Amelia Goes to the Ball
Encyclopedia
Amelia Goes to the Ball is an opera buffa
in one act composed by Gian Carlo Menotti
. Menotti also wrote the original Italian libretto
. Composed when he was twenty-three, it was Menotti's first mature opera and his first critical success. The opera was first performed in Philadelphia on 1 April 1937 and recounts a series of farcical events as a young Italian socialite overcomes various obstacles to her attendance at the first ball of the social season.
, took place on 1 April 1937 at the Philadelphia Academy of Music
in a production directed by Austrian composer, librettist, and stage director Ernst Lert
and using set and costume designs by Tony Award
winning designer Donald Oenslager
. The opera was presented in a double bill with the US premiere of Darius Milhaud
's Le pauvre matelot
. The premiere used an English
translation of the libretto by George Mead with the score revised somewhat by Menotti to fit the English text. Both operas were conducted by Fritz Reiner
with Sylvan Levin
serving as chorus master and a young Boris Goldovsky
working as Assistant Conductor. The Milhaud/Menotti double bill played later that month in Baltimore at the city's Lyric Theatre
and at the New Amsterdam Theatre
in New York City, with Florence Kirk
taking over the title role at the latter theatre. On 2 May 1937, excerpts from the opera performed by the original cast with Levin conducting were broadcast by CBS
radio as part of National Music Week in the United States.
Amelia Goes to the Ball had its Metropolitan Opera
premiere on 3 March 1938 with Muriel Dickson
as Amelia, John Brownlee
as her husband, and Mario Chamlee
as her lover. The opera received a total of seven performances at the Met that season, four times in a double bill with Strauss' Elektra
(including the opening night), twice paired with Strauss' Salome
, and once with Rimsky-Korsakov
's Le coq d'or
.
The first Italian performance, using the original libretto and title, Amelia al ballo, took place on 4 April 1938 in the opera theatre of the Sanremo
Municipal Casino. Amelias success at the Met and elsewhere led to a commission from NBC
for an opera specifically composed for radio, Menotti's 1939 The Old Maid and the Thief
. During the 1950s, the opera had a surge in popularity in Italy, with the work being mounted for the first time at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna
(7 December 1951), the Teatro Regio in Parma (18 January 1952), La Scala
(24 March 1954), the Teatro Regio in Turin (8 May 1954), and the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma
(29 December 1956) among others. The Belgium premiere of the work was given at La Monnaie
on 11 March 1955 and the French premiere was given at the opera house in Metz
on 9 December 1967.
Amelia had several revivals in 1987 (on the occasion of Menotti's 75th birthday) including a performance in the original Italian at the Juilliard School
Opera Center, directed by the composer himself, It is still periodically performed, with productions in the 2008/2009 seasons in Vichy
, Buenos Aires
, and São Paulo
, as well as a 2010 double bill with Menotti's The Telephone in Tours
, using the 2006 co-production by Opéra de Lausanne and the Opéra Comique
.
Amelia, a wealthy young socialite, is in her boudoir getting ready for the first ball of the season. However, her husband has discovered that she has a lover and refuses to accompany Amelia unless she reveals his name. When she reveals that her lover is their upstairs neighbour, a general melee breaks out between the jealous husband and her pesty lover, with Amelia eventually breaking a vase over her husband's head. When the police arrive, she tells them that a burglar had entered the apartment and attacked her husband with the vase. Her husband is taken to hospital, her lover is arrested as the burglar, and Amelia leaves for the ball on the arm of the Chief of Police who has come to investigate.
, xylophone, harp and strings. The score was described by the Time Magazine, critic who attended the world premiere as "full of glowing, facetious music admirably suited to the story", and by the New York World-Telegram
as "delightful", "vivacious" and "tuneful" in a review of its first performance at the Met. However, following a performance of Amelia Goes to the Ball in Birmingham
(England) in 1989, Jan Smaczny writing for Opera
described it as a "breath-takingly banal" combination of "blunt pastiche" and "overripe verismo lyricism".
Opera buffa
Opera buffa is a genre of opera. It was first used as an informal description of Italian comic operas variously classified by their authors as ‘commedia in musica’, ‘commedia per musica’, ‘dramma bernesco’, ‘dramma comico’, ‘divertimento giocoso' etc...
in one act composed by Gian Carlo Menotti
Gian Carlo Menotti
Gian Carlo Menotti was an Italian-American composer and librettist. Although he often referred to himself as an American composer, he kept his Italian citizenship. He wrote the classic Christmas opera, Amahl and the Night Visitors, among about two dozen other operas intended to appeal to popular...
. Menotti also wrote the original Italian libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
. Composed when he was twenty-three, it was Menotti's first mature opera and his first critical success. The opera was first performed in Philadelphia on 1 April 1937 and recounts a series of farcical events as a young Italian socialite overcomes various obstacles to her attendance at the first ball of the social season.
