Giuseppe Teo finds a battered box left by movers in the apartment where his mother Octavia lived for decades before dying. While he lived there, he never saw this box. What does it hold? Under the Olive Tree explores his journey to learn about his parents, Octavia from the Piedmont in northern Italy, and István, whose past is unknown. Both were composers and musicians but favored very different styles. Octavia found inspiration in a Baroque composer, Barbara Strozzi—mournful longings for love. István embraces minimalism and jazz, which speaks to the destruction left by World War II. The opera uses that clash between Baroque and modern to define the music. The couple abandon Europe for Brooklyn. Their hopes die as their anger towards each other deepens. Tragedy comes. Giuseppe Teo struggles to piece together his legacy.
Graphic by Megan Flynn