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The Last Savage
The Last Savage is an opera in three acts by composer Gian Carlo Menotti. Menotti wrote his own libretto, originally in the Italian language (L'ultimo selvaggio). The opera was translated into French (Le dernier sauvage) by Jean-Pierre Marty for the work's first (private) performance at the Opéra-Comique in Paris on 21 October 1963, followed the next day by the public premiere. George Mead translated the work into English for the opera's American premiere at the Metropolitan Opera the following year.
The opera was originally intended for the larger Paris Opéra, and the title was changed from The Last Superman to The Wild Man then to its final form. Menotti returned to his own Italian language in composing the libretto, but the premiere was in French; Menotti was also the producer of the premiere production. Opera magazine congratulated him and the conductor for "a beautifully thought-out and executed performance" which was "enormously applauded with one solitary boo-er".
However, The Last Savage was harshly ridiculed by French music critics, continuing a succession of critical failures for Menotti which began with The Unicorn, the Gorgon, and the Manticore (1956). The French daily newspaper Le Figaro went so far as to describe the work as "a misery".
Despite the response from the French public, Menotti hoped that the opera would get a warmer reception at its American premiere at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City on 23 January 1964. This presentation boasted a highly elaborate set by Beni Montresor, star billing, and was performed in English using a translation by George Mead. Conductor Thomas Schippers led the Met cast, which included George London as Abdul, Roberta Peters as Kitty, Teresa Stratas as Sardula, Nicolai Gedda as Kodanda, Ezio Flagello as the Maharajah, Lili Chookasian as the Maharanee, and Morley Meredith as Scattergood. Though the quality of the singing was praised by critics, New York's response to the opera was negative.The Metropolitan Opera then took the work on its east coast tour in April/May 1965.
Four months later, the work was first performed in the original Italian at La Fenice in Venice on 15 May 1964 with conductor Carlo Franci, John Reardon as Abdul, Helen Mané as Kitty, Maliponte as Sardula, Robleto Merolla as Kodanda, Angelo Nosotti as Scattergood, and Paolo Washington as the Marajah.
Italy's reception of the La Fenice production was lukewarm and the opera was not performed again for many years. Reactions from critics internationally commented on the opera's poor libretto. At that time avant-garde music was in vogue and critics felt Menotti's conservative style of composition was overly sentimental and trite, although a few of the arias and a septet in the work were generally praised. Several critics commented that the music failed to live up to the quality of earlier Menotti operas like The Saint of Bleecker Street (1954) and The Consul (1950). In response to this reaction to his opera, Menotti stated:
A revised version of the opera was given by the Hawaii Opera Theatre in 1973 with John Reardon as Abdul (repeating the role he created in Italian at La Fenice), Joanna Bruno as Kitty, Gary Glaze as Kodanda, and David Clartworthy as Mr. Scattergood. Menotti directed. Critics seemed to like this version better. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin said it was "packed with solid, wonderful, memorable music" and that John Reardon's performance was "simply flawless."
The opera was revived in 1981 at the Spoleto Festival USA in honor of the composer's 70th birthday. The production was led by conductor Christian Badea and starred Suzanne Hong as Kitty. Menotti also directed a production in 1984 at the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, this time starring baritone Louis Otey as Abdul and conducted by the late Baldo Podic.
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The Last Savage
The Last Savage is an opera in three acts by composer Gian Carlo Menotti. Menotti wrote his own libretto, originally in the Italian language (L'ultimo selvaggio). The opera was translated into French (Le dernier sauvage) by Jean-Pierre Marty for the work's first (private) performance at the Opéra-Comique in Paris on 21 October 1963, followed the next day by the public premiere. George Mead translated the work into English for the opera's American premiere at the Metropolitan Opera the following year.
The opera was originally intended for the larger Paris Opéra, and the title was changed from The Last Superman to The Wild Man then to its final form. Menotti returned to his own Italian language in composing the libretto, but the premiere was in French; Menotti was also the producer of the premiere production. Opera magazine congratulated him and the conductor for "a beautifully thought-out and executed performance" which was "enormously applauded with one solitary boo-er".
However, The Last Savage was harshly ridiculed by French music critics, continuing a succession of critical failures for Menotti which began with The Unicorn, the Gorgon, and the Manticore (1956). The French daily newspaper Le Figaro went so far as to describe the work as "a misery".
Despite the response from the French public, Menotti hoped that the opera would get a warmer reception at its American premiere at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City on 23 January 1964. This presentation boasted a highly elaborate set by Beni Montresor, star billing, and was performed in English using a translation by George Mead. Conductor Thomas Schippers led the Met cast, which included George London as Abdul, Roberta Peters as Kitty, Teresa Stratas as Sardula, Nicolai Gedda as Kodanda, Ezio Flagello as the Maharajah, Lili Chookasian as the Maharanee, and Morley Meredith as Scattergood. Though the quality of the singing was praised by critics, New York's response to the opera was negative.The Metropolitan Opera then took the work on its east coast tour in April/May 1965.
Four months later, the work was first performed in the original Italian at La Fenice in Venice on 15 May 1964 with conductor Carlo Franci, John Reardon as Abdul, Helen Mané as Kitty, Maliponte as Sardula, Robleto Merolla as Kodanda, Angelo Nosotti as Scattergood, and Paolo Washington as the Marajah.
Italy's reception of the La Fenice production was lukewarm and the opera was not performed again for many years. Reactions from critics internationally commented on the opera's poor libretto. At that time avant-garde music was in vogue and critics felt Menotti's conservative style of composition was overly sentimental and trite, although a few of the arias and a septet in the work were generally praised. Several critics commented that the music failed to live up to the quality of earlier Menotti operas like The Saint of Bleecker Street (1954) and The Consul (1950). In response to this reaction to his opera, Menotti stated:
A revised version of the opera was given by the Hawaii Opera Theatre in 1973 with John Reardon as Abdul (repeating the role he created in Italian at La Fenice), Joanna Bruno as Kitty, Gary Glaze as Kodanda, and David Clartworthy as Mr. Scattergood. Menotti directed. Critics seemed to like this version better. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin said it was "packed with solid, wonderful, memorable music" and that John Reardon's performance was "simply flawless."
The opera was revived in 1981 at the Spoleto Festival USA in honor of the composer's 70th birthday. The production was led by conductor Christian Badea and starred Suzanne Hong as Kitty. Menotti also directed a production in 1984 at the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, this time starring baritone Louis Otey as Abdul and conducted by the late Baldo Podic.