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Amahl and the Night Visitors (1951) is an opera by Gian Carlo Menotti (mus. and libr.).
Abstract
The first opera specifically composed for television in America was broadcast on 24 December 1951, at the NBC studios.
The history between NBC and composer Gian Carlo Menotti went a long way back. The Old Maid and the Thief had been a commission from NBC radio, premiering on April 22, 1939 as the first opera ever written for radio.
In 1950 Menotti received another commission from NBC, this time to write a Christmas opera for television. As the deadline drew nearer, Menotti continued to have trouble settling on a subject for the opera. Finally, in November of 1951, as he walked through the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, he saw Hieronymus Bosch’s famous painting “The Adoration of the Kings,” which brought him back memories from his childhood in Italy.
Menotti worked frantically to complete the score which he finished just a few days before the broadcast. The live broadcast was a smashing success. In just a few months, Amahl became a popular Christmas classic, widely performed on stage and television.
Characters and setting
- Amahl, a crippled boy of about 12 -- boy soprano
- The Mother -- soprano (or mezzo-soprano)
- Kaspar, a king, slightly deaf -- tenor
- Melchior, a king -- baritone
- Balthazar, a king -- bass
- The Page -- bass
- Chorus of Shepherds and Villagers
- Dancing Shepherds
Place: Near Bethlehem, Judea
Time: Immediately after the birth of Jesus.
Synopsis
On their way to Bethlehem, the three Kings stop at the house of a poor crippled boy and his widowed mother.
Editions
Musical score
First published in New York, NY: G. Schirmer, 1952.
Libretto
First published in New Yok, NY: G. Schirmer, 1952.
Translations of the libretto
- Amahl und die nächtlichen Besucher = Amahl and the Night Visitors (1952 Lorich / @1951 Menotti), libretto (German ed.) Oswald Lorich
- Amahl y los Reyes Magos = Amahl and the Night Visitors (1953 Bellugi / @1951 Menotti), libretto (Italian ed.) Piero Bellugi
Literary adaptations of the libretto (children's books)
Video recordings (selected)
- Amahl and the Night Visitors (1951 Schippers, Allen / @1951 Menotti), American (TV) production, video recording, world premiere (opera)
- Amahl and the Night Visitors (1955 Schippers, McIver / @1951 Menotti), American (TV) production, video recording (opera)
- Amahl and the Night Visitors (1978 López-Cobos / @1951 Menotti), American (TV) production, video recording (opera)
- Amahl and the Night Visitors (2002 Hickox / @1951 Menotti), British (TV) production, video recording (opera)
Sound recordings (selected)
- Amahl e gli ospiti notturni = Amahl and the Night Visitors, Italian ed. (1953 Stokowski / @1951 Menotti), Florence (stage) production, sound recording (opera)
- Amahl and the Night Visitors (1986 Syrus / @1951 Menotti), London (stage) production, sound recording (opera)
- Amahl and the Night Visitors (2006 Willis / @1951 Menotti), Nashville (stage) production, sound recording (opera)
Performance History (selected)
- TV premiere: New York, NBC (National Broadcasting Company), 24 December 1951.
- Stage premiere: Bloomington, IN: Indiana University, 21 February 1952.
Overview
After its television premiere in 1951, the opera was regularly broadcast on American (and British) television on Christmas time, every year until 1965. It continues to be widely performed, more than 3000 times since then according to a likely estimate, especially in the United States, England, South America and Germany, in professional and semi-professional productions, in major theaters as well as in local schools and churches.
1950s
- Amahl and the Night Visitors (1952 Hoffman / @1951 Menotti), Bloomington (stage) production (opera) <Feb 21>
- Amahl and the Night Visitors (1953 Robinson / @1951 Menotti), British (TV) production (opera) <Dec 20>
- Amahl and the Night Visitors (1954 Robinson / @1951 Menotti), British (TV) production (opera) <Dec 24> Same cast as in 1953
- Amahl and the Night Visitors (1956 Fluck / @1951 Menotti), British (stage) production (opera) <Sep 29>
- Amahl and the Night Visitors (1957 Post / @1951 Menotti), Australian (TV) production (opera) <Dec 18>
1960s
1970s
1980s
- Amahl and the Night Visitors (1980 Smith / @1951 Menotti), St. Paul (stage) production (opera) <Dec 2>
- Amahl and the Night Visitors (1980 Henderson / @1951 Menotti), Utah (stage) production (opera) <Dec 4>
- Amahl and the Night Visitors (1980 Rohrbaugh / @1951 Menotti), California (stage) production (opera) <Dec 21>
- Amahl and the Night Visitors (1980 Bate / @1951 Menotti), Toronto (stage) production (opera) <Dec 28>
The company Piccolo Teatro dell'Opera produced Amahl annually, from 1984 to 1996. Of the last performance in 1996 there is a video on YouTube.
- Amahl and the Night Visitors (1987 Moltzer / @1951 Menotti), New Jersey (stage) production (opera) <Dec 14>
- Amahl and the Night Visitors (1987 Keltner / @1951 Menotti), Orlando (stage) production (opera) <Dec 20>
- Amahl and the Night Visitors (1988 Anagnost / @1951 Menotti), New York (stage) production (opera) <Dec 3>
- Amahl and the Night Visitors (1989 Ayres / @1951 Menotti), Birmingham (stage) production (opera) <Nov 2>
1990s
- Amahl and the Night Visitors (1990 Bramwell / @1951 Menotti), British (stage) production (opera) <Jan 6>
2000s
- Amahl and the Night Visitors (2006 / @1951 Menotti), Chicago (stage) production (opera) - Original production of the Chamber Opera Chicago, directed by Francis Menotti. Ever since, it has become a Christmas tradition, repeated every year.
2010s
- Amahl and the Night Visitors (2012 Xenelis / @1951 Menotti), Santa Rosa (stage) production (opera) <Dec 9>
- Amahl and the Night Visitors (2014 Hisey / @1951 Menotti), Bridgeport (stage) production (opera) <Jan 12>
Lancaster, Covenant UMC Director John Darrenkamp Sets Nels Marti Costumes Mercedes Macarino Choreographer Cynthia Neh Chorus master Cynthia Reed
Amahl Philip Norris The Mother Kirsten C Kunkle King Kaspar Cristyan Seay King Melchior Ben Williams King Balthazar Garrett Obrycki The Page Moses Mariscal On tour to: Ware Center, Lancaster: 12 Dec 2014
- Amahl and the Night Visitors (2014 Scarabino / @1951 Menotti), Argentine (stage) production (opera) <Dec 14> <In English>
- Amahl and the Night Visitors (2015 Edewards / @1951 Menotti), Knoxville (stage) production (opera) <Dec 4>
- Amahl and the Night Visitors (2016 Console / @1951 Menotti), Cincinnati (stage) production (opera) <Jan 8> Allen Console, organist.
- Amahl and the Night Visitors (2016 Banks / @1951 Menotti), Alabama (stage) production (opera) <Nov 17>
- Amahl and the Night Visitors (2016 Bavaro / @1951 Menotti), Maryland (stage) production (opera) <Dec 2>
- Amahl and the Night Visitors (2016 Jensen / @1951 Menotti), Orlando (stage) production (opera) <Dec 11-20>
- Amahl and the Night Visitors (2016 Boyagian / @1951 Menotti), Cleveland (stage) production (opera) <Dec 17>
References
- A detailed survey of the Performance History of the opera is given in Donald L. Hixon, Gian Carlo Menotti: A Bio-Bibliography, pp.55ff.
External links
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