February 02, 2007

Landmark American composer Gian Carlo Menotti has died aged 95. While searching for links I discovered the Database of Recorded American Music, an excellent audio resource which includes many works by Menotti.

The opera composer is a dying species, and Menotti was one of the last. Amahl and the Night Visitors, The Consul and The Old Maid and the Thief will, I think, remain staples of the repertoire, as will Samuel Barber's Vanessa, for which Menotti wrote the libretto (Barber was his longtime lover as well as his musical partner.)

posted by Pallas Athena 17 years ago
  • I had no idea he was still alive! My dad, a tenor, played in productions of Amahl and the night visitors, and I still have one of the props we made for a scene in which one of the three kings reveals the gifts.
  • I had the honor of working with Menotti back in the late 80's on his children's opera, A Bride from Pluto. He was a very warm man, full of the Italian zest for life and he was a pleasure to work with, always positive and encouraging to others and never playing the "I'm a famous composer" card. I always felt that he was a bit underrated as a composer, probably due to his disinterest in forging new pathways. In a way, he was ahead of his time by remaining behind it. By that I mean his unshaking embrace of tonality and lyrical melody which once marked him as a musical luddite back in the dark days of post-serialism became the very hallmarks of the new generation of composers who flocked back to tonality once it was clear that little further tolerable music was likely to be produced from the smoking ruins of the post-Webern paradigm. His music, while comparatively conservative is filled with interesting harmonic invention, brilliant orchestral colour and singable melody. And while he is primarily remembered for his operas, some of his instrumental works such as the ballet, Sebastian are quite arresting. The world is a little greyer now with his passing. .
  • . Is there a female singer in America who hasn't performed "The Black Swan" at some recital or another? I know it'll be stuck in my head all day. And that's a good thing.
  • kamus, you worked with him?? Wow. I too love him for his tonality. Menotti r00lz, Second Viennese School dr00lz! Underpants, I've never sung the Black Swan, but the Lullaby from The Consul is one of my warhorse audition pieces. It's so beautiful. (And lets me show off my low F. Thank you, Gian Carlo!)
  • MonkeyFilter: produced from the smoking ruins of the post-Webern paradigm. *sneaks quick peek at PA's low F*
  • Yep- I designed the electronic effects for the opera (on the now ancient Prophet 5) which subsequently were adapted for all future performances so I'm a little proud. I also played the sythesizer for the premiere performances. Interestingly, Menotti was among the first (maybe the first) to incorporate synthesizers in the orchestra. He had made a very realistic assesment of what synthesizers could and could not do and the part was consequently very well written. also leers at PA's low "F"
  • Laaaaaaaaaaa
  • Yeah, but the Prophet was an awesome machine.
  • When Pallas sings her low F, broken crystal goblets piece themselves back together.
  • I grew up with Amahl as a Christmas tradition. Many years later, I introduced an adult housemate and a 10-year-old to it (a video), and as I watched them squirm restlessly, I realized it seemed quite shrill to them, and without the libretto a difficult thing to follow. Unfortunate that I was able to see it from their viewpoint but not t'other way around. I had no idea that Menotti was responsible for Black Swan!
  • I am impressed with kamus' immortalised synth-fu! ...Underpants, that effect comes in handy more often than you'd think.