This is the first "avant-garde opera written by a black composer".

There are to be two avant-garde operas, both of which also have strong dance elements.

It's impossible to overstate the impact that the avant-garde operas by Philip Glass had upon the contemporary music scene when they were new.

Besides being the new home for the ballet, the building will be used for avant-garde opera and plays.

"I would like to bring in some really good avant-garde opera from abroad," Kaiser said in an interview this week.

Since then, Suart has divided his stage appearances among operas in the regular repertoire, avant-garde modern operas, and the "patter" roles in Gilbert and Sullivan operas.

Anyone familiar with the fragmented sounds of Italian avant-garde opera will feel at home.

Following the tradition of avant-garde opera as it has evolved over the last two decades, the story was turned mythic, the literal details left behind for political and musical fantasy.

He wrote the librettos for his own operas, including "Jonny Spielt Auf," the audacious 1927 work that for a while made him the hero of avant-garde European opera.

On a less common front, he championed and recorded Alban Berg's avant-garde operas Wozzeck and Lulu before they gained a foothold in the standard repertory.