▁Re ception ▁Although ▁the ▁initial ▁reviews ▁for ▁early ▁performances ▁seemed ▁tent ative ▁and ▁even ▁critical ▁at ▁times , ▁the ▁over - all ▁reception ▁toward ▁the ▁ 2 0 1 4 ▁“ in ▁concert ” ▁performance ▁and ▁the ▁ 2 0 1 7 ▁world ▁premi ere ▁were ▁well ▁received . ▁▁ ▁Port land ▁Press ▁Her ald ▁rep orter , ▁Bob ▁Key es , ▁who ▁followed ▁the ▁story ▁from ▁its ▁initial ▁start ▁to ▁the ▁premi ere , ▁reported ▁that ▁( after ▁a ▁falling ▁out ▁with ▁libre tt ist ▁Daniel ▁N ester ) ▁Son enberg ▁took ▁to ▁task ▁of ▁re - writing ▁the ▁libre tto ▁himself ▁following ▁the ▁ 2 0 1 4 ▁performance ▁and ▁its ▁crit iques ▁of ▁character ▁development . ▁Team ing ▁up ▁with ▁ly ric ist ▁Mark ▁Campbell , ▁the ▁two ▁created ▁a ▁new ▁aria ▁for ▁Gib son . ▁Key es ▁later ▁reported ▁that ▁at ▁the ▁Pitts burgh ▁premi ere , ▁the ▁cur tain ▁call ▁last ed ▁for ▁“ se ver al ▁minutes ” ▁and ▁the ▁composer ▁took ▁several ▁b ows . ▁ ▁The ▁Pitts burgh ▁Post - G az ette ▁pointed ▁out ▁certain ▁fla ws ▁within ▁the ▁opera ’ s ▁libre tto ▁and ▁caval cade ▁of ▁characters , ▁stating , ▁while ▁the ▁“ mult itude ▁of ▁characters ▁is ▁confusing ▁… ▁the ▁action ▁progress es ▁in ▁swift ▁cin ematic ▁fragments , ▁some ▁segments ▁go ▁on ▁too ▁long , ▁and ▁the ▁scenes ▁after ▁the ▁protagon ist ▁dies ▁seem ▁super fl uous ▁and ▁ant ic lim actic . ▁However , ▁its ▁pra ise ▁struck ▁a