Death of Gian Carlo Menotti

Posted by Sarah Canice Funke Feb 10, 2007

There are conflicting reports regarding the merit of Gian Carlo Menotti's work, ranging from the condescending to the celebratory, but they do agree on this: Menotti influenced Americans and their relationship to opera. Given that much of Menotti worked in a century when opera maintains less and less popular appeal, this contribution is significant. Menotti did not shy away from utilizing new means of distribution, either. His Christmas-themed Amahl and the Night Visitors is thought to be the first opera composed for television. Two of his operas, The Consul and The Saint of Bleecker Street, have won Pulitzer Prizes.

Born in Italy in 1911, Menotti moved to America in 1928. Nearly all of his operas are in English (three are in Italian), quite possibly another reason for their popularity in America.