Gift of the Magi (opera)
Encyclopedia
The Gift of the Magi is a chamber opera
in four scenes with music by David Conte
and libretto
by Nicholas Giardini. Based on the short story of the same title
by O. Henry
, the opera focuses on Jim and Della, who are a poor married couple and cannot afford to buy each other presents for Christmas. It premiered on December 7 and 8, 1997 with a workshop production to the accompaniment of two pianos at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music
. The orchestral version was premiered at the conservatory on December 3, 2000.
Scene One: Della prepares for Christmas before Jim returns home. She lets her hair down and sings of love and happiness. After a brief encounter with Jim trying to entice her, he remembers an errand he must run. Being a poor couple, Della reminds him not to get her a present for Christmas. Jim shrugs it off until she bays him to promise, then he leaves.
Scene Two: Having no money Della calls her friend Maggie to help her buy Jim’s Christmas present. Della decides to sell her hair over Maggie’s objections and they leave to sell her hair. Contains "Della's Aria"
Scene Three: Jim and, his friend, Henry carry in a Christmas tree. Knowing Jim’s financial situation, Henry questions him as to how he purchased it. Not wanting to acknowledge the loss, Jim evades, but eventually tells Henry that he sold his fathers watch. Henry scolds Jim for being foolish and Jim tries to explain his love for his father and his wife in the aria “Jim’s Soliloquy”.
Scene Four: Jim and Della reunite in their flat. Both admit to breaking their promise and present each other with their gifts. Jim gets a gold chain that was bought with Della hair and Della gets two ornate combs that were bought with Jim’s father’s watch. At first the sit in melancholy silence evaluating what they have received. The sacrifice of their partner shines forth in their minds. At the end, they sing of their love and renewed fidelity.
Chamber opera
Chamber opera is a designation for operas written to be performed with a chamber ensemble rather than a full orchestra.The term and form were invented by Benjamin Britten in the 1940s, when the English Opera Group needed works that could easily be taken on tour and performed in a variety of small...
in four scenes with music by David Conte
David Conte
David Conte is an American composer. He has been a Professor of Composition at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music since 1985, and Composer-in-Residence with Thick Description since 1990....
and libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
by Nicholas Giardini. Based on the short story of the same title
The Gift of the Magi
"The Gift of the Magi" is a short story written by O. Henry , about a young married couple and how they deal with the challenge of buying secret Christmas gifts for each other with very little money...
by O. Henry
O. Henry
O. Henry was the pen name of the American writer William Sydney Porter . O. Henry's short stories are well known for their wit, wordplay, warm characterization and clever twist endings.-Early life:...
, the opera focuses on Jim and Della, who are a poor married couple and cannot afford to buy each other presents for Christmas. It premiered on December 7 and 8, 1997 with a workshop production to the accompaniment of two pianos at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
San Francisco Conservatory of Music, formerly the California Conservatory of Music, founded in 1917, is a music school, with an enrollment of about 400 students. It was launched by Ada Clement and Lillian Hodgehead in the remodeled home of Lillian's parents on Sacramento Street. It was called the...
. The orchestral version was premiered at the conservatory on December 3, 2000.
Roles
- Jim (baritoneBaritoneBaritone 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...
) - Della (sopranoSopranoA 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...
) - Henry (bass-baritoneBass-baritoneA 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...
) - Maggie (mezzo-sopranoMezzo-sopranoA 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...
) - Magi (three voices)
Synopsis
Jim and Delia's small flat. Christmas Eve.Scene One: Della prepares for Christmas before Jim returns home. She lets her hair down and sings of love and happiness. After a brief encounter with Jim trying to entice her, he remembers an errand he must run. Being a poor couple, Della reminds him not to get her a present for Christmas. Jim shrugs it off until she bays him to promise, then he leaves.
Scene Two: Having no money Della calls her friend Maggie to help her buy Jim’s Christmas present. Della decides to sell her hair over Maggie’s objections and they leave to sell her hair. Contains "Della's Aria"
Scene Three: Jim and, his friend, Henry carry in a Christmas tree. Knowing Jim’s financial situation, Henry questions him as to how he purchased it. Not wanting to acknowledge the loss, Jim evades, but eventually tells Henry that he sold his fathers watch. Henry scolds Jim for being foolish and Jim tries to explain his love for his father and his wife in the aria “Jim’s Soliloquy”.
Scene Four: Jim and Della reunite in their flat. Both admit to breaking their promise and present each other with their gifts. Jim gets a gold chain that was bought with Della hair and Della gets two ornate combs that were bought with Jim’s father’s watch. At first the sit in melancholy silence evaluating what they have received. The sacrifice of their partner shines forth in their minds. At the end, they sing of their love and renewed fidelity.
Arias
Both "Della's Aria" and "Jim Soliloquy" can be found in E. C. Shirmer's Opera Aria Anthology vol. 1 Soprano and vol. 4 Baritone respectively.Recording
- Conte: The Gift of the Magi – Aimee Puentes (Della), Elena Bocharova (Maggie), Tim Krol (Jim), Chad Runyon (Henry), Branden Smith, Aaron DiPiazza, Gary Sorenson (Magi); San Francisco Conservatory New Music Ensemble; Nicole Paiement (conductor). Label: Arsis Records
Sources
- American Record GuideAmerican Record GuideThe American Record Guide is a classical music magazine. It has reviewed classical music recordings since 1935.Since 1992, with the incorporation of the Musical America editorial functions into ARG, it started covering concerts, musicians, ensembles and orchestras in the US.The magazine prides...
(May 2002). "Conte: The Gift of the Magi - Eidemiller, Maryann Gogniat (December 3, 2005). "'Magi' gets operatic treatment". Pittsburgh Tribune-ReviewPittsburgh Tribune-ReviewThe Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, also known as "the Trib," is the second largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
- Gerbrandt, Carl (2006). Sacred Music Drama: The Producer's Guide, 2nd edition. AuthorHouse. ISBN 1425968473
External links
- Gift of the Magi on the official website of the composer