The Opera

Jon Lloyd Oliva, Paul O'Webber & "The Romanovs"

The youngest baby, born from the inexhaustible creativity of Savatage's main songwriters is an opera about the Russian October revolution and the role of the illustrious Rasputin, which will probably have it's premiere in the autumn of '96 on Broadway.

"Andrew Kinkel, Jon Lloyd Oliva, Paul O'Webber"

With this project Jon and Paul have forcibly opened a door, that with a little luck could lead them in the tracks of writers like Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Originally planned as rock opera follow-up of "Streets", the story pretty soon developed it's own dynamics. Together with Bob Kinkel, who has been arranging the orchestrations of the Savatage albums for years ( he started with the Edward Grieg - adaptation "Prelude to Madness' from the "Mountain King" album), the scores were constructed. For Jon, who composed all of the music on his keyboards, a huge help in the process was the modern computer technique, which when he had finished, translated his ideas into notes for 125 orchestral instruments.
Jon: " Normally, one or two years are being calculated just for the writing; we have done the whole thing within five or six months".

Paul's connections made sure, that the final product, created within record time, landed on the desk of the biggest Broadway-agency William Morris in New York - who shook hands on it immediately and sold the whole thing to an equally wellknown production company ( Pace Theatrical ), that started casting the ensembles in the beginning of '96.

The productional costs, compared to a LP production ("Dead Winter Dead" devoured about $ 300.000 ) went beyond estimate. More than ten million dollars are necessary just to prepare the premiere. No wonder, considering the fact that a single cello player cashes in $250 per hour, nomatter whether he's booked for a rehearsal or a performance.
Jon: " On Broadway you can find sponsors, that live in a totally different world. That's an art of playing for extremely rich people. They simple take a huge risk, when they are convinced of something."

The LP appearing at the same time - it will be recorded at the rehearsals of the orchestra - will in comparison be produced for a trifle.
Paul: " And when you have bad luck, and the New York Times does not like the stage setting, you can pack your bags the very next day. At this moment we hope and pray that everything will work out."

Jon: " Experiments like this are done no more than two or three times a year on Broadway. I'm looking forward to the day, when I can sit down in the front row dressed up in a tux and with a glass of champagne in my hand, and have my fun. Anyway: Broadway-fans will ofcourse buy every record that is released. Anyone who owns "Cats" or "Phantom of the Opera", will also get hold of "The Romanovs". Imagine, you're a metalhead, and no more than four HM records are being released each year. With a little luck, I'll be swimming in cash shortly, haha!"

From RockHard Legends, Savatage

Translated by Ellen Bakvis