Vanessa is an American opera in three (originally four) acts by Samuel Barber, opus 32, with an original English libretto by Gian-Carlo Menotti. It was composed in 1956–1957 and was first performed at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City on January 15, 1958 under the baton of Dimitri Mitropoulos in a production designed by Cecil Beaton and directed by Menotti. Barber revised the opera in 1964, reducing the four acts to the three-act version most commonly performed today.
| Librettist | Gian-Carlo Menotti |
| Date of composition | 1957 (revised in 1964) |
| Premiered | 1958, January 15th (Metropolitan Opera House) in New York, NY, United States |
| Type | Opera |
| Catalogue | Op. 32 |
| Spoken language | English |
| Instruments |
Voice (Soprano)
- Vanessa
Voice (Mezzo-Soprano) - Erika, her niece Voice (Contralto) - The Old Baroness, Vanessa's mother Voice (Tenor) - Anatol, the son of Vanessa's original lover, also named Anatol Voice (Baritone) - The Old Doctor Voice (Bass) - Nicholas, the major-domo Voice (Bass) - The Footman |
| Autotranslations beta |
Samuel Barber: Vanessa, Op. 32 Samuel Barber: Vanessa, Op. 32 Samuel Barber: Vanessa, Op. 32 |