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Menotti’s The Last Savage Returns to the Stage at the Santa Fe Opera

Jun. 28, 2011

Gian Carlo Menotti’s delightfully absurdist comic opera THE LAST SAVAGE follows an ambitious young Vassar anthropologist on her tireless quest to capture the last savage in the jungles of India, the topic of her graduation thesis in 1960s-era America. She succeeds, after a fashion, falls in love with her savage, and discovers along the way that American suburbia may be far more “savage” than life in the jungle. Anna Christy stars as Kitty, the overachieving young Vassar scholar, and Daniel Okulitch is the Savage in the Santa Fe Opera’s new production which is conducted by George Manahan, directed by Ned Canty and with and set and costume design by Allen Moyer.

The Last Savage had distinguished beginnings before disappearing into virtual obscurity for the better part of the last four decades. The world premiere took place at the Opera-Comique in Paris in 1963 and the American premiere at the Metropolitan Opera in January 1964, the first full-length opera by Menotti ever to be presented by the Met. The star-studded cast at the Met premiere included George London, Nicolai Gedda, Roberta Peters, Morley Meredith, Lili Chookasian, Ezio Flagello and a very young singer new to Met audiences at the time, Teresa Stratas. Beni Montresor’s production was directed by the composer himself and conducted by Thomas Schippers. It was sung in the English translation by George Mead. Menotti penned the libretto in Italian and the Italian premiere took place at La Fenice in Venice in May 1964.

In The Last Savage, Menotti casts a contemporary satirical eye on 1960s-era mores and modern art while masterfully crafting his work with the great comic operas of Rossini and Donizetti clearly in mind. He draws freely from popular film and television styles of the time, weaving his cinematic references seamlessly into the opera’s libretto and musical structure. In a radio intermission segment with Edward Downes at the time of the Metropolitan Opera premiere, Menotti commented about his new opera:

Laughter has an elusive quality, which I think defies analysis. Most people don’t take laughter seriously enough, nor do they realize that some of the most profound things in art often have been said with a careless smile. I seriously believe in every note that I have written in The Last Savage and I want my music to be taken seriously. I believe that there’s more deeply felt music in the Savage then there is in any of my other operas and it is undoubtedly the opera that I have worked on the longest.

The Last Savage plays at the Santa Fe Opera for six performances beginning July 23, 2011. More details and ticketing information are here.

Listen to excerpts from The Last Savagehere.

Gian Carlo Menotti
The Last Savage (1963)
opera in three acts
libretto (It) by the composer
English translation by George Mead
French translation by Jean-Pierre Marty
for 2 sopranos, tenor, baritone, 2 basses and mixed chorus
pic.2.2.2.bcl.2.cbsn-4.3.3.1-timp.2perc-str
full evening

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