The Wake World is a hallucinatory choral fantasy by Los Angeles-based composer David Hertzberg. Scored for five instruments and nine singers, it premiered in 2017 at the Barnes Foundation under the aegis of Opera Philadelphia. The music is evocative and dramatic, with lyrical arias and powerful instrumental colors. Based on a mystical fairy tale written by Aleister Crowley whilst under the influence of the Golden Dawn, the story describes an ecstatic journey of initiation through Hermetic runes, as Lola is lead by her fairy prince through a magical palace to enlightenment. Winner of the Music Critics Association of North America's Best New Opera Award, The Wake World is an operatic tour-de-force!
