Mansfield area music lovers are in for a rare treat this coming weekend.
Amahl and the Night Visitors is an acclaimed one act opera by composer Gian Carlo Menotti which is infrequently presented across the country, particularly in non-metropolitan markets. That shared, the opera will be presented by Mid Ohio Civic Opera this weekend.
Amahl has an original English libretto by the composer. It was commissioned by NBC and first performed by the NBC Opera Theatre on December 24, 1951, in New York City at NBC Studio 8H in Rockefeller Center, where it was broadcast live on television from that venue as the debut production of the Hallmark Hall of Fame. It was the first opera specifically composed for television in the United States.
Telling the Biblical story of the Three Wise Men, the very accessible opera contains beautiful music of the season.
Amahl and the Night Visitors will be presented on Friday, December 16 and Saturday, December 17 at 7PM at Grace Episcopal Church, 41 Bowman Street. There is no charge to attend.
Source: Mid Ohio Civic Opera; Wikipedia; Photo: Creative Commons License