THree Way

MUSIC BY ROBERT PATERSON | LIBRETTO BY DAVID COTE

THREE One-ACT Operas (120')

 
 

Three Way Album with Nashville Opera

Grammy® winner, Blanton Alspaugh, Producer of the Year, Classical

Written: 2012-16
Duration: 120'
Libretto: David Cote
Instrumentation: singers—2 sopranos, 2 mezzo-sopranos, tenor, countertenor, baritone, bass-baritone; ensemble—flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, horn, 2 violins, viola, cello, bass, percussion, piano (doubling synthesizer), conductor.
Publisher: Bill Holab Music

Click here for rental information
View Full Scores: The Companion, Safe WordMasquerade
View Piano/vocal Score
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Buy Album • View and Download PDF Booklet with Complete Libretto
Listen/Download Piano/vocal Score Practice MIDI Audio

Note: the following digital files are available upon request with the rental materials: MainStage MIDI keyboard patches for all three acts (for use with a synthesizer/MIDI controller keyboard and a laptop computer), sound cue files for The Companion (cell phone ring tones and video game soundtrack cue), and KeyNote and PowerPoint files with supertitles for all three acts.

Brief Description

Three Way consists of three humorous one-acts that explore the possible future and eternal questions of love, sex, and desire: The Companion, about a woman and her android lover; Safe Word, about a dominatrix and her client; and Masquerade, about a secret party where people shed their outer selves and face their deepest taboos.

SYNOPSIS

THE COMPANION

(3 singers: soprano, tenor and baritone) [ca. 40']
Not so far in the future, Maya (soprano) lives with her android lover named Joe (tenor). This interactive programmed Companion looks and sounds human—only better. Still, Maya wants more complexity from Joe. She has technician Dax (baritone) come by to install new experimental software, with surprising results.

THREE WAY A Trio of One-Act Operas Act I. The Companion, Aria: What Did I Do Today?

SAFE WORD

(2 singers: mezzo soprano and bass-baritone) [ca. 30']
Mistress Salomé (mezzo-soprano) is a high-priced dominatrix in a private dungeon, and today she has a new client (bass-baritone), a cocky businessman. Even though he's the one who pays to be humiliated, he’s prickly and aggressive. The “session” goes to places no one expected.

MASQUERADE

(8 singers: 2 sopranos, 2 mezzo-sopranos, tenor, countertenor, baritone, bass-baritone) [ca. 50']
A party is taking place at a country mansion. It’s not a dinner gathering or holiday celebration: it’s a masquerade, hosted by Pleasure Pilgrims, an online community of sensualists and pleasure seekers. People from all walks of life come to shed outside selves, put on a mask and push the limits of erotic expression. Tonight four couples will face their deepest taboos. 

Synopsis and Libretto © Copyright 2016 David Cote.

Performance History


World PremiereNashville OperaJohn Hoomes, Director, Dean Williamson, Conductor, January 27, 28 and 29, 2017.
NYC Premiere: Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), American Modern EnsembleJohn Hoomes, Director, Dean Williamson, Conductor, June 15, 16, 17 and 18, 2017.
The Companion Semi-Staged Performance: American Opera Projects and American Modern Ensemble, Walker Lewis, director, Tyson Deaton, conductor, presented by Ear Heart Music, Roulette, Brooklyn, NY, April 22, 2014.
Safe Word Un-Staged Performance: Fort Worth Opera Frontiers Showcase, Tyson Deaton, conductor, Fort Worth, TX, May 4-9. 2014.
Safe Word Un-Staged Workshop PerformanceAmerican Opera Projects (AOP) as part of AOP's Composers & The Voice program, Brooklyn, NY, September, 7th and 9th, 2012.


  • Scene 1 : Joe’s Aria: What Did I Do Today?

