Carlisle Floyd's "Susannah", Opera For The Common Man

Trained as a pianist, with only a semester of study in composition, he had seen only a few traditional operas by Puccini and Mozart. He had no American models in mind, though he did admire the ballet scores of Aaron Copland. 

What he did know were the people he was writing about. He grew up in North Carolina in a similar culture, his father an itinerant preacher (as is the lead male role in the opera). He wrote the "Susannah" libretto himself.

"I think what is captivating about the piece is that these are normal people," Armstrong said. "It's easy for us to think that these are hillbillies or bumpkins, that they're not very educated people. All of that being said, they're very human people, and these are all human issues and things that happen anywhere, but they're just more clearly defined in this sort of setting."

Tim Mangan talks to Carlisle Floyd. Susannah is on at Opera Pacific.

(foto above, Emily Pulley in Susannah, 2005, with Simon O'Neill © Derek Spiers 2007)

Comments

[val]

I LOVE this opera; There are lots of American operas which should be done but all we seem to get in Italy are the leftover garbage that the rest of the world ignores! Let's hear it for Robert Ward's "Crucible" Douglas Moore's "Ballad of Baby Doe" ( thank you Beverly Sills!)Samuel Barber's "Vanessa" (WOW!!!) Aaron Copland's "Tender Land" Menotti (oops... he's Italian!!!)etc. etc.

[Marshie]

If Mr. Mangan went to the trouble of mentioning Renaaaay in his article, he should have also taken the trouble to mention the even more important (and gorgeous) recording of the work with this cast (on Virgin Classics):

Susannah Polk: Cheryl Studer
Sam Polk: Jerry Hadley (R.I.P.)
Olin Blitch: Samuel Ramey
Little Bat McLean: Kenn Chester
Elder McLean: Michael Druiett
Elder Gleaton: Steven Cole
Elder Hayes: Stuart Kale
Elder Ott: David Pittsinger
Mrs. McLean: Anne Howells
Mrs. Gleaton: Della Jones
Mrs. Hayes: Jean Glennon
Mrs. Ott: Elizabeth Laurence
(Dialect Director: Marni Nixon)

Choeur de l'Opéra de Lyon
Orchestre de l'Opéra de Lyon
Conductor: Kent Nagano

Just for the record.

[tim mangan]

Sorry. I knew about the recording, but it's out of print, at least here in the U.S. Given space requirements, I decided to leave mention of it out.