''Christopher Sly'' is an

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

in one act and two scenes and an interlude by composer Dominick Argento. The work uses an English language libretto by John Gay Manlove that is based on

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's ''

The Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunke ...

''. Commissioned by the Mu Phi Epsilon fraternity, the opera was given its world premiere at the Scott Hall Theater at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

on 31 May 1963 under the baton of William Johnson. The premiere cast included tenor Vern Sutton as the Lord. The Center for Contemporary Opera presented the first professional production of the work in January 1987 at the Harry De Jur Playhouse in New York City. Conductor Richard Marshall led the performance whose cast included Shawn Roy as Christopher Sly, Robert Trentham as the Lord, and Kathryn Fields as Marion Hackett.

Roles

References

{{Authority control Operas by Dominick Argento English-language operas Operas One-act operas 1963 operas Operas based on The Taming of the Shrew