Nine Rivers from Jordan
Encyclopedia
Nine Rivers from Jordan is an opera
in a prologue and three acts by composer Hugo Weisgall
. The work uses an English libretto
by Denis Johnston
and tells the story of a British soldier during World War II
who lets a prisoner of war escape. The work premiered on October 9, 1968 at the New York City Opera
.
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 a prologue and three acts by composer Hugo Weisgall
Hugo Weisgall
Hugo David Weisgall was an American composer and conductor, known chiefly for his opera and vocal music compositions...
. The work uses an English 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 Denis Johnston
Denis Johnston
Denis Johnston was an Irish writer. He wrote mostly plays, but also works of literary criticism, a book-length biographical essay of Jonathan Swift, a memoir and an eccentric work of philosophy. He also worked as a war correspondent, and as both a radio and television producer for the BBC...
and tells the story of a British soldier during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
who lets a prisoner of war escape. The work premiered on October 9, 1968 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...
.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, October 9, 1968 (Conductor: – Gustav Meier Gustav Meier Gustav Meier is the director of the Orchestra Conducting Program at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University. He is also Music Director of the in Connecticut.-Biography:... ) |
|---|---|---|
| Private Don Hanwell | 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... |
Julian Patrick Julian Patrick Julian Patrick was an American operatic baritone and voice teacher. Born in Mississippi, Patrick grew up in Birmingham, Alabama where he was a member of the Apollo Boys Choir... |
| Sergeant Abe Goldberg | 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... |
Joshua Hecht Joshua Hecht Joshua Hecht is an operatic bass of international stature. Born in New York City, the son of Russian Jewish immigrants, he received a Bachelor of Arts from New York University, in 1951.... |
| Copperhead Kelly | baritone | Paul Huddleston |
| Otto Suder | 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... |
David Clements |
| Salt Woman/The Pieta/Woman D.P. | 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... |
Eileen Schauler |
| Lieutenant Jean l'Aiglon | tenor | William Brown William Brown (tenor) William Brown was an African-American operatic tenor. He earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Jackson State University in 1960 and a Masters of Music degree from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University in 1962. He later earned a doctorate of music from the Peabody Institute in 1971... |
| Father Matteo Angelino | bass | William Ledbetter |
| Major Mark Lyon | tenor | John Lankston |
| Captain Reverend Lucius Bull | bass-baritone Bass-baritone A bass-baritone is a high-lying bass or low-lying "classical" baritone voice type which shares certain qualities with the true baritone voice. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing three Wagnerian roles: the Dutchman in Der fliegende... |
Will Roy |
| Andrew, the Highlander | tenor | John Stewart John Stewart (tenor) John Harger Stewart is an American tenor, conductor, and voice teacher who had an active international singing career in concerts and operas from 1964 to 1990. He began his career singing regularly with the Santa Fe Opera from the mid 1960s through the early 1970s; after which he appeared only... |
| Dead Man | tenor | Joaquín Romaguera |
| Little Jim Clap | tenor | Kellis Miller |
| Pepper Johnny | baritone | Raymond Gibbs |
| Tom Tosser | tenor | Nico Castel |
| Simple Simon | baritone | Raymond Papay |
| Sergeant Pete Fisher | bass-baritone | Michael Devlin |