Performance history
The opera's world premiere, produced by the Curtis Institute of MusicCurtis Institute of Music
The Curtis Institute of Music is a conservatory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that offers courses of study leading to a performance Diploma, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in Opera, and Professional Studies Certificate in Opera. According to statistics compiled by U.S...
, took place on 1 April 1937 at the Philadelphia Academy of Music
Academy of Music (Philadelphia)
The Academy of Music, also known as American Academy of Music, is a concert hall and opera house located at Broad and Locust Streets in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1857 and is the oldest opera house in the United States that is still used for its original purpose...
in a production directed by Austrian composer, librettist, and stage director Ernst Lert
Ernst Lert
Ernst Joseph Maria Lert, originally Ernst Joseph Maria Levy was an Austrian stage director, writer, composer, librettist, and music historian. He was the brother of conductor Richard Lert who was married to writer Vicki Baum.Lert studied music history, piano, and singing at the University of Vienna...
and using set and costume designs by Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
winning designer Donald Oenslager
Donald Oenslager
Donald Oenslager was a celebrated American scenic designer who won the Tony Award for Best Scenic Design.-Biography:Oenslager was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and became interested in design while studying in Europe...
. The opera was presented in a double bill with the US premiere of Darius Milhaud
Darius Milhaud
Darius Milhaud was a French composer and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as The Group of Six—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions are influenced by jazz and make use of polytonality...
's Le pauvre matelot
Le pauvre matelot
Le pauvre matelot is a three act opera composed by Darius Milhaud with libretto by Jean Cocteau. Its first performance was at the Opéra-Comique on December 16, 1927. Le pauvre matelot is short, lasting about 35 minutes when performed, and is dedicated to Henri Sauguet...
. The premiere used an English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
translation of the libretto by George Mead with the score revised somewhat by Menotti to fit the English text. Both operas were conducted by Fritz Reiner
Fritz Reiner
Frederick Martin “Fritz” Reiner was a prominent conductor of opera and symphonic music in the twentieth century.-Biography:...
with Sylvan Levin
Sylvan Levin
Sylvan Levin was an American concert pianist and conductor. He notably served as the assistant conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra and the New York City Symphony under Leopold Stokowski for many years...
serving as chorus master and a young Boris Goldovsky
Boris Goldovsky
Boris Goldovsky was a Russian conductor and broadcast commentator, active in the United States. He has been called an important "popularizer" of opera in America...
working as Assistant Conductor. The Milhaud/Menotti double bill played later that month in Baltimore at the city's Lyric Theatre
Lyric Opera House
The Lyric Opera House is a music venue in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The building was modeled after the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, and it was inaugurated on October 31, 1894, with a performance by the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Australian opera singer Nellie Melba as the featured...
and at the New Amsterdam Theatre
New Amsterdam Theatre
The New Amsterdam Theatre is a Broadway theater located at 214 West 42nd Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues in the Theatre District of Manhattan, New York City, off of Times Square...
in New York City, with Florence Kirk
Florence Kirk
Florence Kirk was an American soprano. Raised in Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Kirk graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1931 with degrees in music and education. She then entered the Curtis Institute of Music where she studied opera...
taking over the title role at the latter theatre. On 2 May 1937, excerpts from the opera performed by the original cast with Levin conducting were broadcast by CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
radio as part of National Music Week in the United States.
Amelia Goes to the Ball had its Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
premiere on 3 March 1938 with Muriel Dickson
Muriel Dickson
Muriel Dickson was a Scottish soprano who was particularly known for her performances in the works of Gilbert and Sullivan. After singing roles with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, she sang for four seasons with the Metropolitan Opera and went on to a concert career...
as Amelia, John Brownlee
John Brownlee (baritone)
John Donald Mackenzie Brownlee was an Australian operatic baritone.-Biography:John Brownlee was born in Geelong, Victoria. As a boy, he became a junior naval cadet in the Royal Australian Navy, serving during World War I. Following service, he studied accounting...
as her husband, and Mario Chamlee
Mario Chamlee
Mario Chamlee was the lyric tenor who replaced Enrico Caruso at the Metropolitan Opera. His birth name was Archer Cholmondeley...
as her lover. The opera received a total of seven performances at the Met that season, four times in a double bill with Strauss' Elektra
Elektra (opera)
Elektra is a one-act opera by Richard Strauss, to a German-language libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal, which he adapted from his 1903 drama Elektra. The opera was the first of many collaborations between Strauss and Hofmannsthal...
(including the opening night), twice paired with Strauss' Salome
Salome (opera)
Salome is an opera in one act by Richard Strauss to a German libretto by the composer, based on Hedwig Lachmann’s German translation of the French play Salomé by Oscar Wilde. Strauss dedicated the opera to his friend Sir Edgar Speyer....