    What did I do today?
    Just a minute. Just a minute.
    7:05 a.m.: I made you breakfast in bed.
    Banana and chocolate crepes, Darjeeling tea, soymilk and raw sugar.
    I made love to you: Position Number 16: The Prancing Pony.
    You climaxed at 7:49.
    At 7:50 you sat up saying you had an early conference call.
    You dressed; you left.
    I made the bed.
    Seven sheets of tissue paper remain in the box on the table by the bed.
    I cleaned the house. Bathroom.
    Clean-Rite Disinfecting Spray,
    Now with 15% more bacteria-killing formula
    Per squeeze.
    Then I tidied the living room.
    And kitchen.
    On the street a dog barked in repeating patterns for 22 minutes.
    A child came to the door selling cookies.
    I had no money. She went away.
    At three-thirty I pre-screened the 2003 romantic comedy A Villa in Tuscany.
    It earned a 79.6 applause rating on Classic-Flix-dot-com.
    The views of Tuscan countryside in high summer are to die for,
    And the lush, soaring score was nominated for an Oscar.
    I set aside one packet of microwave popcorn.
    I made you dinner.
    Recipe Number 29: Vegetarian Lasagna.
    Sunset at 6:42.
    I lit the five rose-scented candles.
    Chilled the champagne, waited for you.
    You came home at 7:21.
    Now it’s 7:32.
    What else did I do?
    Enough about me. What about you?


    Scene 2: Maya’s Aria: The Perfect Man

    What I want is a man.
    Not just any man: the perfect man.
    Who will be here, ready and happy,
    At the end of every day.
    You may find it alarming
    But Prince Charming
    Is just an upgrade away.
    He can kiss me so tenderly,
    Or hard and savagely.
    He is a generous lover.
    He can last all night in the sack
    Without going slack.
    He can hold back on his back
    Until I’m done.
    He thinks of me first and last,
    Every time, every day.
    And he never thinks of himself.
    He never thinks at all.
    But he seems to think,
    And that makes all the difference!
    That’s the perfect man.
    Oh, I’ve had men—
    Or weak creatures that called themselves men.
    Selfish, stupid, lazy, greedy boys.
    And after wasting years of my life
    Playing house and wife,
    I’ve decided to go home with my toys.
    What I want is a man.
    Not just any man:
    The perfect man.


    Scene 2: Dax’s Aria: Broken Machines

    I know how it works:
    Semiorganic physiomatrix
    Molded over fiberoptic skeletal frame.
    Ten terabyte processing capacity.
    Saline and protein channels to simulate everything
    From crying to climax!
    I can fix it. I comprehend it.
    It can move. It can pretend.
    It can compute. It can emote.
    It can simulate. And stimulate.
    It works!
    But people, all these people,
    People are broken machines.
    Their appetites, quirks, flaws, moods.
    Changing attitudes: today kind, tomorrow cruel.
    Hard to please: hot with urges but suddenly cool.
    People, all these people.
    People are broken machines.
    I visit their homes every day.
    Upgrades, downloads, diagnostic, termination.
    People are broken machines.
    One man wants his mother.
    Another wants a whore.
    A woman wants her daddy.
    Another wants Mr. Right.
    What do you want?
    The perfect man?
    Or an imitation of the image of perfection?
    The difference between you and me
    Is this: I know my home is empty.


    Scene 3: Joe’s Aria: You Were My First Love

    113 days, Maya.
    You can’t really get to know a person in so short a time.
    You were my first love,
    The one I will never forget.
    Your passion, your laugh,
    I will never forget.
    You taught me how to love,
    How to be the perfect man,
    But we were not meant to be.
    You I will never forget.
    Remember my kiss,
    Forget the pain, goodbye.

    MUSIC BY ROBERT PATERSON | LIBRETTO BY DAVID COTE

  • Client’s Aria: A Man Needs

    Charlie Darwin got it right:
    To thrive in the jungle,
    A man’s got to fight.
    A man’s got to kill,
    And that takes iron will.
    A man needs control.
    He needs rules.
    He may play a role
    But never the fool.
    A man needs power.
    He needs clout.
    The boss will decide
    Who’s in and who’s out.
    A man needs the law.
    He needs jail.
    Show contempt for the judge
    And buddy, you fail.
    A man needs discipline,
    Or he’ll never win!
    A man must be punished,
    Or else he’s finished!

    A man needs to be whipped,
    Or stripped,
    Or squeezed,
    Or teased,
    Or spanked,
    Or mocked,
    Or clocked,
    Or pinched,
    Or kicked,
    Or pricked,
    Or beaten, beaten, beaten
    Till he’s black and blue.
    And for two-hundred-seventy bucks an hour,
    This man needs you.


