- The Juniper Tree (opera)
"The Juniper Tree" is an opera co-composed by
Philip Glass andRobert Moran in 1985 to a libretto byArthur Yorinks based on theBrothers Grimm fairy tale.The opera is in two acts and is scored for twobaritone s, bass,mezzo-soprano , foursoprano s,tenor , mixed chorus, children's voices and chamber orchestra. Each composer wrote alternating scenes and utilized each others' themes to provide structural unity.Performance history
It was premiered on December 11, 1985 at the
American Repertory Theater inCambridge, Massachusetts .Roles
Plot
The famous Grimm fairy tale tells of a wicked stepmother who murders her stepson, fearing that he reminds her husband of his late wife and serves him up in a stew to his hungry, unsuspecting father. The boy’s sister buries her brother’s bones under a juniper tree where their mother is buried, and the child’s spirit returns as a singing bird who wreaks vengeance on the evil stepmother (dropping a millstone on her) before being restored to life in the bosom of his family.
References
*http://www.chesternovello.com/Default.aspx?TabId=2432&State_3041=2&workId_3041=12770
*http://www.philipglass.com/music/compositions/juniper_tree.php
*http://members.macconnect.com/users/r/rbtmoran/juniper_tree.htm
*http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9401E1D9143BF936A25751C1A963948260
*http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/23/arts/music/23glas.html?ex=1188532800&en=d86cffe29650f231&ei=5070
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