JOHN MORAN: “The Manson Family: An Opera.”...

JOHN MORAN: “The Manson Family: An Opera.” Vocal and orchestral ensemble, viola parts conducted by Michael Riesman. Philips/Point 432 967-2. Reading program notes or the libretto for this recording is difficult, printed as they are on pages featuring doodles, drawings and mug shots. Legible are such words as form-wise and content-wise. Music-wise, there is not much here. With the exception of Terre Roche’s strained use of her modest vocal resources as Squeaky Fromme, the arias are spoken, and none too professionally at that, over repetitive thumping of drums, tambourines and a soulful viola. The beginnings of Acts 2 and 3 indicate a musical debt to Spike Jones (would that Ina Souez or Jo Stafford were around to liven things up). The lyrics are pretentious, pompous and infantile (“My daddy’s not a congressman . . . or a doctor . . . or a lawyer”). The dirty words are as numbing and harmless as all the others.