A Coffin in Egypt
A Chamber Opera in One Act
Libretto by Leonard Foglia
Based on a play by Horton Foote
A Coffin in Egypt is a chamber opera in one act by composer Ricky Ian Gordon. The work uses an English language libretto by Leonard Foglia which is based on a 1980 play by Horton Foote. Set in Egypt, Texas, the work tells the story of Myrtle Bledsoe, an embittered 90-year-old woman who sifts through the memories of her past in a quest for self-forgiveness. The opera had its world premiere at the Houston Grand Opera (HGO) in March 2014.
Duration: 80min.
Instrumentation: Flute (Picc.), Clarinet in B-flat (B.Cl.), Horn in F, Piano/Celeste, Strings
Premiere: March 14, 2014, Houston Grand Opera
Commission: Commissioned by Houston Grand Opera, Opera Philadelphia, and The Wallis Ammemberg Center for the Performing Arts in Los Angeles, CA
Performance Materials: Available from the composer.
Click on each item to see contents:
Roles
MYRTLE BLEDSOE (Singer/Mezzo Soprano) At 90 years old, she still very handsome. Her skin is clear and still quite unwrinkled. Her snow-white hair is worn on the top of her head, accentuating her long, graceful neck and the firmness of her facial structure.
JESSIE LYDELL (Non-speaking role) 30s – Myrtle’s companion
HUNTER (Actor) 30s – 60s Myrtle’s husband
CAPTAIN LAWSON (Non-speaking role) late 30s – 40 – A dashing man from Myrtle’s past
ELSIE (Actress) 50s – Myrtle’s sister in law
CLERK (Actress) 30s – A female clerk in a Houston department store
CHORUS (4 Singers/Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Tenor, and Baritone) Members of an African-American church
Notes
A Coffin in Egypt is a chamber opera in one act by composer Ricky Ian Gordon. The work uses an English language libretto by Leonard Foglia which is based on a 1980 play by Horton Foote. Set in Egypt, Texas, the work tells the story of Myrtle Bledsoe, an embittered 90-year-old woman who sifts through the memories of her past in a quest for self-forgiveness. The opera had its world premiere at the Houston Grand Opera (HGO) in March 2014.
A Coffin in Egypt was jointly commissioned by the HGO, Opera Philadelphia, and the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. The work was specifically written as a starring vehicle for mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade. While the work includes a cast of nine, it is essentially a monodrama in that the heroine is the only role with a substantial amount of singing. The other parts are spoken rather than sung lines apart from a few moments when a gospel quartet is used to “underscore key moments, rather in the manner of a Greek chorus”.[2] Von Stade reprised the role of Myrtle for performances in Philadelphia in June 2014 and with the Chicago Opera Theater in April 2015.[3][4] The work was performed by von Stade in February 2016 in the Appel Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City.
Press
- Broad Street Review (Victor L. Schermer, 8 June 2014)
- Chicago Tribune (John von Rhein, 26 April 2015)
- Houston Chronicle (Steven Brown, 7 March 2014)
- Houston Chronicle (Steven Brown, 18 March 2014)
- Houston Chronicle (Steven Brown, 18 December 2014)
- Houston Press (Margaret Downing, 4 March 2014)
- Houston Press (Adam Castañeda, 17 March 2014)
- Huffington Post (Hoyt Hilsman, 26 April 2014)
- LA Times (Mark Swed, 25 April 2014)
- Musical America (Wynne Delacoma, 1 May 2015)
- Newcity Stage (May 2015)
- NewMusicBox (16 December 2014)
- Opera Today (Maria Nockin, 26 April 2014)
- People’s World (Eric A. Gordon, 25 April 2014)
- Philadelphia Inquirer (David Patrick Stearns, 3 June 2014)
- Philadelphia Inquirer (Peter Dobrin, 10 June 2014)
- Random Lengths News (John Farrell, 2 May 2014)
- Theater Jones (Gregory Sullivan Isaacs, 14 March 2014)
- Wall Street Journal (Heidi Waleson, 9 June 2014)
- WQXR Operavore (Fred Plotkin, 19 December 2014)
Ricky Ian Gordon & Leonard Foglia:
Houston Grand Opera
Premiere Production, 2014
Photos by Lynn Lane
Lincoln Center
2016
Photos by Kevin Yatarola
