AMELIA AL BALLO & THE TELEPHONE by GIAN CARLO MENOTTI

In 1937, the United States of America finally got out of the Crisis thanks to the New Deal and no one thought for one instant that a war was about to begin four years later. That was a happy and creative period – Hollywood is in its golden years. Amelia al Ballo, Gian Carlo Menotti‘s first success, reflects these carefree years. This opera work recounts the torment of an Italian socialite woman who obsesses about the success of her appearance to the Grand Ball of the season.

In this opera work, Menotti manages to roll out a remarkable melodic vein and a subtle, yet biting humor. When he composes “The Telephone” or “Amour à Trois“, the World has just been devastated by a global war and society has undeniably changed.

This time, though still comical, this work of art recalls a very modern and current issue: the sudden burst of new technologies within the romantic relationship. More than sixty years after the creation of “The Telephone“, humans still have not found a solution to this problem.

This is quite the event in the Opera world as Placido Domingo will be conducting for the first time at the Opera of Monte-Carlo. This will give him the opportunity to present two works of art that he appreciates and would like to lead on the most important stages of the world.

Amelia al Ballo: Opera buffa in one act. Music and booklet by Gian Carlo Menotti (1911-2007), Creation by the Philadelphia Academy of Music, 1937.

The Telephone: Comical opera in one act. Music and booklet by Gian Carlo Menotti (1911-2007), Creation by the Heckscher Theater of New York, 1947.