The Crucible (opera)
The Crucible | |
---|---|
Opera by Robert Ward | |
Librettist | Bernard Stambler |
Language | English |
Based on | The Crucible by Arthur Miller |
Premiere | October 26, 1961 |
The Crucible is a 1961 English language opera written by Robert Ward based on the 1953 play The Crucible by Arthur Miller. It won both the 1962 Pulitzer Prize for Music and the New York Music Critics Circle Citation. The libretto was lightly adapted from Miller's text by Bernard Stambler.
Ward received a commission from the New York City Opera to write the opera. Arthur Miller was involved in selecting Ward. It is one of the most performed operas by an American composer.
Performance history
The Crucible premiered on 26 October 1961 at the New York City Opera (NYCO), with
The German premiere in 1963 at
The Crucible had its Australian premiere on 10 October 2008 at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, forty-seven years after its world premiere. It was performed by senior opera-students, conducted by Justin Bischof and directed by Leith Taylor.
The Crucible was performed at the University of South Carolina in the fall of 2022.
University College Opera performed the UK premiere of The Crucible in March 2024 at the Bloomsbury Theatre, conducted by Matt Scott Rogers and directed by Eleanor Strutt.
Roles
Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast,[4] October 26, 1961 (Conductor: – Emerson Buckley) |
---|---|---|
John Proctor
|
baritone | Chester Ludgin |
Elizabeth Proctor | mezzo-soprano | Frances Bible |
Abigail Williams
|
soprano | Patricia Brooks |
Judge Danforth | tenor | Ken Neate
|
Reverend John Hale
|
bass
|
Norman Treigle |
Reverend Samuel Parris | tenor | Norman Kelley |
Tituba | contralto | Débria Brown |
Rebecca Nurse | contralto | Eunice Alberts |
Giles Corey | tenor | Maurice Stern |
Mary Warren | soprano | Joy Clements |
Ann Putnam | soprano | Mary LeSawyer |
Thomas Putnam | baritone | Paul Ukena |
Ezekiel Cheever | tenor | Harry Theyard |
Sarah Good | soprano | Joan Kelm |
Betty Parris | mezzo-soprano | Joyce Ebert |
Mercy Lewis | soprano | Nancy Roy |
Bridget Booth | soprano | Beverly Evans |
Susanna Walcott | contralto | Helen Guile |
Ruth Putnam
|
soprano | Lorna Ceniceros |
Martha Sheldon | soprano | Elizabeth Schwering |
Hathorne | bass | John Macurdy |
Story
The play takes place during the 1692
Several women and men in the town are accused of witchcraft by a group of young girls led by Abigail Williams. Her jealousy of John Proctor's wife, Elizabeth, leads Abigail to accuse Elizabeth of witchcraft. John himself is eventually accused and hangs rather than recant, saying he can't dirty his name and stands up for what he believes.
Discography
- Brooks, Bible, Ludgin, Macurdy; Buckley, 1962 (CRI)
- D’Eramo, Weishoff, Rogers, Karkari, Collins, Kayaalp; Murray, Benevento, Whiteman, Capozzo, Downey, Jones; Purchase Symphony, State University of New York at Purchase Hugh Murphy. Albany Records Troy 1656/57 (2)
References
- ^ Time Page (4 January 1999). "'The Crucible': The Best Witch-Hunt in Town". The Washington Post.
- ^ DIE ZEIT: Millers Hexenjagd als Oper. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
- ^ "Hon na čarodějnice". Virtuální studovna. Databáze a online služby Divadelního ústavu (in Czech). Institut umění – Divadelní ústav. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
- ^ Harold C. Schonberg (October 27, 1961). "Opera: Robert Ward's 'The Crucible'; Work Based on Miller Play at City Center". The New York Times. Retrieved May 18, 2009.
External links
- Article about Ward's award that mentions several details Archived 2003-01-24 at the Wayback Machine