Music by Samuel Barber Libretto by Gian Carlo Menotti
About A Hand Of Bridge
Barber's brief (about ten minutes) chamber opera requires minimal sets and provides an excellent showcase for four singers.
Cast of Characters
Geraldine,s
Sally,c
Bill,t
David,bar
Synopsis
Four friends are gathered for their evening bridge game. As play progresses, each sings an aria expressing their true thoughts. Sally is not thinking about much except which new hat to buy; her husband, Bill, wonders whether Sally know about his lover Cymbeline and whether she is faithful to him. Geraldine, ignored both by her husband David and Bill, her former lover, is worried about her dying mother; her husband, bitter about his dead-end job, daydreams about what his life would be like if he were as rich as his boss; as the opera ends, he admits that it would probably not be very different.
Performance History
World premiere production Festival of Two Worlds, Spoleto, Italy June 17, 1959 Geraldine: Patricia Neway Sally: Ellen Miville Bill: William Lewis David: Renée Miville Robert Feist, conductor Jac Venza, production design
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