Mourning Becomes Electra (opera)
Encyclopedia
Mourning Becomes Electra is an opera
in 3 acts by composer Marvin David Levy. The work uses an English language libretto
by Henry W Butler after the play of the same name
by Eugene O'Neill
. It premiered at the Metropolitan Opera
in New York City on March 17, 1967 with Zubin Mehta
conducting. Mihalis Kakogiannis directed the production and Boris Aronson
designed the sets, costumes, and lighting. The original production was critically well received , returned for a second season at the Met, and was presented successfully in Germany. However, it then vanished from the stage. After thirty years, the opera was presented by Lyric Opera of Chicago
in 1998 in a revised version that reduced the orchestration and simplified the harmonic language. A more drastic revision of the opera was subsequently premiered at the Seattle Opera
on October 18, 2003. The orchestration was further cut down and electronic samplers added. A number of passages were re-written and a new finale was created. In addition, the opera was restructured from the original three acts (corresponding to the original O'Neill drama) into two. This version was subsequently mounted in 2004 at the New York City Opera
. These more recent productions have been in general favorably received, not the least because of the performance in all of them of Lauren Flanigan
as Christine Mannon.
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
in 3 acts by composer Marvin David Levy. The work uses an English language 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...
by Henry W Butler after the play of the same name
Mourning Becomes Electra
Mourning Becomes Electra is a play cycle written by American playwright Eugene O'Neill. The play premiered on Broadway at the Guild Theatre on 26 October 1931 where it ran for 150 performances before closing in March 1932...
by Eugene O'Neill
Eugene O'Neill
Eugene Gladstone O'Neill was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in Literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into American drama techniques of realism earlier associated with Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, and Swedish...
. It premiered at the 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...
in New York City on March 17, 1967 with Zubin Mehta
Zubin Mehta
Zubin Mehta is an Indian conductor of western classical music. He is the Music Director for Life of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.-Biography:...
conducting. Mihalis Kakogiannis directed the production and Boris Aronson
Boris Aronson
Boris Aronson was an American scenic designer for Broadway and Yiddish theatre. He won the Tony Award for Scenic Design six times in his career.-Biography:...
designed the sets, costumes, and lighting. The original production was critically well received , returned for a second season at the Met, and was presented successfully in Germany. However, it then vanished from the stage. After thirty years, the opera was presented by Lyric Opera of Chicago
Lyric Opera of Chicago
Lyric Opera of Chicago is one of the leading opera companies in the United States. It was founded in Chicago in 1952, under the name 'Lyric Theatre of Chicago' by Carol Fox, Nicolà Rescigno and Lawrence Kelly, with a season that included Maria Callas's American debut in Norma...
in 1998 in a revised version that reduced the orchestration and simplified the harmonic language. A more drastic revision of the opera was subsequently premiered at the Seattle Opera
Seattle Opera
The Seattle Opera is an opera company located in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1963 by Glynn Ross, who served as the company's first general director through 1983, Seattle Opera's season runs from August to late May, with five or six operas offered and with eight to ten performances each, often...
on October 18, 2003. The orchestration was further cut down and electronic samplers added. A number of passages were re-written and a new finale was created. In addition, the opera was restructured from the original three acts (corresponding to the original O'Neill drama) into two. This version was subsequently mounted in 2004 at the New York City Opera
New York City Opera
The New York City Opera is an American opera company located in New York City.The company, called "the people's opera" by New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, was founded in 1943 with the aim of making opera financially accessible to a wide audience, producing an innovative choice of repertory, and...
. These more recent productions have been in general favorably received, not the least because of the performance in all of them of Lauren Flanigan
Lauren Flanigan
Lauren Flanigan is an American operatic soprano who has had an active international career since the 1980s. She has enjoyed a particularly fruitful partnership with the New York City Opera, appearing with the company almost every year since 1990...
as Christine Mannon.
Roles and premiere cast
- Christine Mannon...............Marie CollierMarie CollierMarie Collier was an Australian operatic soprano.Marie Collier was born in Ballarat, Victoria. She first came to prominence in 1952 singing the role of Santuzza in Cavalleria rusticana for the National Theatre Opera company in Melbourne...
- Lavinia Mannon.................Evelyn LearEvelyn LearEvelyn Lear is an American soprano and opera singer.During her career between 1959 and 1992, Evelyn Lear appeared in more than forty operatic roles, appeared with every major opera company in the US and won a Grammy Award in 1966...
- Orin Mannon....................John Reardon
- Captain Adam Brant.............Sherrill MilnesSherrill MilnesSherrill Milnes is an American operatic baritone most famous for his Verdi roles. From 1965 until 1997 he was associated with the Metropolitan Opera....
- General Ezra Mannon............John MacurdyJohn MacurdyJohn Macurdy is an esteemed American operatic bass. Among his teachers was the contralto Elisabeth Wood, who was also the pedagogue of Norman Treigle.- Début in New Orleans :...
- Captain Peter Niles............Ron BottcherRon BottcherRon Bottcher was an American operatic baritone who was actively performing with both the New York City Opera and the Metropolitan Opera during the 1960s. A native of Sandpoint, Idaho, he earned music degrees from the University of Montana and the Curtis Institute of Music...
- Helen Niles....................Lilian SukisLilian SukisLilian Sukis is a Canadian operatic soprano of Lithuanian birth. After earning diplomas from the University of Toronto and McMaster University, she made her professional opera debut in 1964 as Kate Pinkerton in Giacomo Puccini's Madama Butterfly with the Canadian Opera Company...
- Jed............................Raymond MichalskiRaymond MichalskiRaymond Michalski is an American operatic bass-baritone. He studied voice with Rosalie Miller at the Mannes School of Music in New York City before making his professional stage debut in 1959 as Nourabad in Georges Bizet's Les pecheurs de perles with the Philadelphia Grand Opera Company...
- Chorus of Soldiers, Servants, Townspeople, Sailors, Dockworkers, Fieldworkers