    Domme’s Aria: Pain and Release

    Pain and release.
    Torture and tease.
    Worry and please.
    I will fulfill your deepest needs.
    You strip, I sneer.
    I whip, you leer.
    The ritual humiliation
    Is sweeping the nation.
    And don’t you just love it, my dear.
    I pinch, you groan.
    You flinch, I’m stone.
    I slap, you sigh.
    You snap, I lie.
    It’s so excruciating,
    We should be celebrating,
    And don’t you ever do it alone.
    My pleasure, your pain.
    Your leisure, my gain.
    It hurts so exquisitely.
    I’m so glad you could visit me.
    Would you like to come over again?
    Pain and release.
    Torture and tease.
    I will fulfill your deepest needs.


    Clent’s Aria: I Know Your Type

    I know your type.
    Pretty girl, not too dumb.
    Studied hard, missed all the fun.
    Looked back on your life, saw what a waste,
    Life was a banquet that you didn’t taste.
    Decided to have a second life, a little lie,
    A secret side, a magic door,
    Where you could hide inside.

    You know my type.
    Alpha boss, ladies’ man.
    Do what I like because I can.
    Reach deep within and feel no thrill;
    Life is a wine I drunkenly spill.
    Decided to have a second life, a secret side,
    An inner lie, a tiny door,
    Where I can hide inside.

    I want to get inside you and find you.
    I want to find your borders, your corners.
    Back you in the corner, my corner.
    We’re in the corner pressing close.
    It’s small inside, where we hide,
    It’s small inside you and me.

    We’re the same type.
    Wrapped in disguise.
    Here it’s truth, outside it’s lies.
    We agree to have a second life, a special side,
    A private code, a secret key unlocks the door—
    Where you hide…!


    Domme’s Aria: You Don’t Own Me

    You don’t own me.
    Think you know me?
    I know you.
    You come here to be dominated,
    But you can’t hide your hatred.
    Your cringing is a kind of swagger.
    Your begging is a command.
    Your submission is my slavery.
    You think I’m trash, a tool, something
    to be used and tossed.
    Just a commodity.
    Your property.

    Oh…
    Think you know me?
    Want to own me?
    Get to know me.
    Look into these eyes and see what I am.
    I’m out of your price range:
    The pretty pink doll you cannot buy.
    Knock me down, but I will rise.
    There’s a million more behind me, too.
    I’m your mother, your wife, your daughter,
    Your mistress, your sister, your teacher,
    Your angel, your devil, your god.
    I’m everything to you.

    Is this part of the game?
    What about the rules?
    Who’s in charge?
    Where is it going?
    I despise his dead eyes;
    His sour breath, like death.
    So why am I wet
    And the blood pounds around
    In my head!
    Ever since you were a girl,
    You knew this day was coming.
    A murderer knocks, you open the door,
    And meet your glory, glory, glory!

    So…
    Now you know me.
    No one owns me.
    What about you?
    What the fuck are you?!?
    Cash. And a dick.
    A sack of shit with a money clip.
    You’re my two-o-clock session and your time is nearly up.

    You’re my father, my lover, my son, my trick, my slave, my student, my rent, my plaything, my toy, my tool, my trash.

    You're a commodity.
    My property!
    You're a commodity.
    My property!

    Now you know,
    Now you know,
    Now you know:
    I own you!

    MUSIC BY ROBERT PATERSON | LIBRETTO BY DAVID COTE

  • Kyle’s Aria: Why So Shy?

    Why so shy?
    Why stuck in place, hesitating?
    Why so shy?
    You’ve got to move, stop waiting.
    Where are your high ideals?
    Revolutionary zeal?
    It’s not about who you touch;
    It’s about how much they make you feel.

    What gives our bodies so much joy,
    Has led instead to so much pain.
    And acts occurring naturally,
    Actually, have been twisted
    Into laws and lies and shame.

    Until we stop caring,
    Until we stop caring,
    Until we stop caring,
    With whom we do it,
    And how we do it,
    And why we do it,
    There will be no freedom.
    There will be no peace.
    No release.

    Why this fear?
    I’ve faced many things before.
    Still I shake.
    Won’t make it through the night.
    Some choose one, some three dozen,
    Which doesn’t lessen any fright.

