The Fort Worth Opera returns to the Garden this year with four performances of the Christmas favorite, “Amahl and the Night Visitors.” This one-act English-language production is sure to delight your entire family.
“Amahl” was commissioned by NBC and introduced to American audiences on Dec. 24, 1951. The music and original libretto were the creation of Italian-American composer Gian Carlo Menotti.
Menotti said of the work:
This is an opera for children because it tries to recapture my own childhood. You see, when I was a child I lived in Italy, and in Italy we have no Santa Claus. I suppose that Santa Claus is much too busy with American children to be able to handle Italian children as well. Our gifts were brought to us by the Three Kings, instead.
The opera tells the story of Amahl, a disabled boy who lives near Bethlehem. His family receives a visit one night from three great kings, who tell the boy and his mother they are on a journey to give gifts to a Holy Child. Amahl is amazed at their stories of this Child, and he wishes he could also give the child a gift–but his only possession is the crutch that he depends on to walk. When he offers his crutch to the kings, his leg is miraculously healed. The opera ends with Amahl leaving with the kings to greet the Child and give thanks for his healing.
Reserve your tickets today to share the story of Amahl with your children this holiday season.