Roman Fever (Libretto)
by Robert Ward
Choir - Sheet Music

Opera in 1 Act for mixed voices

SKU: EC.VP0014

Composed by Robert Ward. One Act/Chamber Opera. 20th Century. Libretto. E.C. Schirmer Publishing #VP0014. Published by E.C. Schirmer Publishing (EC.VP0014).

UPC: 600313603105. Text: Edith Wharton.

Libretto: Written by Roger Brunyate based on the story by Edith Wharton Synopsis: Audiences gave standing ovations and critics acclaimed the premiere performance of Roman Fever, a new one-act opera based on Edith Wharton's story.The story is set in 1927 in a terrace restaurant overlooking the Roman Forum where two widows and their daughters have met by chance. In the course of the opera, the full story of their meeting in the same place twenty years earlier is revealed.During the creation of the opera, the librettist and composer were particularly mindful of the repertory needs of conservatory and university opera groups. Duration: ~ 1 Hour Roles: ALIDEA SLADE Soprano JENNY SLADE, her daughter Lyric Soprano GRACE ANSLEY Mezzo-Soprano BARBARA ANSLEY, her daughter Mezzo-Soprano WAITER Baritone Premier: June 1993, Triangle Opera Theater, Duke University Notable Performances: Peabody Institute University of Michigan Manhattan School of Music Oberlin Conservatory of Music Eastman School of Music Available Recordings: CD Recording available from Albany Records, Manhattan School of Music Opera Theater, David Gilbert, conductor, Cat. No. TROY505 Reviews: Roman Fever melds music with drama in a manner reminiscent of the finest verismo operas, sports an extraordinary quartet for four female voices that must surely rank among Ward's most moving moments... -John Lambert, THE SPECTATOR Musically, this opera is beautiful beyond description. The rich flow of melody - following the text with hardly a break - is a delight to the ear and soul. Ward has a lyrical gift not often encountered in this day of crassness. And a sense of humor too. The writing for the small chamber orchestra is beyond belief, catching as it does the tender lyricism so evoked by the story. And the scoring makes for both vocal and instrumental richness and sonority. When the girls tell of their rendezvous with the Italian men, the music becomes jazzy and accompanies them in a typical 1920's dance. Early in the opera, Ward provides a magnificent duet... and a long solioquy... but the musical highlight comes just as the girls are leaving to meet their dates. Beginning with a solo entrance by Barbara, the music grows in turn, each woman's voice enters until it blossoms into a superbly scored quartet, whose ending leaves one breathless... -Alwin Tonkonogy, DURHAM HERALD-SUN   .