''Three Decembers'' is a
chamber opera Chamber opera is a designation for operas written to be performed with a chamber ensemble rather than a full orchestra. Early 20th-century operas of this type include Paul Hindemith's ''Cardillac'' (1926). Earlier small-scale operas such as Pergoles ...
in two acts by
Jake Heggie to a
libretto
A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...
by
Gene Scheer which is based on the unpublished play ''Some Christmas Letters'' by
Terrence McNally
Terrence McNally (November 3, 1938 – March 24, 2020) was an American playwright, librettist, and screenwriter.
Described as "the bard of American theater" and "one of the greatest contemporary playwrights the theater world has yet produced," ...
. Created with a role for
Frederica von Stade
Frederica von Stade OAL (born June 1, 1945) is a semi-retired American opera singer. Since her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1970, she has performed in operas, musicals, concerts and recitals in venues throughout the world, including La Scala, th ...
, the work premiered on 29 February 2008 at the
Houston Grand Opera (HGO). It commissioned the work in association with the
San Francisco Opera
San Francisco Opera (SFO) is an American opera company founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola (1881–1953) based in San Francisco, California.
History
Gaetano Merola (1923–1953)
Merola's road to prominence in the Bay Area began in 1906 when h ...
and Cal Performances.
The opera was first presented under the working title ''Last Acts'' at the world premiere by the
Houston Grand Opera. The premiere production was directed by
Leonard Foglia
Leonard Foglia (born August 24, 1954) is an American theatre director, librettist, and novelist.
Foglia made his Broadway debut as the assistant director of ''The Heidi Chronicles'' in 1989. He also directed revivals of ''Wait Until Dark'' (1998) ...
with lighting designed by Brian Nason and costumes by Cesar Galindo. The ten-instrument chamber orchestra included two pianos played by Heggie himself as well as
Patrick Summers
Patrick Summers (born August 14, 1963) is an American conductor best known for his work with Houston Grand Opera (HGO), where he has been the artistic and music director since 2011, and with San Francisco Opera, where he served as principal gue ...
, who also conducted the performance.
Synopsis
The three parts of the opera are set in the month of December in the years 1986, 1996 and 2006 and it tells the story of a famous actress, Madeline, and her two adult children as they struggle to know and love each other.
"It is the universal story about the family we wish for and the family we wind up with."
Roles
References
External links
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{{Authority control
Operas set in the United States
Operas
English-language operas
2008 operas
Operas by Jake Heggie
Libretti by Terrence McNally
Operas based on plays
Opera world premieres at Houston Grand Opera