OPERA
I have two viable works in the operatic genre, a 30-minute chamber opera on O. Henry's
The Gift of the Magi and a 16-minute monodrama for soprano and orchestra
setting a tormented monologue from Euripides' Medea.
Both of these contrasting works have been recorded by Navona Records. See below.
Soprano, Baritone, Chamber Orchestra | Libretto by Nancy Grobe after the short story by O. Henry
The Gift of the Magi is a chamber opera in one act that tells the beloved story — first published by O. Henry in 1905 — of a young married couple who, despite being very poor, sacrifice their most cherished possessions to demonstrate their love for one another. It is a heartbreaking, yet ultimately uplifting story of love and sacrifice.
Read more about The Gift of the Magi
Recording by Bree Nichols, soprano and Pavol Kubáň, baritone with the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra, Jiří Petrdlík, conductor
Released on the album The Gift of the Magi by Navona Records
Full-length Recording Session Video
THE TORMENT OF MEDEA
A Monodrama for Soprano and Orchestra
Level: A
Duration: 16:30
Vocal Score Price: $25.00
Orchestra Set Price: $98.00
Publisher: Dacker Music
Soprano and Orchestra | Libretto from the Medea of Euripides, translation by Philip Vellacott*
One of my most significant and dramatic compositions, this 16-minute monodrama for soprano and orchestra was inspired by Samuel Barber’s 1962 dramatic monologue Andromache’s Farewell, and like that work, it sets a scene from the great classical Greek dramatist Euripides. Barber’s libretto is drawn from his tragedy The Trojan Women, and mine uses parts of a long monologue from another great Euripides tragedy, Medea. Although the protagonists and circumstances in the two scenes are very different, both compositions similarly share the dark and tragic theme of mothers saying goodbye to their about-to-be-murdered young sons.
The scene-setting prologue and libretto for The Torment of Medea are included in this "Read More About" link:
Read more about The Torment of Medea
* © 1963 Philip Vellacott - Penguin Books
Used by permission of the Society of Authors on behalf of the Estate of Philip Vellacott
Recording by Bree Nichols, soprano with the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra, Jiří Petrdlík, conductor
Released on the album Tapestry of Voices by Navona Records