The Tower 1957
A World Premiere in the premiere season…
…Levy’s comic biblically-based fable finds King Solomon relenting to the power of love over money.
Presented on a double bill with La Serva Padrona
Synopsis
Opera Buffa in One Act
Achlama, daughter of King Solomon, is imprisoned by her royal father because of the prediction made by a prophet that she would marry the poorest man in the kingdom. Horrified that a princess of the royal blood should be married beneath her station, Solomon keeps his daughter carefully guarded in a tower. Fate brings the handsome – and impecunious – Joash to the prison. The two young people fall instantly in love and are secretly married. King Solomon, meeting his son-in-law, attributes these events to fate and extends his blessing to the happy couple.
Artists
William McGrath
Tenor
King Solomon
William McGrath
Hometown: Buffalo, NY
SFO Debut:
Pinkerton, Madame Butterfly, 1957
Past Seasons:
Sellem, The Rake’s Progress, 1957
King Solomon, The Tower, 1957
Bacchus/ Tenor, Ariadne auf Naxos, 1957
Carol Bergey
Soprano
Princess Achlama
Carol Bergey
Hometown: Conshohocken, PA
Santa Fe Opera Apprentice: 1957
Past Seasons:
Princess Achlama, The Tower, 1957
Echo, Ariadne auf Naxos, 1957
Peter Binder
Baritone
Joash
Peter Binder
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
SFO Debut:
Prince Yamadori, Madame Butterfly, 1957
Past Seasons:
Dandini, Cinderella, 1960
Germont, La traviata, 1960 (July 20 – 30)
Giuseppe Palmiere, The Gondoliers, 1960
Figaro, The Barber of Seville, 1959 (July 22 – 24)
Prince Yamadori, Madame Butterfly, 1959
Rochford, Anna Bolena, 1959
Eisenstein, Die Fledermaus, 1959
Dandini, Cinderella, 1958
Ford, Falstaff, 1958
Guglielmo, Così fan tutte, 1958
Harlequin, Ariadne auf Naxos, 1957
Joash, The Tower, 1957
Figaro, The Barber of Seville, 1957
Guglielmo, Così fan tutte, 1957
Robert Rue
Baritone
Reuel
Robert Rue
Hometown: Grand Rapids, MI
SFO Debut:
Sharpless, Madame Butterfly, 1957
Past Seasons:
Frank, Die Fledermaus, 1959
Sharpless, Madame Butterfly, 1959 (July 8 – 17)
Ben Hubbard, Regina, 1959
Olivier, Capriccio, 1958
Sir John Falstaff, Falstaff, 1958
Marcello, La bohėme, 1958
Music Master, Ariadne auf Naxos, 1957
Fiorello, The Barber of Seville, 1957
Nick Shadow, The Rake’s Progress, 1957
Reuel, The Tower, 1957
Regina Sarfaty
Mezzo-soprano
Tabitha
Regina Sarfaty
Hometown: Rochester, NY
SFO Debut:
Suzuki, Madame Butterfly, 1957
Past Seasons:
Agave, The Bassarids, 1968
Carmen, Carmen, 1967 (July 1 – 15)
Carmen, Carmen, 1961
Regina Giddens, Regina, 1959 (August 8)
Suzuki, Madame Butterfly, 1959 (July 8 – 17)
Prince Orlofsky, Die Fledermaus, 1959 (June 24 – July 3)
Jane Seymour, Anna Bolena, 1959
Nelly, Wuthering Heights, 1958
Mistress Meg Page, Falstaff, 1958
Dorabella, Così, fan tutte, 1958
Clairon, Capriccio, 1958
Tabitha, The Tower, 1957
Baba the Turk, The Rake’s Progress, 1957
Berta, The Barber of Seville, 1957
Dryad, Ariadne auf Naxos, 1957
Spelios Constantine
Bass
Nabarias
Spelios Constantine
Hometown: New York, NY
SFO Debut:
Bonze, Madame Butterfly, 1957
Past Seasons:
Don Alfonso, Così fan tutte, 1957
Basilio, The Barber of Seville, 1957
Nabarias, The Tower, 1957
Joan Carroll
Soprano
Abigail
Joan Carroll
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
SFO Debut:
Abigail, The Tower, 1957
Past Seasons:
Lulu, Lulu, 1964
Lulu, Lulu, 1963
Zerbinetta, Ariadne auf Naxos, 1957
Robert Baustian
Conductor
Robert Baustian
Hometown: Storm Lake, IA
SFO Debut:
The Barber of Seville, 1957
Past Seasons:
Die Jakobsleiter, 1980
Pelléas et Mélisande, 1977
The Marriage of Figaro, 1976
The Cunning Little Vixen, 1975
Così fan tutte, 1975 (July 30)
La vida breve, 1975
L’Enfant et les sortilèges, 1975
The Magic Flute, 1974
Le Rossignol, 1973
L’Enfant et les sortilèges, 1973
The Marriage of Figaro, 1973
Pelléas et Mélisande, 1972
The Marriage of Figaro, 1971
The Magic Flute, 1971
The Marriage of Figaro, 1970
Le Rossignol, 1970
Le Rossignol, 1969
The Magic Flute, 1969
Die Jakobsleiter, 1968
Perséphone, 1968
The Elixir of Love, 1968
The Magic Flute, 1968
The Marriage of Figaro, 1967
Boulevard Solitude, 1967
The Barber of Seville, 1967
Dialogues of the Carmelites, 1966
Don Giovanni, 1966
Cinderella, 1966
The Marriage of Figaro, 1965
The Stag King, 1965
Lucia di Lammermoor, 1965
The Marriage of Figaro, 1964
L’Enfant et les sortilèges, 1964
L’Enfant et les sortilèges, 1963
Joan of Arc at the Stake, 1963
Don Giovanni, 1963
Mavra, 1962
Joan of Arc at the Stake, 1962
La traviata, 1962
Così fan tutte, 1962
The Marriage of Figaro, 1961
The Ballad of Baby Doe, 1961
The Marriage of Figaro, 1960
Cinderella, 1960
The Barber of Seville, 1959
Abduction from the Seraglio, 1959
Cinderella, 1958
Falstaff, 1958
Così fan tutte, 1958
The Tower, 1957
Marvin David Levy
Director
Marvin David Levy
Hometown: Passaic, NJ
SFO Debut:
The Tower, 1957
Patton Campbell
Costume Designer
Production Designer
Patton Campbell
Hometown: Omaha, NE
SFO Debut:
Madame Butterfly, 1957 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
Past Seasons:
Tosca, 1969
Così fan tutte, 1969
Der Rosenkavalier, 1968
The Barber of Seville, 1967
The Rake’s Progress, 1966
The Barber of Seville, 1965
Così fan tutte, 1962 (Scenic & Costume Designer)
La bohème, 1961
The Rake’s Progress, 1960
Cinderella, 1960
Regina, 1959
The Barber of Seville, 1959
Abduction From the Seraglio, 1959 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
Madame Butterfly, 1959 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
Anna Bolena, 1959 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
Die Fledermaus, 1959 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
Capriccio, 1958 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
Cinderella, 1958 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
Wuthering Heights, 1958 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
Falstaff, 1958 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
Così fan tutte, 1958 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
La bohème, 1958 (Scenic & Costume Designer)
Ariadne auf Naxos, 1957 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
The Tower, 1957 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
La serva padrona, 1957 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
The Barber of Seville, 1957 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
The Rake’s Progress, 1957 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
Così fan tutte, 1957 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
The Tower 1957
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