A couple of weeks ago I had the hardest time figuring out musically what to do with the cloned characters. Obviously there should be a distinction between the clones (the Joshuas and the resident doctors) and the main characters (Dr. Liri, Chloe, the original Joshua) or else the opera will fail. I also need to distinguish (musically) between the vain characters (Chloe and Joshua) and the modest characters (actually, I think Dr. Liri is the only one).
Gone are the days of merely adding a triangle and snare drum or writing a gamelan accompaniment. Maybe adding a celesta would work?
It looks like I will be adding electronics. I had originally planned on adding electronics to my chamber ensemble (harpsichord and string quartet) when the clones started appearing onstage. At this rate, it looks like I will have to mic all my singers and process their voices.
I hope they won't be offended.
