1991
The Ghosts of Versailles, commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera in 1980 and first staged in 1991, is still staged by other opera companies, such as this 2015 production by the Los Angeles Opera. Photo by Craig T. Mathew, Los Angeles Opera
In December 1991, the Metropolitan Opera premiered its first new opera since 1967 with support from the NEA under the New American Works/Organization program. This program was designed to enable organizations to produce contemporary work, to encourage companies to incorporate new work into their repertory, and to make audiences more aware and appreciative of them. The Ghosts of Versailles by John Corigliano and William Hoffman was commissioned in 1980 in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Metropolitan Opera.
Nearly every performance of The Ghosts of Versailles sold out in the opening week of the production. The premiere featured sopranos Teresa Stratas and Renée Fleming, mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne (2009 NEA Opera Honoree), baritones Gino Quilico and Hakan Hagegard, as well as the Metropolitan Orchestra and Chorus conducted by James Levine (2008 NEA Opera Honoree).
The idea of The Ghosts of Versailles started over a dinner conversation in 1979 with Levine in which Corigliano was inspired to compose a new piece based on a familiar set of opera characters. The Ghosts of Versailles was John Corigliano’s first opera, and although the work was originally slated to premier in 1983, Hoffman and Corigliano collaborated on the project for seven years before it was completed. The story weaves together the ghosts of the court of Louis XVI, the playwright Beaumarchais, and the cast of characters from his Figaro plays. Set against the backdrop of the French Revolution, the work features an opera within an opera. The music draws inspiration from famous Mozart and Rossini scores.
When it finally debuted in 1991, The Ghosts of Versailles was generally well received among critics and audiences. New York Times critic Edward Rothstein said in his review of the opera, “‘Ghosts has brought camp humor, post-modern pastiche, parody and effulgent tonal nostalgia into the Met. The opera intends to be all things to many people, a tale, one might say, of many cities, told in many styles.”
The production was later broadcast over the Met’s International Radio Network and telecast over Live from the Met. Graham Clark was nominated for an Emmy Award for his performance as Bégearss in the 1992 televised performance of the work. The work has also been restaged and performed by other opera companies, including Chicago Lyric Company and Los Angeles Opera.