L’Abbé Agathon
L’abbé
Agathon
tells the tale of a gentle and patient abbot who agrees to carry a
leper to and from market on several occassions. When the leper
reveals himself to be an angel, the abbot’s kindness is rewarded. It
was originally composed for soprano and eight cellos. It was
premiered in May 2004 by Ensemble de Violoncelles de Beauvais with
Barbara Hendricks as soloist. A year later the composer arranged it
for mezzo-soprano, four violas and four cellos. Like many of the
composer’s works it took on another life when a staged version was
commissioned by American Opera Projects and Works & Process and
was premiered in 2009.
