Cold Sassy Tree (opera)
Encyclopedia
Cold Sassy Tree is an opera
composed by Carlisle Floyd
, based on the 1984 novel
by Olive Ann Burns
.
Cold Sassy Tree was Floyd’s tenth opera and his first comic opera. It had its world premiere on April 14, 2000, at the Houston Grand Opera
, with a production staged by Australian filmmaker Bruce Beresford
and conducted by Patrick Summers. The original cast included Dean Peterson, Patricia Racette
, Diane Alexander, Beth Clayton
, Margaret Lloyd
and John McVeigh. The production was the Houston Grand Opera’s 25th new opera, and was created in a co-commission between the company and opera companies in Austin, Baltimore, North Carolina and San Diego.
Floyd came to the project by way of a sibling. "The book was given to me by my sister, because she thought that somebody from this part of the world, the southeast, would probably fully appreciate it,” he said in an interview following the Houston premiere. “But, everywhere I have traveled in this country, people have read Cold Sassy Tree and the standard reaction from everybody, male and female, is 'I loved it.' Obviously, its appeal goes far beyond regional boundaries. What appealed to me most about it in terms of its operatic possibilities were the very vivid, rich characters. And it is also rich in comic incidents.”
Cold Sassy Tree has been staged by regional opera countries around the United States. A two-disk CD recording featuring the original Houston Grand Opera cast was released in 2005 by Albany Records. The Houston performance was videotaped for television, but it was never broadcast or released on DVD.
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
composed by Carlisle Floyd
Carlisle Floyd
Carlisle Floyd is an American opera composer. The son of a Methodist minister, he based many of his works on themes from the South...
, based on the 1984 novel
Cold Sassy Tree
Cold Sassy Tree is a 1984 novel by Olive Ann Burns. Set in the U.S. state of Georgia in the fictional town of Cold Sassy in 1906, it follows the life of a 14-year-old boy named Will Tweedy, and explores themes such as religion, death, and social taboos...
by Olive Ann Burns
Olive Ann Burns
Olive Ann Burns was an American writer from Georgia best known for her single completed novel, Cold Sassy Tree, published in 1984.-Background:...
.
Cold Sassy Tree was Floyd’s tenth opera and his first comic opera. It had its world premiere on April 14, 2000, at the Houston Grand Opera
Houston Grand Opera
Houston Grand Opera Houston Grand Opera was founded in 1955 through the joint efforts of Maestro Walter Herbert and cultural leaders Mrs. Louis G. Lobit, Edward Bing and Charles Cockrell...
, with a production staged by Australian filmmaker Bruce Beresford
Bruce Beresford
Bruce Beresford is an Australian film director who has made more than 30 feature films over a 40-year career.-Early life:...
and conducted by Patrick Summers. The original cast included Dean Peterson, Patricia Racette
Patricia Racette
Patricia Lynn Racette is an American operatic soprano. A winner of the Richard Tucker Award in 1998, she has been a regular presence at major opera houses internationally. Racette has enjoyed long-term partnerships with the San Francisco Opera, where she has been a regular performer since 1989,...
, Diane Alexander, Beth Clayton
Beth Clayton
Laura Beth Clayton is an American mezzo-soprano opera singer, and a native of Malvern, Arkansas.-Education and early career:Clayton's father was a Methodist minister. She sang in church and then in musical productions in church camp and in high school...
, Margaret Lloyd
Margaret Lloyd
Margaret Lloyd is an American soprano who is particularly known for her performances in contemporary operas and concert works. She has sung in the world premieres of several operas, most notably portraying the role of Lightfoot McClendon in the premiere of Carlisle Floyd's Cold Sassy Tree at the...
and John McVeigh. The production was the Houston Grand Opera’s 25th new opera, and was created in a co-commission between the company and opera companies in Austin, Baltimore, North Carolina and San Diego.
Floyd came to the project by way of a sibling. "The book was given to me by my sister, because she thought that somebody from this part of the world, the southeast, would probably fully appreciate it,” he said in an interview following the Houston premiere. “But, everywhere I have traveled in this country, people have read Cold Sassy Tree and the standard reaction from everybody, male and female, is 'I loved it.' Obviously, its appeal goes far beyond regional boundaries. What appealed to me most about it in terms of its operatic possibilities were the very vivid, rich characters. And it is also rich in comic incidents.”
Cold Sassy Tree has been staged by regional opera countries around the United States. A two-disk CD recording featuring the original Houston Grand Opera cast was released in 2005 by Albany Records. The Houston performance was videotaped for television, but it was never broadcast or released on DVD.
Roles
| Role | Voice type Voice type A voice type is a particular kind of human singing voice perceived as having certain identifying qualities or characteristics. Voice classification is the process by which human voices are evaluated and are thereby designated into voice types... |
|---|---|
| Ruker Lattimore | Bass-baritone Bass-baritone A bass-baritone is a high-lying bass or low-lying "classical" baritone voice type which shares certain qualities with the true baritone voice. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing three Wagnerian roles: the Dutchman in Der fliegende... |
| Love Simpson | Soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody... |
| Will Tweedy (Rucker's grandson) | Tenor Tenor The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2... |
| Lightfoot McClendon (15 years) | Soprano |
| Clayton McAllister (Texas Suitor, 30's) | Baritone Baritone Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or... |
| Loma Williams (in her 20's; Mary's sister) | Mezzo-soprano Mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above... |
| Effie Belle Tate (Town busybody in her 60's) | Mezzo-soprano |
| Mary Willis (Widow in her 60's, Will's mother) | Soprano |
| Thelma Predmore (in her 50's) | Mezzo-soprano |
| Lula | Soprano |
| Myrtis | Mezzo-soprano |
| Campbell Williams (Loma's husband, in his 20's) | Tenor |
| Hosie Roach (Lightfoot's half-brother, late teens) | Baritone |
| Mayor | Tenor |
| Sheriff | Baritone |
| Dr. Lomax | Bass-baritone |
| Rufus | Tenor |
| Buford (foreman, carpenter, plumber) | Tenor/Baritone |
| Luther (Hosie's accomplice, early teens) | Tenor |