Tobias Picker

Dolores Claiborne (chamber version)

Text information	libretto by J. D. McClatchy based on the book by Stephen King
Year(s) composed	2013/2017
Publisher	Schott Music
Instrumentation	opera in two acts
Duration	120'
Premiere	October 22, 2017 New York, NY, 59E59 Theater (USA) · Conductor: Pacien Mazzagatti · New York City Opera Orchestra · Staging: Michael Capasso
Commission	The original version of Dolores Claiborne was commissioned by the San Francisco Opera and was premiered on September 8, 2013 at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco, California. The 2017 New York chamber version of Dolores Claiborne was made possible in part by generous support from New York City Opera and Boston University Opera Institute.
Language	English
Roles	Vera Donovan · soprano - Selena · soprano - Dolores Claiborne · mezzo-soprano - Detective Thibodeau · tenor - Joe St. George · bass-baritone
Composer note	Dolores Claiborne is a character destined for the operatic stage – passionate, desperate, trapped. She will do anything to save the daughter who despises her. Pushed to the extreme edge of life, she does what she has to, fearless and forsaken. I have wanted to write this opera for years. Yes, Stephen King is a master of suspense, but he is also a remarkable reader of human desires and fears. The superb team that San Francisco Opera has assembled allowed me to compose a powerful, heart-stopping piece of music theater for a cast of brilliant voices. Tobias Picker