Paradise Lost is an opera in two acts with music by Krzysztof Penderecki and an English libretto by Christopher Fry. The opera is based on the 1667 epic poem of the same name by Milton. Penderecki himself characterized the work as a Sacra Rappresentazione (sacred representation) rather than an opera.[1] He wrote the opera on commission for the 1976 US Bicentennial celebrations. The first performance took place on 29 November 1978, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.[2] The same production was presented at La Scala, Milan, on 31 January 1979.[3][4][5]
| Paradise Lost | |
|---|---|
| Opera by Krzysztof Penderecki | |
 The composer in 2008 | |
| Description | Sacra Rappresentazione |
| Librettist | Christopher Fry |
| Language | English |
| Based on | "Paradise Lost" by John Milton |
| Premiere | 29 November 1978 |
The opera is set in heaven, hell, and on earth at the dawn of creation, and is divided into 42 scenes.
Roles
edit| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, 29 November 1978 (Conductor: Bruno Bartoletti)[6] |
|---|---|---|
| John Milton | speaker | Arnold Moss |
| Adam | baritone | William Stone |
| Eve | soprano | Ellen Shade |
| Satan | bass-baritone | Peter Van Ginkel |
| Beelzebub | tenor | Michael Ballam |
| Moloch | baritone | William Powers |
| Belial | tenor | Melvin Lowrey |
| Mammon | baritone | Edward Huls |
| Death | countertenor | Paul Esswood |
| Sin | mezzo-soprano | Joy Davidson |
| Zephon | soprano | Susan Brummell |
| Ithuriel | John Patrick Thomas | |
| Gabriel | tenor | James Schwisow |
| Raphael | Dale Terbeek | |
| Messias | baritone | Alan Opie |
| Michael | tenor | Frank Little |
| Voices of God | John Brandstetter | |
| Voices of God | David Howell | |
| Voices of God | Edward Huls | |
| Voices of God | Daniel McConnell | |
| Voices of God | William Mitchell |
References
edit- ^ Michael Walsh (12 December 1983). "Let the Secrets of Glory Open". Time. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved 2007-09-15.
- ^ Lange, Art, "First Performances: Penderecki's Paradise Lost (March 1979). Tempo (New Ser.), 128: pp. 34–35.
- ^ Quinn, Daniel, "Styles in Production: Re-Visioning Opera" (1980). Performing Arts Journal, 5 (1): pp. 87-95.
- ^ News (Performance Announcements). (December 1978). Tempo (New Ser.), 127: pp.54.
- ^ Opera Archive
- ^ "Lyric Opera of Chicago Archive: 1970-1979". Retrieved October 28, 2015.
Further reading
edit- Humphrey, Mary Lou (January 1979). "Paradise Lost: Penderecki's Operatic Enigma." Music Journal, vol. 37, no. 1, pp. 11–13.