SMASHING PUMPKINS frontman Billy Corgan spoke to Fox 32 Chicago ‘s Paris Schutz about his decision to team up with Lyric Opera of Chicago, his hometown company, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the band’s massive, decade-defining double album “Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness”. Regarding how the collaboration came about, Billy said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “A couple friends that are sort of tight with people at the Lyric said, ‘Would you ever do anything with the Lyric? They really need to get some other energy in here from outside.’ It’s a well-known thing that opera and classical music is sort of struggling with the general culture, which I understand and am empathetic to, as a fan of this incredible body of work that is often performed at the Lyric and with the CSO [Chicago Symphony Orchestra]. So my first reaction was, they wouldn’t wanna work with me. I mean, what would they want with me? And it came back through kind of back channels that they would wanna have a conversation. So we got together and kind of had a pitch meeting, like, ‘What do you think? What do we think?’ And I think we both walked out there thinking, ‘Okay, this can work.’ We actually kind of meet in the middle more than we maybe would’ve thought we would’ve met in the middle.”
Asked how he is planning to adapt “Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness”, with different themes running through the album, into one theatrical production, Billy said: “That’s a fantastic question. I think the first thing you do is you tackle a musical thematic and create a musical through line that tells a story just as a musical compositional thing. And then once you do that, then you kind of figure out how to stage it and maybe create it. We’re not trying to do it as a sort of operetta. I think the musical story and the lyrical narrative will tell enough of a narrative.
“The album was written as a sort of a mythical 24 hours in a day in someone’s mind,” Corgan explained. “So I think, depending how the music works modularly, it’ll kind of work. But once I hear it all together, I’ll be able to tweak it from there.”
Billy went on to say that he didn’t want Lyric Opera of Chicago to just make a “rock opera” version of “Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness”, with the album presented with a few strings. “This is a full adaptation to the classical and operatic world,” he explained. “The first thing I said to Lyric is I don’t want opera to go rock. My fans don’t wanna see that. I don’t wanna see that. I’ve seen where other bands have done it always to kind of, in my estimation, a little bit of a mixed result. I think it’s cool. We’ve even had it proposed to us, and I’ve always turned it down. This is a unique opportunity to recast my work thematically, aesthetically in a totally different set of musical destinations. And that, to me, is like, ‘Oh my God.’ My brain just explodes, because as a composer, the SMASHING PUMPKINS version is only one version of the songs that I wrote. And having performed those songs over 30 years, I’ve done all those songs in different ways — slower, faster, more electronic, whatever. So I know they will adapt. And so that’s why I’m working with a true string arranger from that world because it’ll be up to him to kind of decode these melodies out.”
“A Night Of Mellon Collie And Infinite Sadness” is described in a press release as “a new commission inspired by one of the greatest alternative albums of all time. You’ll hear Corgan and special guest artists along with the epic sound of the Lyric Opera Of Chicago Orchestra And Chorus in a completely new, sonic and visual experience. Whether you love the PUMPKINS and are excited to hear their music in a sumptuous new dimension, or you simply crave the opportunity to hear a new work inspired by the unexpected, this promises to be one of the can’t-miss cultural collaborations of the season.”
“A Night Of Mellon Collie And Infinite Sadness” will be staged across seven nights only, November 21–30, 2025. Corgan reimagines his magnum opus by marshaling all of Lyric’s technical and artistic forces for an immersively original sonic and visual experience that blurs the boundaries of opera, rock, and performance art. Featuring newly commissioned arrangements and orchestrations by Corgan and James Lowe, who also conducts, as well as costumes from House of Gilles by Gilles and Chloé Mendel Corgan, these historic performances promise to further magnify the legend of the original album and expand the definition and intention of opera.
“It is thrilling to collaborate with Lyric head John Mangum, my musical partner James Lowe, and all of the artists at Lyric in reimagining this very special and historic album, and to discover how Lyric’s full operatic treatment is helping me experience my own compositions in powerful new ways,” Corgan previously said in a statement. “Opera and rock both tell stories of heightened emotions, and I am excited for both fans of my music and traditional opera fans to hear some truly inspired work; for the balance here is to honor both traditions in a magisterial way.”
John Mangum, general director, president and CEO of Lyric Opera of Chicago, added: “Next season is filled with a tremendous range of lavish and powerful opera productions that we are excited to share with our audiences. I’m just as excited about the special performances like ‘A Night Of Mellon Collie And Infinite Sadness’ that open the aperture and expand the definition of opera and what an American opera company can be. The season clearly illustrates how this company continues to push the art form forward and create new work that can only happen in Chicago.”
“Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness” was SMASHING PUMPKINS‘ third studio album. It featured the singles “Tonight, Tonight”, “Bullet With Butterfly Wings” and “1979”.
Source: blabbermouth.net
