Heidi Waleson, Wall Street Journal
“Absorbing…at once grander and more intimate than ‘Dog Days’”
“Surreally layered, poetic and theatrically well-paced”
“They have captured the national sorrow and shock of that time.”
“Mr. Little’s score juxtaposes the insistent, propulsive cacophony of ‘Dog Days’ with expressive melody.”
“Orchestration that lets the voice and the words soar”
“Mr. Little uses the chorus for prophetic statements that slip forebodingly into alternate tonalities”
“Heartbreaking”
“The ensemble is so well set up that the knowledge—and lack of knowledge— about what is to come is implicit in each character’s part.”
“Thaddeus Strassberger’s direction gave this multilayered piece the requisite clarity.”
Henry Stewart, Opera News
“The scene is so sweetly composed—both text and score, Vavrek and Little at their most symbiotic—that I almost choked on my tears, and I could hear from the sniffling around me that I wasn’t the only one. It stopped the show.”
“Ravishing…a triumphant work”
“A bold work—in score, forces, ambition, tone and presentation.”
Anthony Tommasini, New York Times
“Sensitively written, beautifully intimate”
“Haunting…rapturous”
“Diffuse pungent orchestral harmonies, with pitches that split and chords that slide, cushion the tender vocal writing… Mr. Little’s piercing, misty music makes it work.”
Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times
“Rather than document, opera’s job is to fancify … [JFK] show[s] through phantasmagorical nightmares and prosaic frailties how even real physical and emotional pain beats the alternative.”
“An opera operating on many levels, it has something for everyone.”
“Little’s score has flashes of his brilliant, hard-driving percussive style. His music theater is often haunted by ghosts, and some of the most effective moments in “JFK” are found in the otherworldliness of the orchestral colors. Add to that his talent for songful melody and weakness for instrumental shock, and you have a fine cocktail for modern grand opera.”
“A measure of visual spectacle necessary for an opera in which worlds collide … blithely moves from the bizarre to the real, from melodrama to farce.”
Anne Midgette, The Washington Post
“Little, 37, has become a hope for the future of opera”
“[David T. Little] has written a score that retains a cinematic clarity: Here the effulgent romance of a love duet, here the ominous precursors of what is to come.”
“A work of art that can communicate with a broader audience without sacrificing its integrity…worth a second look”
Wayne Lee Gay, Dallas Observer
“A musical and visual spectacle well worth the attention of any opera lover.”
“The most striking and unforgettable moment arrives in the second act when first lady Jacqueline Kennedy (mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack) confronts her future self, Jacqueline Onassis (mezzo-soprano Katharine Goeldner), launching into a soul-shattering aria which turns into a brilliant duet, and, when the maid/Clara/Fate (soprano Talise Trevigne) joins in, a trio.”
“The drama and ideas flowed seamlessly, thanks not only to a beautifully structured libretto that pulls these ideas together, but a score in which a smooth quasi-minimalism provides a foundation for frequent journeys into radiant neo-romanticism.”
Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News
“In often poetic flights of fancy, [David T. Little and Royce Vavrek] imagined the couple’s dreams and worries that night.”
“Both Jackies and the hotel maid spin out a trio of Straussian loveliness.”
Olin Chism, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
“Engrossing…the musical score of JFK is highly effective”
Paul Selar, Opera Chaser Australia
“A piece of operatic history”
“Indelibly absorbing, poignant and at times entertainingly piquant”
“JFK has the ability to reach globally, just as the shock of the president’ assassination did.”
Jarrett Goodchild, I Care If You Listen
“At the heart of the opera is a strong score and thoughtfully-projected libretto. David T. Little’s music serves the drama well without overshadowing the story.”
“Overall, the work is a beautiful example of what is possible in modern opera.”