The Juniper Tree (opera) Information & The Juniper Tree (opera) Links at HealthHaven.com

The Juniper Tree is an opera co-composed by Philip Glass and Robert Moran in 1985 to a libretto by Arthur Yorinks based on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale. The opera is in two acts and is scored for two baritones, bass, mezzo-soprano, four sopranos, tenor, mixed chorus, children's voices and chamber orchestra. Each composer wrote alternating scenes and utilized each others' themes to provide structural unity. Glass retained ownership of the opera, and did not allow for the "live" recording of the premiere (with Jayne West and Sanford Sylvan) to be released until 2009. Until then, Moran encouraged his fans to distribute bootleg copies so that people could hear it.

[edit] Performance history

It was premiered on December 11, 1985 at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

[edit] Roles

Role	Voice type	Premiere cast, December 11, 1985 (Conductor: - )
The husband	lyric baritone
His wife	lyric soprano
The son/the juniper bird	boy soprano
The stepmother	mezzo-soprano
Her daughter	soprano
The goldsmith	bass
The cobbler	baritone
The miller	tenor
Village folk	chorus
Mama bird	soprano
Baby birds	children's voices

[edit] Synopsis

The famous Grimm fairy tale tells of a wicked stepmother who murders her stepson, fearing that he reminds her husband of his late wife and serves him up in a stew to his hungry, unsuspecting father. The boy’s sister buries her brother’s bones under a juniper tree where their mother is buried, and the child’s spirit returns as a singing bird who wreaks vengeance on the evil stepmother (dropping a millstone on her) before being restored to life in the bosom of his family.

[edit] References

Contents

[edit] Performance history

[edit] Roles

[edit] Synopsis

[edit] References