    Maybe you’re under construction:
    Work-in-progress, unfinished art.
    Keep changing the frame and position,
    Each revision revealing more of your heart.
    A masterpiece of self-creation,
    But first find the will to start.

    If we stop caring,
    If we stop caring,
    If we stop caring,
    With whom we do it,
    And how we do it,
    And why we do it,
    People would share.
    People would build
    A paradise.

    Still: Why so shy?
    I have to change.
    I have changed.
    What holds me back?
    Some ideology.
    Society—inside of me.
    The angry god of my youth.
    Thought I’d finally fought free.


    Connie’s Aria: Making Friends

    An author of note once wrote, I quote: “Only connect.”
    A piece of advice quite nice that I’ve come to accept.
    I believe in expanding my circles,
    Deepening contact with associates,
    Enhancing those social bonds,
    And facilitating community relations.

    I like making friends.
    New friends. True friends.
    I like an acquaintance that isn’t high maint’nance,
    I do enjoy making a friend.

    A friend is eager to lend a hand,
    Is there in a pinch,
    If you’re low, they buck you up,
    Some even come with benefits.

    I like making friends.
    You can never have enough.
    New friends.
    You can never have enough.
    I like a companion who’ll never abandon me,
    Even if things get rough.

    We each must cultivate a network of peers.
    I have grown a large one over the years.
    My address book is simply bulging,
    Not that I’m divulging any details.
    Some people are good with names,
    Others are good with faces,
    I’m best when I see friends in unusual places.

    I like making new friends.
    Best friends, guest friends.
    I like a new chum who likes having fun,
    I like a new bud to play in the mud,
    I like a new ally who won’t leave me dry,
    I like a new pal—a guy or a gal.
    I do like making friends!
    Making friends!


    Larry’s Aria: Not My Night

    I’m angry with myself.
    Well, just a part of myself—
    The part that lies there like a shrunken lump.
    I could take that magic pill,
    But I’d rather use my will,
    Not an artificial bump to end this slump.

    Two of them, two of them, what more could you ask?
    Two luscious ladies, eager and game.
    That makes three of us, three of us, all in our masks,
    The lighting is low, the cushions are deep,
    It’s my favorite dream but I’m not asleep.
    And Little Larry Junior’s not making a peep.
    I guess it’s not my night.
    Not my night. Not my night.

    I’m beating up myself.
    I should be nicer to myself.
    I want to keep on playing in the game.
    But despite my healthy hunger,
    The other team is so much younger
    And my pitching arm is feeling awful lame.
    When did the wild man get so very tame?
    Not my night! Not my night.


    Jessie and Marcus Duet Aria: So, That Happened

    JESSIE
    So, that happened.
    That really happened.
    You wanted and you got,
    And the getting, well, it’s not
    Exactly what you thought
    You wanted all that time ago.
    There’s wanting and there’s getting,
    Then a process of forgetting,
    And strangest is the stranger that you know.

    MARCUS
    I’m pretty sure that wasn’t Jessie.
    So, we transacted.
    Yes, transacted.
    She was selling, and I bought,
    Or did I steal and then get caught?
    But what if I had fought,
    And tell me who exactly is the foe?
    There’s wanting and there’s getting,
    Then a process of regretting,
    And strangest is the stranger that you know.

    MARCUS & JESSIE
    So, that happened.
    That really happened.
    We were flirting then we clicked,
    Or was she fooling, was I tricked?
    It’s not as if I didn’t want to go.
    There’s wanting and there’s getting,
    And the difference is upsetting,
    And strangest is the stranger that you know.

