Mendi & Keith Obadike's The Sour Thunder is billed as an "internet opera". Its premiere took place in two simultaneous performances by different casts in adjacent buildings at Yale University. At an intermission, the audiences traded theaters. Images and sound streamed from both venues to the Web. This recording is a studio performance with the Obadikes performing all the instrumentals and vocals. There's a persistent "you had to be there" quality to the whole affair, and ultimately, it's hard to see how a piece that is practically all narration with slow-moving chordal electronic tonalities and very little singing can be called an "opera".

Two apparently separate plots intertwine. One is the story of Mendi, who travels to the Dominican Republic to study Hispanophonic Caribbean literature. Meanwhile, in a fantastical world called Solaika Dast, twins are the rule, scent is the primary means of communication, and The Sour Thunder is a scent that symbolizes invention. It has been stolen, and a single-birth woman named Sesom must help recover it.

However, the program notes tell only the back story and just about nothing of the action--which of course we can't see on a CD. It's not hard to follow Mendi's adventures because her character speaks of them throughout the play, but the listener remains in the dark about Sesom, The Sour Thunder, and Solaika Dast. Since the music--created with digitally treated hollow body guitars, field recordings of environmental sounds, and electronically processed vocals--is mostly a slow-moving chordal cushion on which the narrative simply rests, the whole effect is static and unengaging. The CD scarcely qualifies as a musical experience, despite the two or three hip-hop-derived songs.

That said, I must acknowledge that the chords are varied in sound and do their job of supporting and linking the narrative passages. Mendi's observations of Dominican culture often are sensitive and astute, and they sometimes have an edgy humor. Although it is possible that my generally lukewarm reaction has something to do with the notes having kept me in the dark as to the story, I have to conclude that there is more interesting experimental theater and better electronic music available. The sound and other production/performance values are very good. Recommendable for those who want to keep up with East Coast new music.

--Joseph Stevenson