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Article: Opera in New York.(one-act operas, Manhattan School, New York, New York)
- Article from:
- New Criterion
- Article date:
- February 1, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Foundation for Cultural Review. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Along with the numerous professional and semi-professional performances of opera in the New York area, the schools of music often present works that are interesting for their rarity. Such was the case at the Manhattan School on December 5, with a double bill of one-act operas by prolific composers, one written at the outset of a long career and one near the end.
Gian Carlo Menotti's Amelia Goes to the Ball (1937) was his first big hit, and it still retains its youthful insouciance. It can be argued that Amelia displays his genuine talent for comedy and parody more successfully than most of his subsequent works. It is inspired fluff: about a wife with the tenacity ...