''David'' is a Biblical

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 five acts and twelve scenes by composer

Darius Milhaud Darius Milhaud (, ; 4 September 1892 – 22 June 1974) was a French composer, conductor, and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as ''The Group of Six''—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His composition ...

. The opera uses a Hebrew language

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

Armand Lunel Armand Lunel (; 9 June 1892 – 3 November 1977) was a French writer of Provençal Jewish background. Biography Lunel was born in Aix-en-Provence, France, to a family that belonged to a Jewish subculture that had roots in the area for at leas ...

which is based on the

Books of Samuel The Book of Samuel () is a book in the Hebrew Bible, found as two books (1–2 Samuel) in the Old Testament. The book is part of the Deuteronomistic history, a series of books (Book of Joshua, Joshua, Book of Judges, Judges, Samuel, and Books of ...

. The work was commissioned with funds provided by conductor

Serge Koussevitzky Serge Koussevitzky (born Sergey Aleksandrovich Kusevitsky;Koussevitzky's original Russian forename is usually transliterated into English as either "Sergei" or "Sergey"; however, he himself adopted the French spelling "Serge", using it in his sig ...

who died prior to the opera's premiere, and was composed in celebration of the 3,000th anniversary of the founding of the city of

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

King David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Damas ...

; the man who is the subject of the opera. The opera premiered in Jerusalem on June 1, 1954, in a concert version presented as part of the

International Society for Contemporary Music The International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM) is a music organization that promotes contemporary classical music. The organization was established in Salzburg in 1922 as Internationale Gesellschaft für Neue Musik (IGNM) following the ...

's World Music Festival, which while held in

Haifa Haifa ( ; , ; ) is the List of cities in Israel, third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropolitan area i ...

, included the Jerusalem performance of Milhaud's opera. Conductor George Singer led the musical forces for the premiere which was attended by several prominent Israeli figures of the day, including then president

Yitzhak Ben-Zvi Yitzhak Ben-Zvi ( ''Yitshak Ben-Tsvi''; 24 November 188423 April 1963; born Izaak Shimshelevich) was a historian, ethnologist, Labor Zionism, Labor Zionist leader and the longest-serving president of Israel. He was 1952 Israeli presidential elec ...

. The first fully staged production of ''David'' was given at

La Scala La Scala (, , ; officially , ) is a historic opera house in Milan, Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as (, which previously was Santa Maria della Scala, Milan, a church). The premiere performa ...

in Milan, Italy, in January 1955 using lavish sets and costumes by

Nicola Alexandrovich Benois Nicola Alexandrovich Benois (2 May 1901 – 31 March 1988) was a stage designer, known for his work as principal scenographer and costume designer at La Scala in Milan. Education and early career Nicola was the son of Alexandre Benois, an infl ...

. Baritone

Anselmo Colzani Anselmo Colzani (March 28, 1918 – March 19, 2006) was an Italian operatic baritone who had an international opera career from the late 1940s through 1980. He particularly excelled in the Italian repertory and was most associated with the works ...

portrayed the tile role in this production which was led by conductor

Nino Sanzogno Nino Sanzogno (13 April 1911 – 4 May 1983) was an Italian conductor and composer. Life Sanzogno was born in Venice, where he studied the violin with Hermann Scherchen and composition with Gian Francesco Malipiero at the Liceo Musicale. He later s ...

. Others in the cast included

Nicola Rossi-Lemeni Nicola Rossi-LemeniHis father's last name was Rossi, but his mother wanted her family name added, "Rossi Lemeni" (without a hyphen). However, many publications and recordings hyphenate the name. (November 6, 1920 – March 12, 1991), was a ...

Saul Saul (; , ; , ; ) was a monarch of ancient Israel and Judah and, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament, the first king of the United Monarchy, a polity of uncertain historicity. His reign, traditionally placed in the late eleventh c ...

, Marcella Pobbe as

Bathsheba Bathsheba (; , ) was an Kings of Israel and Judah, Israelite queen consort. According to the Hebrew Bible, she was the wife of Uriah the Hittite and later of David, with whom she had all of her five children. Her status as the mother of Solomon ...

, and

Italo Tajo Italo Tajo (25 April 191528 March 1993) was an Italian operatic bass, particularly acclaimed for his Mozart and Rossini roles. Tajo was born in Pinerolo, Piedmont, Italy and studied violin and voice at the Music Conservatory of Turin with Nilde S ...

Samuel Samuel is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the biblical judges to the United Kingdom of Israel under Saul, and again in the monarchy's transition from Saul to David. He is venera ...

. The United States premiere of the opera was presented on September 23, 1956, at the

Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre and Urban park, public park in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in the United States by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018 and was listed on ...

in Los Angeles, California, with a cast of 400 performers led by conductor

Izler Solomon Izler Solomon (January 11, 1910 – December 6, 1987) was an American orchestra conductor, active mostly in the Midwest. Career Born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Izler Solomon's first position as music director was from 1936 to 1941 with the Illino ...

. Baritone

Harve Presnell George Harvey Presnell (; September 14, 1933 – June 30, 2009) was an American actor and singer. He began his career in the mid-1950s as a classical baritone, singing with orchestras and opera companies throughout the United States. His career ...

portrayed the title role in this production with

Herva Nelli Herva Nelli (January 9, 1909May 31, 1994) was an Italian and American operatic soprano. Biography Named after the French socialist Gustave Hervé, she was born in Florence, where she attended a convent school. At the age of ten, however, she and ...

as Bathsheba, Mack Harrell as Saul, and

Giorgio Tozzi Giorgio Tozzi (January 8, 1923 – May 30, 2011) was an American operatic bass. He was associated with the Metropolitan Opera for many years and sang principal bass roles in nearly every major opera house worldwide. Career Tozzi was born George ...

as Samuel.

References

{{Darius Milhaud 1954 operas Hebrew-language operas Operas based on the Bible Operas by Darius Milhaud Operas