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''The Tender Land'' is an opera with music by Aaron Copland and libretto by Horace Everett, a pseudonym for Erik Johns. The opera tells of a farm family in the Midwest of the United States. Copland was inspired to write this opera after viewing the Depression-era photographs of Walker Evans and reading James Agee's ''Let Us Now Praise Famous Men''.〔Everett, Horace and Copland, Aaron, "The Tender Land: An Opera in Two Acts: Synopsis" (Spring 1954). ''Tempo'' (New Ser.), 31: pp. 10, 12-16.〕 He wrote the work between 1952 and 1954 for the NBC Television Opera Workshop, with the intention of its being presented on television. However, the television producers rejected the opera. Eventually, the work had its premiere on April 1, 1954 at the New York City Opera, with Thomas Schippers as the conductor, Jerome Robbins as the director, and a cast including the young Norman Treigle, but it was poorly received at that time. Contemporary criticism commented on the weaknesses of the opera's characters and the storyline.〔Kerman, Joseph, "Music Reviews: ''The Tender Land''. Opera in Three Acts" (December 1956). ''Notes'' (2nd Ser.), 14 (1): pp. 56-57.〕 Later analysis by Christopher Patton stated that one underlying cause of the opera's failure at the premiere was the contrast between writing for the intimate medium of television, the originally intended medium of the work, versus the more public and larger-scale setting of an opera house. An orchestral suite based on the opera was later compiled by Copland in 1958.〔Patton, Christopher W., "Discovering ''The Tender Land'': A New Look at Aaron Copland's Opera" (Autumn 2002). ''American Music'', 20 (3): pp. 317-340.〕 Copland and Johns later made revisions to the opera. Patton has also commented on the role of Erik Johns' interest in the Vedanta branch of Hinduism in the libretto.〔 On July 28, 1965, the composer conducted a concert version of his work, as part of the French-American Festival, with the New York Philharmonic. In the cast were Joy Clements, Claramae Turner, Richard Cassilly, Treigle, and Richard Fredricks. Three days later, Columbia recorded an abridged version of the opera, again conducted by Copland, at the Manhattan Center, with the same cast. In 2000, Sony released the historic performance on compact disc. ==Roles== 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Tender Land」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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