Amahl and the Night Visitors - Hardcover

Menotti, Gian Carlo

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0688054269 ISBN 13: 9780688054267

Publisher: HarperCollins, 1986

Synopsis

Since its first performance on Christmas Eve, 1951, Amahl and the Night Visitors has taken its place with A Christmas Carol as a holiday classic. Peformed on every continent and in many languages, it has been seen by more people than any other opera in history.

The story tells of the night the Three Kings, following the star to Bethlehem, stop for shelter at the home of Amahl, a poor, crippled shepard boy who lives with his widowed mother. Inspired by the Wise Men's tale of a kingdom "built on love alone," Amahl offers his own simple gift to the Christ Child. And then a miracle happens. . .

In this warm and compassionate story, Gian Carlo Menotti has captured the essential spirit of Christmas. At its premiere, The New York Times called Amahl "rare art. . . tender and exquisite." Now brought to life in glowing watercolors, Amahl and the Night Visitors is a feast for the eyes and heart, one readers of all ages will want to return to again and again.

About this title

About the Author

Gian Carlo Menotti was born in 1911 in a mountain village in northern Italy. He began composing at age five and had written his first opera before he was eleven. As a little boy, he was miraculously cured of lameness by a pilgrimage to the nearby Sactuary of Sacro Monte. This was the genesis for Amahl and the Night Visitors, the first opera ever commisioned for television.

Mr. Menotti is the composer of twenty operas, including The Consul and The Saint of Bleecker Street, both of which won Pulitzer Prizes. In 1958, he founded The Festival of Two Worlds, a celebration of the arts in Spoleto, Italy, with counterparts in Charleston, South Carolina, and Melbourne, Australia.

For his lifetime achievement in the arts, Mr. Menotti recently recieved the Kennedy Center Honors award. He lives in Scotland.

From Publishers Weekly

The honored composer tells the story of his most famous opera, inspired by his own miraculous recovery from lameness as a child. A poor, crippled boy Amahl and his mother are dazzled by the three kings on the way to Bethlehem on the first Christmas Eve. Amahl's mother welcomes the royal sojourners who rest in the small, bare house where love and faith work miracles during the night. Wonders appear to mesmerize the reader on every page, glorified by Lemieux's paintings. In color, in feeling, the illustrations are so right that one all but sees and hears the opera in performance. Menotti's wit and reverence are reflected in the artist's visions, creating a classic Christmas book.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 1986
• ISBN 10: 0688054269
• ISBN 13: 9780688054267
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 64
• Illustrator: Lemieux Michele