''Transatlantic'' (aka ''The People's Choice'') is a

Grand Opera Grand opera is a genre of 19th-century opera generally in four or five acts, characterized by large-scale casts and orchestras, and (in their original productions) lavish and spectacular design and stage effects, normally with plots based on o ...

in 3 acts by

George Antheil George Johann Carl Antheil (; July 8, 1900 – February 12, 1959) was an American avant-garde composer, pianist, author, and inventor whose modernist musical compositions explored the modern sounds – musical, industrial, and mechanical – of t ...

written in 1928 to a libretto by the composer. It was premiered in

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its ...

on May 25, 1930. Though a critical success the work ran for only 6 performances and was not performed again during Antheil's lifetime. It has been subsequently revived in 1998 by the

Minnesota Opera Minnesota Opera is a performance organization based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was founded as the Center Opera Company in 1963 by the Walker Art Center, and is known for premiering such diverse works as '' Where the Wild Things Are'' by Oliv ...

, and 2002 by the Schleswig-Holstein Landestheater of Flensburg,

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

. The work is scored for a large orchestra with soloists and chorus.

Synopsis

The plot is a political satire in which a corrupt American oil baron (Ajax) recruits a charismatic, enthusiastic, cooperative man (Hector Jackson) to run for president. Ajax employs a seductress (Helen) to further motivate Hector but Helen falls for him. In an attempt to control this situation Ajax forces Helen to marry a gigolo (Jason). Further complications ensue when the campaign treasurer (Leo) also falls for Helen and embezzles $1 million from Ajax' funds to buy her a diamond ring. The American public becomes sufficiently enthralled with Hector to vote him into office.

References

"George Antheil's ''Transatlantic'': An American in the Weimar Republic"
by Susan C. Cook, in ''

The Journal of Musicology ''The Journal of Musicology'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal of musicology published by University of California Press. The journal was established in 1982 by Marian C. Green Marian may refer to: People * Mari people, a Finno-Ug ...

'', Vol. 9, No. 4 (Autumn 1991), pp. 498–520 Operas by George Antheil Zeitoper Operas 1930 operas Operas set in the United States {{English-opera-stub