I Dream A World

the long version

"William Grant Still (1895-1978) dreamed of a world in which his eight operas - for him the ultimate form of musical expression - would be heard in the major opera houses in the United States, devoting most of his career toward the pursuit of this goal. Consisting of two parts, I Dream a World first creates a context for Still's operas and explores commonalities among them, including structural elements and musical characteristics. The second part traces the research, composition, and performances of the operas as a way of documenting the history of the composer and his contributions to American opera."--Jacket.