THIS CADAVER SINGS AN ARIA
Where does evil lurk? In the mind? The soul? How about in a foully corrupted bodily organ? That was the theory of some 18th century European anatomists, who believed they could find physical manifestations of sin inside the bodies of executed murderers. David Lang's grisly, darkly funny new opera, Anatomy Theatre, documents a deluded surgeon's search for evil in the heart, spleen and other vital organs of a hanged murderess -- who keeps on singing throughout her dissection. Fun!
This story aired locally on KPCC's "The Frame" and nationally on "Weekend Edition" in 2016.