistible as anything coming out of Cupertino today with Jobs’ minimalist aesthetic still posthumously lingering in its DNA.”
— San Francisco Chronicle

“This is not your average opera, however. It begins, for one thing, with a product launch: a reimagining of Jobs taking the stage in 2007 to introduce the iPhone. Yet this is not a story about devices either – it is the story of a man grappling with mortality. Mr. Bates insists that The (R)evolution has classic operatic themes: ‘passion, betrayal and, of course, tragedy.’”
— The Economist

“The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs is so good at drawing the audience in, forcing us to care about human invention, and the messy ways that society enters into large-scale behavioral shifts… Remarkably enjoyable… bring the kids – I did.”
— KQED

“A moving and accessible opera… Under the baton of Michael Christie, Bates’ score takes us on an operatic journey through the fragmented memory of love, betrayal, obsession, and death, weaving together classical lyricism and a techno soundscape informed by the audio of early computers.”
— MacDailyNews

“This one-act, engaging, mostly tonal, English-language opera is a dreamlike series of twenty scenes based on the life of innovator and entrepreneur Steve Jobs (1955–2011). It seamlessly blends technology, traditional operatic voices, and a full orchestra enhanced by the presence of the composer himself playing live electronics.”
— Boston Musical Intelligencer

“Bates has invigorated the operatic form with a sound that feels wildly contemporary that audiences will relate to. ‘It’s like the opera house and the club had a love child,’ he says.”
— San Francisco Examiner

“Bates is one of the most-performed living composers of orchestral music, and part of that comes from his emphasis on storytelling and theatricality.”
— San Francisco Classical Voice

“Mason Bates, whose music freely embraces classical forms and electronic sounds, may have been the perfect choice to compose the music, weaving it all together with the sort of fluidity and simplicity that Jobs himself championed in the creations he fostered.”
— Seen and Heard International