    MUSIC BY ROBERT PATERSON | LIBRETTO BY DAVID COTE

Press Quotes

An excellent comic opera that will appeal to audiences well steeped in opera, as well as those who are new to the experience... Paterson is a highly skilled composer who writes in a melodic, tonal style. His versatility was most impressive and his scoring was superb. It gave the outstanding musicians of the American Modern Ensemble the type of rewarding challenges that players most welcome. yet in ways that neither interfered with hearing the singers nor distracted from the drama. Cote’s libretto was lively and delicious, never trite, never obvious. John Hoome’s stage direction was clever, efficient and engaging and Dean Williamson conducted with elegance and enthusiasm.
— Opera News
In three acts, the composer and librettist explore a trio of carnal situations, often with surprisingly touching—and funny—results… Paterson’s score is tonal but eclectic … his writing showcases the voice naturally. [Cote’s] concision and comic timing have a Sondheim-esque edge … his words are well-chiseled, offering plenty of laughs, even wry comments on the operatic genre itself. … If Three Way perhaps brings up more questions than it answers – about sex, love, death, fear, and the need to connect with other humans – it does so with wit and sophistication… Though the opera is intended for adults, there’s no nudity in this smart, economical production, and sexual activities are presented in suggestive silhouettes.
— Musical America
a sophisticated, exceptionally romantic, and even tender take on the silly vagaries of sex. Young newcomers to opera will delight in this lighthearted work. It’s accessible and well sung; it’s also smartly eccentric. … Clearly the kind of three way worth having.
— Parterre Box
Rarely do we find a postmodern opera that builds in time for audiences to belly laugh, an opera that encapsulates the complexity and depth of evolving identity and sexuality, and an opera that is both elegant and accessible. In Nashville Opera’s production of Three Way, we find all of those things, simultaneously. This production levels the audience’s playing field in a sophisticated way: pairing common, yet updated, operatic tropes with relevant, topical humor and relatable music.
— Schmopera
An intriguing treatise on power, passion and human connection... Highly accessible! Cote has an obvious gift for humor, yet there also are moments of genuine tenderness. Paterson’s music is mesmerizing, beautifully supporting the story... Paterson’s music is rich and vibrant—Cote’s libretto offers an unexpected blend of whimsy and wistfulness.
— The Tennessean
[Three Way Voted Best New Opera of 2017] Composer Robert Paterson and librettist David Cote worked confidently in the Mozart-Da Ponte tradition, creating arias of beauty and humor.
— Nashville Scene
The libretto was provocative and relevant to the 21st century. The music was interesting and accessible with real arias. The libretto was brilliant. … What a pleasure to hear music that is accessible and lined up well with the libretto, a feature missing from most contemporary American opera… Major props to composer Robert Paterson… a delightful evening.
— Voce di Meche
...an innovative - and, yes, occasionally explosive - cocktail of opera buffa, sex comedy, science fiction, psychological study and social commentaries, all supported by an appropriately gritty score... wildly, yet smartly, entertaining.
— Classical Music Rocks
A titillating and clever comic opera – the piece explores the future of sex and love, with all the humor and sorrow those subjects require.
— Time Out New York
An effortlessly funny, clever and deeply resonant opera, in which the music and the story fuel one another to create an entertaining and meaningful theatrical experience.
— Opera News
Strikingly sonorous ensemble writing... breezily urbane...
— Opera Magazine
If you think that opera is archaic and unsexy, the first-ever Fringe show from Opera Orlando will blow your … mind.... [Three Way] should serve as ample proof that this antique art form can still address relevant, and even risqué, topics as well as pop culture does – only with a lot more vibrato.
— Orlando Weekly
You don’t have to be an opera fan to find laughs in these comic pieces... Paterson has composed some tuneful melodies... Cote can turn a phrase, and knows his topics... Opera meets chains and leather — without a Valkyrie in sight... If you don’t like opera (or don’t think you do), but you like Fringe (or sex) this might be just the ticket for you. Just don’t expect a similar experience the next time “Tosca” comes to town.
— Orlando Sentinel
While gender-bending performers have graced opera stages for centuries, “Masquerade” contains what may be the first characters that self-identify as gender fluid in song.
— WFMT
Robert Paterson’s brilliant score provided a magical counterpoint… a highly enjoyable comic opera... the elements came together in a fun way that made “The Companion” a highly enjoyable comic opera.
— StageBuddy.com
Paterson conveyed full emotional resonance, even in comic punch lines.
— OPERA Shanghai
[a] sophisticated, melodic score... lovely orchestral writing, particularly in the winds. Subtle touches made me smile, like a little repeated phrase that at first sounded uniform but was actually alternating between French horn and bassoon. But it’s the overall spirit of the piece that makes this one-­act opera a joy.
— BlogCritics.org