''Azora, The Daughter of Montezuma'' is a 1917 opera in three acts by American composer Henry Kimball Hadley to a libretto in English by author David Stevens.

Synopsis

The story takes place at the time of the conquest of the

Aztecs The Aztecs () were a Mesoamerican culture that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different Indigenous peoples of Mexico, ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those g ...

by Cortez. Xalca, the Tlascalan prince, and Ramatzin, general of Montezuma's army, vie for the hand of Montezuma's daughter Azora; the former having prevailed, Montezuma condemns the lovers to death. In a scene set at dawn in a cavern, all gather by the sacrificial stone, but before the execution can proceed Cortez and his priests appear, and the lovers are set free.

Roles

*A Spanish Priest *Azora, the Daughter of Montezuma (soprano) * Canek, High Priest of the Sun (bass) *

Hernando Cortez Hernando is a common Spanish given name, equivalent to Fernando and the English Ferdinand. It may refer to: Places ;Canada * Hernando Island, British Columbia ;United States * Hernando, Florida * Hernando County, Florida * Hernando, Mississippi ; ...

, Conqueror of Mexico * Montezuma II, Emperor of Mexico (bass) *Ramatzin, General of Montezuma's Army (baritone) * Papantzin, Sister of Montezuma (contralto) *Piqui-Chaqui (Flea-footed), A Runner *Xalca, A Tlascalan Prince (tenor)

Performance history

The

Chicago Opera Association The Civic Opera Company (1922–1931) was a Chicago company that produced seven seasons of grand opera in the Auditorium Theatre from 1922 to 1928, and three seasons at its own Civic Opera House from 1929 to 1931 before falling victim to financi ...

gave the work its world premiere in Chicago, Illinois, on December 26, 1917, and performed it once more in Chicago shortly thereafter. As a single performance during an out-of-town residency that opened with the

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

premiere of

Mascagni Mascagni is a surname of Italian origin. Notable people with the surname include: * Donato Mascagni (1579–1636), Italian painter * Paolo Mascagni (1755–1815), Italian physician * Pietro Mascagni (1863–1945), Italian composer {{surname Su ...

's '' Isabeau'', the Chicago company gave ''Azora'' its New York premiere on January 26, 1918, at the Lexington Opera House. The composer conducted, and the cast included Anna Fitziu as Azora,

Forrest Lamont Forrest may refer to: Places Australia * Forrest, Australian Capital Territory * Forrest, Victoria, a small rural township *Division of Forrest, a federal division of the Australian House of Representatives, in Western Australia * Electoral dist ...

as Xalca, Cyrena van Gordon as Papantzin,

Arthur Middleton Arthur Middleton (June 26, 1742 – January 1, 1787) was a Founding Father of the United States as a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, representing South Carolina in the Second Continental Congress. Life Middleton was bo ...

as Ramatzin,

Frank Preisch Frank or Franks may refer to: People * Frank (given name) * Frank (surname) * Franks (surname) * Franks, a medieval Germanic people * Frank, a term in the Muslim world for all western Europeans, particularly during the Crusades - see Farang Cur ...

as Canek, and James Goddard as Montezuma. Although all members of the cast were promoted as young American singers, Lamont, who admittedly first trained and would make most of his career in the United States, was actually of Canadian birth. There were further performances given the same season in Boston and St. Louis. ''The New York Times'' offered mostly praise for the "fresh, young, powerful voices" of the cast; only Goddard was "out of voice," and even he received high marks for his dramatic presentation. The paper's assessment of the work itself, however, although on balance favorable, was not unmixed: "... ile heopera lacks somewhat the routine of the theater, and still more the dramatic note, it nevertheless escapes being either mere scholar's music or unsingable." The ''Times'' singled out for praise "a fine barbaric dance in the first act," the heroine's aria "Now Fades the Opal Sky" in Act 2, and some ensembles but suggested that more than one segment of the score somewhat outstayed its welcome. The paper also faulted the work for setting the execution in a cave: "The opera should have ended in the open, for the Aztecs worshipped on plateaus, on the pyramid of Cholula, for example, and not in caves." Nonetheless, it deemed the setting appropriately atmospheric for the drama's purposes. After the performance, both Hadley and Stevens appeared for curtain calls. Fitziu presented Hadley with a large silk American flag, and the "representative audience of New York musicians and society folk" joined in singing as the orchestra played " The Star-Spangled Banner".

References

* '' The New York Times'', "'Isabeau' to Start Chicago Opera Here," January 13, 1918 * ''The New York Times'', "'Romeo and Juliet' Sung," January 27, 1918 * ''The New York Times'', "Hadley's 'Azora' Given," January 28, 1918 * ''The Virtual Gramophone''
biographical sketch of Forrest Lamont.
{{Authority control Operas English-language operas Operas by Henry Kimball Hadley 1917 operas Operas set in Mexico Aztecs in fiction Fictional Mexican people