The Fly is an opera

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...

 in two acts by Canadian composer

Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...

 Howard Shore

Howard Shore

Howard Leslie Shore is a Canadian composer, notable for his film scores. He has composed the scores for over 80 films, most notably the scores for The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, for which he won three Academy Awards. He is also a consistent collaborator with director David Cronenberg,...

 to a 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 David Henry Hwang

David Henry Hwang

David Henry Hwang is an American playwright who has risen to prominence as the preeminent Asian American dramatist in the U.S.He was born in Los Angeles, California and was educated at the Yale School of Drama and Stanford University...

. It was commissioned

Commission (art)

In art, a commission is the hiring and payment for the creation of a piece, often on behalf of another.In classical music, ensembles often commission pieces from composers, where the ensemble secures the composer's payment from private or public organizations or donors.- Commissions for public art...

 by the Théâtre du Châtelet

Théâtre du Châtelet

The Théâtre du Châtelet is a theatre and opera house, located in the place du Châtelet in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France.One of two theatres built on the site of a châtelet, a small castle or fortress, it was designed by Gabriel Davioud at the request of Baron Haussmann between 1860 and...

 in Paris, where it premiered on 2 July 2008, and by Edgar Baitzel

Edgar Baitzel

Edgar Baitzel was a German opera director and artistic administrator.Born in Koblenz, Baitzel spent the first part of his career in Europe working on the staffs of several notable opera companies, including the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, the Bavarian State Opera, the Opéra de Nice, and the...

, then director of the Los Angeles Opera

Los Angeles Opera

The Los Angeles Opera is an opera company in Los Angeles, California. It is the fourth largest opera company in the United States. The company's home base is the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, part of the Los Angeles Music Center.-Current leadership:...

, where the opera was first performed on 7 September 2008. The work was broadcast by Radio France

Radio France

Radio France is a French public service radio broadcaster.-Mission:Radio France's two principal missions are:* To create and expand the programming on all of their stations; and...

's station France Musique

France Musique

France Musique is a French public radio station devoted to music, including classical music and jazz. France Musique was created in 1954 as Chaîne Haute-Fidélité then renamed 1958 as France IV Haute Fidélité, then RTF Haute Fidélité in 1963, and finally France Musique in same year...

 on 2 August 2008.

The opera is loosely based on David Cronenberg

David Cronenberg

David Paul Cronenberg, OC, FRSC is a Canadian filmmaker, screenwriter and actor. He is one of the principal originators of what is commonly known as the body horror or venereal horror genre. This style of filmmaking explores people's fears of bodily transformation and infection. In his films, the...

's 1986 film The Fly

The Fly (1986 film)

The Fly is a 1986 science fiction horror film co-written and directed by David Cronenberg. Produced by 20th Century Fox, and Brooksfilms, the film stars Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis and John Getz. It is a remake of the 1958 film of the same name, but retains only the basic premise of a scientist...

which was based on the short story of the same name by George Langelaan

George Langelaan

George Langelaan was a British writer and journalist born in Paris, France. He is best known for his 1957 short story "The Fly", which was the basis for the 1958 and 1986 sci-fi film horror classics and a 2008 opera composed by Howard Shore.-Career:During World War II, Langelaan worked as a spy...

. Shore also wrote the – unrelated – score for that film.

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...	Premiere cast, 2 July 2008 Conductor Conducting Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble... : Plácido Domingo Plácido Domingo Plácido Domingo KBE , born José Plácido Domingo Embil, is a Spanish tenor and conductor known for his versatile and strong voice, possessing a ringing and dramatic tone throughout its range...
Seth Brundle, scientist	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...	Daniel Okulitch Daniel Okulitch Daniel Okulitch is a Canadian bass-baritone. He first came to attention on Broadway as Schaunard in Baz Luhrmann's production of La bohème in 2002/03 – a role he repeated when the production traveled to Los Angeles the following year, for which he received the Ovation Award for Best Ensemble...
Veronica Quaife, journalist	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...	Ruxandra Donose Ruxandra Donose Ruxandra Donose is a Romanian operatic mezzo-soprano.Donose studied singing and piano at the Conservatorul Ciprian Porumbescu in Bucharest....
Stathis Borans, editor	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...	David Curry in Paris Gary Lehman Gary Lehman Gary Lehman is an American operatic tenor, specialising in the Heldentenor repertoireHe initially trained as a baritone at Youngstown State University, continued his studies at Indiana University, and as a member of the Lyric Opera Center for American Artists gave 90 performances with the Lyric...  in Los Angeles
Officer/Medical Analyst/Cheevers	mezzo-soprano	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...
Marky	tenor	Jay Hunter Morris
Scientist #1	mezzo-soprano	Sophie van de Woestyne in Paris Silvia Vasquez in Los Angeles
Scientist #2	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...	Jean-Gabriel Saint-Martin in Paris Nicholas Hartley in Los Angeles
Scientist #3	mezzo-soprano	Louise Callinan in Paris Anna Jablonski in Los Angeles
Scientist #4	baritone	Frederic Goncalves in Paris Matthew Moore in Los Angeles
Scientist #5	baritone	Luc Lalonde in Paris Andrew Wilkowske in Los Angeles
Director		David Cronenberg David Cronenberg David Paul Cronenberg, OC, FRSC is a Canadian filmmaker, screenwriter and actor. He is one of the principal originators of what is commonly known as the body horror or venereal horror genre. This style of filmmaking explores people's fears of bodily transformation and infection. In his films, the...
Set designer		Dante Ferretti Dante Ferretti Dante Ferretti is an Italian production designer, art director and costume designer for films.In his career, Ferretti has worked with many great directors, both American and Italian, such as Pier Paolo Pasolini, Federico Fellini, Terry Gilliam, Franco Zeffirelli, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford...
Costume designer		Denise Cronenberg Denise Cronenberg Denise Cronenberg is a costume designer born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She is the sister of Canadian film director David Cronenberg and the mother of Aaron Woodley, also a filmmaker.-Works:* The Fly * Dead Ringers...
Lighting designer		A.J. Weissbard
Associate conductor/Chorus master		Grant Gershon Grant Gershon Grant Gershon is an American conductor and pianist. He is Music Director of the Los Angeles Master Chorale, Associate Conductor/Chorus Master of the Los Angeles Opera, member of the Board of Councillors for the USC Thornton School of Music and a member of the Chorus America Board of...
Makeup and creature design		Stephan L. Dupuis
Makeup, creature and puppet fabrication		Mark A. Rappaport's Creature Effects, Inc.

The opera runs approximately two hours. , no recording of the opera has been released.