Trouble in Tahiti is a one-act opera in seven scenes composed by Leonard Bernstein with an English libretto by the composer, dedicated to Marc Blitzstein. It is the darkest among Bernstein's "musicals", and the only one for which he wrote the words as well as the music. The opera received its first performance on 12 June 1952 at Bernstein's Festival of the Creative Arts on the campus of Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts to an audience of nearly 3,000 people. The NBC Opera Theatre subsequently presented the opera on television in November 1952, a production which marked mezzo-soprano Beverly Wolff's professional debut in the role of Dinah. Wolff later reprised the role in the New York City Opera's first staging of the work in 1958. The original work is about 40 minutes long.
Librettist | Leonard Bernstein |
Date of composition | 1952 |
Premiered | 1952, June 12th (Brandeis University) in Waltham, MA, United States |
Dedicated to | Marc Blitzstein |
Type | Opera |
Spoken language | English |
Instruments |
Voice (Baritone)
- Sam, a businessman
Voice (Mezzo-Soprano) - Dinah, his wife Voice (Soprano) - 1st trio member Voice (Tenor) - 2nd trio member Voice (Baritone) - 3rd trio member Orchestra |
Autotranslations beta |
Leonard Bernstein: Trouble in Tahiti Leonard Bernstein: Trouble in Tahiti Leonard Bernstein: Trouble in Tahiti |