May 8, 12, 14, 16, 2010
READ REVIEWS OF THREE DECEMBERS
Three Decembers Audience Reactions
THE DIVA
The legendary Frederica
von Stade, described by The New York Times as "one of America's finest artists and singers," makes her last
Chicago appearances before
retirement in this opera
written especially for her by
Jake Heggie, of Dead Man
Walking fame.
THE STORY
A glamorous stage actress
reveals a shocking secret
of their family’s past to her
two adult children facing
dark challenges of their
own. Based on an original
play by Terrence McNally with a libretto by Gene
Scheer.
THE SCORE
Jake Heggie’s intimate score features just
11 musicians, and will be performed with
Heggie himself at the piano. “Jake Heggie
has a true gift for soaring and meaningful
melody, a great ear for orchestral effects, a
talent for picking good source material, and
a knack for crafting affecting melodrama (in
the best sense of that word) that can move
an audience to tears.”—Opera Today
Sung in English with English supertitles
Approximate running time: 1 hour and 30 mins with no intermission
More About the Opera:
From the Composer
JAKE HEGGIE
From the Librettist
GENE SCHEER
Readings, Recordings & Resources
Jake Heggie talks about
Three DecembersThree Decembers (Last Acts) is a production of Houston Grand Opera Association. Commissioned by Houston Grand Opera in association with San Francisco Opera and Cal Performance
