Amahl and the Night Visitors

"Amahl and the Night Visitors" is an opera in one act by Gian Carlo Menotti with an original English libretto by the composer. It was first performed on 24 December 1951 in New York City, at the NBC studios, where it was broadcast on television as the debut production of the Hallmark Hall of Fame. It was the first opera specifically composed for television in America [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/news/2007/02/02/db0201.xml Telegraph obituary. Last accessed 02/02/07] . The opera is now a popular Christmas classic.

Roles

*Principal roles (original cast)
**Amahl - Boy soprano - Chet Allen
**Amahl's mother - Mezzo-Soprano or Soprano - Rosemary Kuhlmann
**King Kaspar - Tenor - Andrew McKinley
**King Melchior - Baritone - David Aiken
**King Balthazar - Bass - Leon Lishner
*Other
**Page - Baritone - Francis Monachino
**Shepherds and shepherdesses - Chorus
**Melissa Hayden, Glen Tetley and Nicholas Magallanes were the dancing Shepherds
**The orchestra was composed of members of the NBC "Symphony of the Air" (another name for the NBC Symphony Orchestra) and they were conducted by Thomas Schippers.

Unusually for a television production, then or now, the entire cast (except for the chorus) was credited onscreen during the opening title sequence (after Menotti had made his opening speech at the beginning of the broadcast).

ynopsis

:Time: The 1st century.:Place: Near Bethlehem.

Amahl is a disabled boy who, although he has a kind and pleasant heart, has a problem with telling tall tales and, occasionally, lies. Because of this his mother does not believe him one evening when he tells her that there is an amazing star "as big as a window." Later that night, there is a knock at the door and his mother tells him to go see who it is. He is amazed when he sees three splendidly dressed kings (obviously the Magi). They tell the mother and Amahl that they are on a long journey to give gifts to a wondrous child, and that they would like to rest at Amahl's house, to which the mother agrees. She goes to fetch all of her neighbors, so that the kings may be fed and entertained properly. Later that night, however, the mother, being poor and also sickened at the thought of her child being a beggar, attempts to steal some gold that was meant for the Christ child, but is thwarted by the Kings' Page. Upon seeing Amahl's weak defense of his mother, and realizing the mother's motives for the attempted theft, King Melchior says she may keep the gold, as the Holy Child will not need earthly power or wealth to build his kingdom. The mother says that knowing of the Child's greatness, she wishes to send a gift but has nothing to send. Amahl, too, has nothing to give the Christ Child except his crutch, but he offers it, and as he does so, his leg is healed, and he joyfully leaves his mother and goes off with the three kings to see the child and give thanks for being healed.

History

Menotti wrote "Amahl and the Night Visitors" with the stage in mind, even though it was intended for broadcast. "On television you're lucky if they ever repeat anything. Writing an opera is a big effort and to give it away for one performance is stupid." [ [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/news/2007/02/02/db0201.xml Gian Carlo Menotti - Telegraph ] ]

"Amahl and the Night Visitors" was the first Christmas special to become an annual television tradition. There had already been several television productions of Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol" since about 1947, but they had not been shown annually or presented by the same television network, with the same general technical staff, as "Amahl" was. From 1951 until 1966, "Amahl" was presented every year on NBC (which commissioned Menotti to write it) on or around Christmas Eve, as an episode of an existing anthology series, such as "The Alcoa Hour" , "NBC Television Opera", or the "Hallmark Hall of Fame".

Menotti himself appeared onscreen in the very first production to introduce the opera and give the background of the events leading up to his composition of it. He also brought out Kirk Browning and conductor Thomas Schippers on camera to thank them.

For its first three telecasts, the program had been presented in black-and-white (there were two presentations of it in 1952, one on Easter and one during the Christmas season [ [http://www.cinema.ucla.edu/hallmark/index.html 50 Years of Hallmark Hall of Fame ] ] , but beginning in 1953, it was usually telecast in color. Because it was an opera, and commercial network television executives had increasingly little confidence in presenting opera on television, it began to be scheduled, with rare exceptions, as an afternoon television program, rather than shown in prime time as had been done in its first few telecasts. [ [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,827181,00.html Cinema - Time ] ]

It has been presented on TV in foreign countries as well, and in foreign translations.

For several years it was assumed that the original telecast, preserved on kinescope, had been lost, but a surviving copy was found and now resides in the Paley Center for Media (formerly The Museum of Television & Radio), available for viewing by visitors. This production, however, has not been broadcast on television for many years. A kinescope of the 1955 broadcast starring Bill McIver as Amahl was digitized in 2007 and is available commercially on DVD.

For years, "Amahl" was presented live, but in 1963 it was videotaped by NBC with an all-new cast featuring Kurt Yaghjian as Amahl, Martha King as his mother, and John McCollum, Willis Patterson , and Richard Cross as the Three Kings. This version was shown from 1963 to 1966. After 1966, it seemed to have been retired from television, but in 1978, a new production, starring Teresa Stratas as Amahl's mother, Robert Sapolsky as Amahl, and Willard White, Giorgio Tozzi and Nico Castel as the Three Kings, was filmed by NBC, partly on location in the Holy Land. It, however, did not become an annual tradition the way the 1951 and 1963 versions had. The 1955 and 1978 productions are the only ones released on video. Cast recordings of both the 1951 and the 1963 productions were recorded by RCA Victor, and the 1951 cast recording was released on compact disc. The 1963 recording of "Amahl" was the first recording of the opera made in stereo.

BBC versions

The BBC made two productions of "Amahl and the Night Visitors" in the 1950s. The first was broadcast 20th December 1955. Produced by Christian Simpson, it starred Malcolm Day as Amahl, with Gladys Whitred as Amahl's mother. Music was provided by the Sinfonia of London. It appears that this play was broadcast live. It was either not recorded or the recording was discarded. It does not reside in the BBC Archives at Windmill Road.

The second production was broadcast on 24th December 1959. This version exists as a 35mm telerecording in the BBC Archives. This version was again produced by Christian Simpson and starred Christopher Nicholls as Amahl and Elsie Morrison as Amahl's mother. This time music was provided by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

A third BBC production, starring Pablo Strong as Amahl, was produced in 2002 and was supposed to have been broadcast in December 2002, but was pulled after the producers realised they did not have, and could not secure, the rights. [http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,632005,00.html]

External links

* [http://www.boysoloist.com/artist.asp?VID=1175 Chet Allen] (1951-1952 Amahl) at Boysoloist.com
* [http://www.boysoloist.com/artist.asp?vid=3437 Bill McIver] (1952-1955 Amahl) at Boysoloist.com
* [http://www.boysoloist.com/artist.asp?vid=1441 Kurt Yaghjian] (1963-1966 Amahl) at Boysoloist.com (Yaghiyan did not appear in a live version; the 1963 performance was videotaped and re-broadcast several times.)
* [http://www.boysoloist.com/artist.asp?vid=1440 Robert Sapolsky] (1978) at Boysoloist.com
* [http://www.boysoloist.com/artist.asp?vid=2961 Pablo Strong] (2002) at Boysoloist.com
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JjDk8TjzHU Video of the Original Cast]
* [http://www.viddler.com/explore/appaloosas/videos/1/ As performed by the Milwaukee Opera Theatre]

Notes