A Coffin in Egypt

A Chamber Opera in One Act

Libretto by Leonard Foglia

based on a play by Horton Foote

Duration: 80min.

Roles:
MYRTLE BLEDSOE (Singer/Mezzo Soprano) At 90 years old, she still very handsome. Her skin is clear and still quite unwrinkled. Her snow-white hair is worn on the top of her head, accentuating her long, graceful neck and the firmness of her facial structure.
JESSIE LYDELL (Non-speaking role) 30s – Myrtle’s companion
HUNTER (Actor) 30s – 60s Myrtle’s husband
CAPTAIN LAWSON (Non-speaking role) late 30s – 40 – A dashing man from Myrtle’s past
ELSIE (Actress) 50s – Myrtle’s sister in law
CLERK (Actress) 30s – A female clerk in a Houston department store
CHORUS (4 Singers/Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Tenor, and Baritone) Members of an African-American church

Instrumentation: Flute (Picc.), Clarinet in B-flat (B.Cl.), Horn in F, Piano/Celeste, Strings

Premiere: March 14, 2014, Houston Grand Opera

Commission: Commissioned by Houston Grand Opera, Opera Philadelphia, and The Wallis Ammemberg Center for the Performing Arts in Los Angeles, CA

Notes:
A Coffin in Egypt is a chamber opera in one act by composer Ricky Ian Gordon. The work uses an English language libretto by Leonard Foglia which is based on a 1980 play by Horton Foote. Set in Egypt, Texas, the work tells the story of Myrtle Bledsoe, an embittered 90-year-old woman who sifts through the memories of her past in a quest for self-forgiveness. The opera had its world premiere at the Houston Grand Opera (HGO) in March 2014.

A Coffin in Egypt was jointly commissioned by the HGO, Opera Philadelphia, and the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. The work was specifically written as a starring vehicle for mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade. While the work includes a cast of nine, it is essentially a monodrama in that the heroine is the only role with a substantial amount of singing. The other parts are spoken rather than sung lines apart from a few moments when a gospel quartet is used to “underscore key moments, rather in the manner of a Greek chorus”.[2] Von Stade reprised the role of Myrtle for performances in Philadelphia in June 2014 and with the Chicago Opera Theater in April 2015.[3][4] The work was performed by von Stade in February 2016 in the Appel Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City.