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The Hours
152
English
Synopsis
The opera intertwines a single day in the lives of three women from different eras: book editor Clarissa Vaughan in 1999 New York, novelist Virginia Woolf in 1923 England, and housewife Laura Brown in 1949 Los Angeles. Their stories are connected through Virginia Woolf's novel Mrs. Dalloway. Clarissa prepares a party for her close friend Richard, a writer dying of AIDS. Laura, feeling stifled by domesticity, contemplates suicide while reading Mrs. Dalloway. Virginia, struggling with mental illness, begins writing the novel while also battling suicidal thoughts. The stories culminate with Richard's suicide, Laura's eventual abandonment of her family years later, and the three women acknowledging their connection across time
Composer
Kevin Puts
Lyricist / Librettist / Playwright
Greg Pierce
Year of composition/publication / premiere
2022
Genre
Opera
LGBTQAI+ category
Gay, Lesbian, Queer
Level of centrality
Main character
Characters
Clarissa Vaughan (book editor in a long-term lesbian relationship with Sally), Sally (Clarissa's partner), Richard (gay novelist with AIDS, also has a relationship with Louis), Louis (Richard's former boyfriend), Laura Brown (housewife who kisses her neighbor Kitty), Kitty (Laura's neighbor and object of her desire)
Voice type
Baritone, Mezzo-Soprano, Soprano, Tenor
Pronouns
she/her (Clarissa, Sally, Laura, Kitty); he/him (Richard, Louis)
Publisher / Rights holder
Erato / Warner Classics
Where to buy / access the work
CDs and streaming audio released on Erato (2024). The HD video of the December 10, 2022 performance is available on Met Opera on Demand
Performance rights
For performance rights, please contact the composer and/or publisher to ensure legal compliance.
Official website
Audio recording(s)
Video performance(s)
Keywords
Kevin Puts, Greg Pierce, The Hours, Michael Cunningham, Virginia Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway, LGBTQ, Queer, Gay, Lesbian, AIDS, Metropolitan Opera, 2022, Renée Fleming, Joyce DiDonato, Kelli O'Hara