, and once with Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov was a Russian composer, and a member of the group of composers known as The Five.The Five, also known as The Mighty Handful or The Mighty Coterie, refers to a circle of composers who met in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in the years 1856–1870: Mily Balakirev , César...
's Le coq d'or
The Golden Cockerel
The Golden Cockerel is an opera in three acts, with short prologue and even shorter epilogue, by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Its libretto, by Vladimir Belsky, derives from Alexander Pushkin's 1834 poem The Tale of the Golden Cockerel, which in turn is based on two chapters of Tales of the Alhambra by...
.
The first Italian performance, using the original libretto and title, Amelia al ballo, took place on 4 April 1938 in the opera theatre of the Sanremo
Sanremo
Sanremo or San Remo is a city with about 57,000 inhabitants on the Mediterranean coast of western Liguria in north-western Italy. Founded in Roman times, the city is best known as a tourist destination on the Italian Riviera. It hosts numerous cultural events, such as the Sanremo Music Festival...
Municipal Casino. Amelias success at the Met and elsewhere led to a commission from NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
for an opera specifically composed for radio, Menotti's 1939 The Old Maid and the Thief
The Old Maid and the Thief
The Old Maid and the Thief is an opera in one act by Italian-American composer Gian Carlo Menotti. The work uses an English language libretto by the composer which tells a twisted tale of morals and evil womanly power...
. During the 1950s, the opera had a surge in popularity in Italy, with the work being mounted for the first time at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna
Teatro Comunale di Bologna
The Teatro Comunale di Bologna is an opera house in Bologna, Italy, and is one of the most important opera venues in Italy. Typically, it presents eight operas with six performances during its November to April season....
(7 December 1951), the Teatro Regio in Parma (18 January 1952), La Scala
La Scala
La Scala , is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the New Royal-Ducal Theatre at La Scala...
(24 March 1954), the Teatro Regio in Turin (8 May 1954), and the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma
Teatro dell'Opera di Roma
The Teatro dell'Opera di Roma is an opera house in Rome, Italy. Originally opened in November 1880 as the 2,212 seat Costanzi Theatre, it has undergone several changes of name as well modifications and improvements...
(29 December 1956) among others. The Belgium premiere of the work was given at La Monnaie
La Monnaie
Le Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie , or the Koninklijke Muntschouwburg is a theatre in Brussels, Belgium....
on 11 March 1955 and the French premiere was given at the opera house in Metz
Metz
Metz is a city in the northeast of France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers.Metz is the capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, Metz forms a central place...
on 9 December 1967.
Amelia had several revivals in 1987 (on the occasion of Menotti's 75th birthday) including a performance in the original Italian at the Juilliard School
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
Opera Center, directed by the composer himself, It is still periodically performed, with productions in the 2008/2009 seasons in Vichy
Vichy
Vichy is a commune in the department of Allier in Auvergne in central France. It belongs to the historic province of Bourbonnais.It is known as a spa and resort town and was the de facto capital of Vichy France during the World War II Nazi German occupation from 1940 to 1944.The town's inhabitants...
, Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, and São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, as well as a 2010 double bill with Menotti's The Telephone in Tours
Tours
Tours is a city in central France, the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department.It is located on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines, the alleged perfection of its local spoken French, and for the...
, using the 2006 co-production by Opéra de Lausanne and the Opéra Comique
Opera Comique
The Opera Comique was a 19th-century theatre constructed in Westminster, London, between Wych Street and Holywell Street with entrances on the East Strand. It opened in 1870 and was demolished in 1902, to make way for the construction of the Aldwych and Kingsway...
.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 1 April 1937 (Conductor: Fritz Reiner Fritz Reiner Frederick Martin “Fritz” Reiner was a prominent conductor of opera and symphonic music in the twentieth century.-Biography:... ) |
|---|---|---|
| Amelia | soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody... |
Margaret Daum Margaret Daum Margaret Daum was an American classical soprano. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Daum studied singing at the Ithaca Conservatory of Music where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1928... |
| Amelia's husband | baritone Baritone Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or... |
Conrad Mayo |
| Amelia's lover | tenor Tenor The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2... |
William Martin William Martin (tenor) William Martin was an American classical tenor. Born in Massachusetts, he studied singing with Leveret Merrill, A Sujol, and Florence Holtzman. A graduate of Harvard University, he was for many years a member of the Harvard Glee Club. He made his professional opera debut in 1923 in the title role... |
| Amelia's friend | contralto Contralto Contralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above... |
Edwina Eustis |
| The Chief of Police | bass Bass (voice type) A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C... |
Leonard Treash Leonard Treash Leonard Treash was an American bass, opera director, and educator. As a performer he sang leading opera roles under such conductors as Fritz Reiner, Leopold Stokowski, Artur Rodzinski, and Erich Leinsdorf... |
| The cook | mezzo-soprano Mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above... |
Wilburta Horn |
| The maid | mezzo-soprano | Charlotte Daniels |
| Chorus of nosy neighbours, passersby, police and ambulance men | ||
Synopsis
Place: An elegant apartment in MilanMilan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
Amelia, a wealthy young socialite, is in her boudoir getting ready for the first ball of the season. However, her husband has discovered that she has a lover and refuses to accompany Amelia unless she reveals his name. When she reveals that her lover is their upstairs neighbour, a general melee breaks out between the jealous husband and her pesty lover, with Amelia eventually breaking a vase over her husband's head. When the police arrive, she tells them that a burglar had entered the apartment and attacked her husband with the vase. Her husband is taken to hospital, her lover is arrested as the burglar, and Amelia leaves for the ball on the arm of the Chief of Police who has come to investigate.
