Arlington, Va.  In "Paul's Case," given its world premiere on
Saturday by the small company Urban Arias, the composer Gregory
Spears combines minimalism, baroque gestures, and extended vocal
techniques into a distinctive and pungent musical language. This
haunting 90-minute work is based on a story by Willa Cather :
Paul, a high-school boy with artistic and status yearnings
beyond his middle-class life in 1906 Pittsburgh, steals money
and goes to New York. He lives the high life in the Waldorf-
Astoria for a few days, and when exposure is imminent throws
himself under a train.  Paul's Case  Urban Arias  Through April
28  Mr. Spears and Kathryn Walat distilled the tale into a
surreal fever dream, with other characters continually
commenting on Paul's "case." Unlike many contemporary opera
composers, Mr. Spears has a gift for writing ensembles, and they
are original. In the powerful opening scene, as three female
teachers and the school's principal try to articulate what
disturbs them about Paul, short lines of