Born October 13, 1912, Iebenschütz, Moravia Emigrated 1920 Died March 11, 1997, Long Island, New York
About Hugo Weisgall
Another composer who has made his name primarily in opera, Weisgall's Six Characters... is his best-known full-length work. However, he is now better known for his many short, small-cast one-act operas and monodramas. At the time of his death, Weisgall was working with librettist Charles Kondek on a new piece about the Warsaw Ghetto, based on the novel The Wall by John Hersey.
Operas
The Tenor Libretto after Wedekind. 1952
The Stronger, opera in one act Libretto by Richard Hart after the play by August Strindberg. August, 1952, Hilltop Musical Company, Baltimore, Maryland
Purgatory Libretto after Yeats. 1958
The Gardens of Adonis Libretto after Shakespeare and Obey. 1959 (Revised version premiered 1981])
Six Characters In Search of an Author, opera in three acts Libretto by Denis Johnston after the play by Luigi Pirandello. April 26, 1959, New York City Opera, New York, New York
Athalia Libretto after Racine. [Never fully staged]
Nine Rivers from Jordan Libretto by Denis Johnston. 1968, New York City Opera, New York, New York
Jenny, or The Hundred Nights Libretto by John Hollander after Mishima. 1976
Will You Marry Me?, opera in one act Libretto by Charles Kondek after after the play A Marriage Has Been Arranged by Alfred Sutro. March 8, 1989, Opera Ensemble of New York, 41 East 81st Street, New York, New York
Esther Libretto by Charles Kondek. 1993, New York City Opera, Lauren Flanigan [Commissioned but refused by the San Francisco Opera]
The Wall Libretto by Charles Kondek after the novel by John Hersey. [left incomplete at the composer's death]
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