Score
The full version of the score is orchestrated for 3 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, percussion, celesteCelesta
The celesta or celeste is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard. Its appearance is similar to that of an upright piano or of a large wooden music box . The keys are connected to hammers which strike a graduated set of metal plates suspended over wooden resonators...
, xylophone, harp and strings. The score was described by the Time Magazine, critic who attended the world premiere as "full of glowing, facetious music admirably suited to the story", and by the New York World-Telegram
New York World-Telegram
The New York World-Telegram, later known as the New York World-Telegram and Sun, was a New York City newspaper from 1931 to 1966.-History:...
as "delightful", "vivacious" and "tuneful" in a review of its first performance at the Met. However, following a performance of Amelia Goes to the Ball in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
(England) in 1989, Jan Smaczny writing for Opera
Opera (magazine)
Opera is a monthly British magazine devoted to covering all things related to opera.Based in London, the magazine was founded in 1950 by George Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood. It was launched at the house of Richard Buckle, under the imprint 'Ballet Publications Ltd'...
described it as a "breath-takingly banal" combination of "blunt pastiche" and "overripe verismo lyricism".
Recordings
- 1954: La ScalaLa ScalaLa Scala , is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the New Royal-Ducal Theatre at La Scala...
production of Amelia al ballo conducted by Nino SanzognoNino SanzognoNino Sanzogno was an Italian conductor and composer.He studied the violin with Guarneri and composition with Agostini at the Venice Liceo Musicale, and later conducting in Vienna with Hermann Scherchen...
with Margherita CarosioMargherita CarosioMargherita Carosio was an Italian operatic soprano. She was one of the most remarkable light lyric sopranos of her generation. Her warm, expressive and expertly produced voice is preserved in many Parlophone and Ultraphon recordings made before World War II, as well as a memorable series made for...
as Amelia, Giacinto PrandelliGiacinto PrandelliGiacinto Prandelli was an Italian operatic tenor, particularly associated with the Italian and French repertoires.-Life and career:Born in Lumezzane, Italy, Prandelli sang as a boy in a church choir...
as her lover, and Rolando PaneraiRolando PaneraiRolando Panerai Italian baritone, particularly associated with the Italian repertory, he enjoyed a long and distinguished career in both comic and dramatic roles.Rolando Panerai was born in Campi Bisenzio, near Florence, Italy....
as her husband. CD: Testament Records (1999), Urania Records (2007) and NaxosNaxos RecordsNaxos Records is a record label specializing in classical music. Through a number of imprints, Naxos also releases genres including Chinese music, jazz, world music, and early rock & roll. The company was founded in 1987 by Klaus Heymann, a German-born resident of Hong Kong.Naxos is the largest...
Historical (coupled with a 1950 recording of The ConsulThe ConsulThe Consul is an opera in three acts with music and libretto by Gian Carlo Menotti, his first full-length opera. Its first performance was on March 1, 1950, at the Shubert Theatre in Philadelphia with Patricia Neway as the lead heroine Magda Sorel, Gloria Lane as the secretary of the consulate,...
) in 2010. - Excerpts from the opera also appear on several CDs, most notably, Amelia's aria "While I waste these precious hours" on Leontyne PriceLeontyne PriceMary Violet Leontyne Price is an American soprano. Born and raised in the Deep South, she rose to international acclaim in the 1950s and 1960s, and was one of the first African Americans to become a leading artist at the Metropolitan Opera.One critic characterized Price's voice as "vibrant",...
– The Prima Donna Collection (RCA Victor Gold Seal, 1992/95) and the husband's recitative and aria "Non si va!...Amelia cara" on Prima Voce: Rolando Panerai (Nimbus Records, 2008).
External links
- Amelia al ballo production photos, Opéra de Lausanne, 2006