Amahl & The Night Visitors / A Hand of Bridge / The Telephone

An American 20th century Opera triple bill.

Amahl & The Night Visitors (Menotti)

The tender heart warming story of Amahl & The Night Visitors is one of the most popular of American operas. It is performed internationally every Christmas season and remains one of the most frequently performed operas of the twentieth century. Expressly written for television it premiered on NBC on Christmas Eve 1951 and was repeated thereafter for sixteen Christmas seasons. It has become an annual tradition for many in the US to view this magical, musical production featuring the poor crippled shepherd boy, his devoted mother and the knock on the door which changed their lives forever.

A Hand Of Bridge (Barber / Menotti)

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 knows 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.

The Telephone (Menotti)

Ben, bearing a gift, comes to visit Lucy at her apartment; he wants to propose to her before he leaves on a trip. Despite his attempts to get her attention for sufficient time to ask his question, Lucy is occupied with interminable conversations on the telephone. Between her calls, when Lucy leaves the room, Ben even took the risk of cutting the telephone cord, though it turned out to be unsuccessful. Not wanting to miss his train, then leaves without asking Lucy for her hand in marriage. But Ben makes one last attempt: He calls Lucy from a telephone booth outside on the street and makes his proposal. She consents, and the two join in a romantic duet over the phone line, at the end of which Lucy makes sure that Ben remembers her phone number.