The Seagull (opera)

The Seagull is an opera in three acts by Thomas Pasatieri to an English libretto by Kenward Elmslie. The plot is based on Anton Chekhov's 1896 play, The Seagull.

The Seagull
Opera by Thomas Pasatieri
LibrettistKenward Elmslie
LanguageEnglish
Based onAnton Chekhov's The Seagull
Premiere
March 5, 1974 (1974-03-05)

Performance history

The work had its world premiere at Houston Grand Opera on 5 March 1974 conducted by Charles Rosekrans. Notable later productions include Seattle Opera (1976), Washington National Opera (1978), Atlanta Civic Opera (1980), Fort Worth Opera (1982) and the Manhattan School of Music (2002). On 23 April 2004, a revised version premiered on at the San Francisco Opera Center, a resident artist program of San Francisco Opera. In September 2010 The Seagull was performed at Dicapo Opera in New York City as part of the international Armel Opera Competition and Festival. A European premiere will follow in November from the National Theatre of Szeged in Hungary; this production will be televised live to more than 40 countries and streamed live across the web.[1]

Roles

Role Voice type Premiere cast, 5 March 1974
Conductor: Charles Rosekrans[2]
MashasopranoPatricia Wells/Catherine Malfitano
MedvedenkotenorMichael Best
ConstantinebaritoneRichard Stilwell/Robert Shiesley
Sorinbass-baritoneDavid Rae Smith
Ninamezzo-soprano or sopranoFrederica von Stade/Evelyn Petros (mezzo)
Irina ArkadinasopranoEvelyn Lear/Dolores Strazicich
Boris TrigorinbaritoneJohn Reardon/Ronald Hedlund
Shamrayeffbass baritoneJon Enloe
Paulinemezzo-sopranoDana Krueger
Doctor DorntenorJack Trussel
DirectorFrank Corsaro
Set and costume designerAllen Charles Klein

Recording

The first, and only, complete commercial recording of the opera is based on the live performance of the work's New York City premiere at the Manhattan School of Music.

  • Thomas Pasatieri: The Seagull – Keri Behan (Masha), Isai Jess Munoz (Medvedenko), Raymond Ayers (Constantine), Maxime Alvarez de Toledo (Sorin), Amy Shoremount-Obra (Nina), Amy Gough (Arkadina), Matthew Worth (Trigorin), Thomas Pertel (Shamrayeff), Sarah Kraus (Pauline), Alvaro Vallejo (Dr. Dorn); Manhattan School of Music Chorus and Orchestra, conductor David Gilbert. Albany Records TROY579-80

Notes and references

  1. The Seagull at Dicapo Opera
  2. Elmslie, Kenward (2006). "The Seagull (cast and synopsis)". Thomas Pasatieri. Archived from the original on November 20, 2008. Retrieved 15 August 2008.

Sources

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