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For a Look or a Touch
35’
English
Synopsis
For A Look Or A Touch is a story about the persecution of gay men during the Holocaust. Librettist Gene Scheer based his text on true stories told in the documentary film Paragraph 175 and the journal of Manfred Lewin, from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. Originally commissioned by Music of Remembrance, a second incarnation was commissioned by the Seattle Men’s Chorus and The Boston Gay Men’s Chorus.
The piece offers an overview of the queer history of Berlin from the roaring 20s until the IIWW through the love story of Manfred, a concentration camp victim ghost, and Gad, the survivor, and one of the narrators in the documentary above.
Partly taken from Program Note provided by Music of Remembrance
Composer
Jake Heggie
Lyricist / Librettist / Playwright
Gene Scheer
Year of composition/publication / premiere
2007
Genre
Opera, Song cycle
LGBTQAI+ category
Gay, Queer
Level of centrality
Main character
Characters
Manfred Lewin ; Gad Beck, acting role only.
Voice type
Baritone
Pronouns
He/him
Publisher / Rights holder
Bill Holab Music / Jake Heggie
Where to buy / access the work
Performance rights
For performance rights, please contact the composer and/or publisher to ensure legal compliance.
Official website
Audio recording(s)
Video performance(s)
Keywords