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Sotoba Komachi
(1957)Libretto by Sam Houston Brock after the Noh play by Kanami Kiyotsugu (E)
S,M,T,BBar,2dancers(male and female)
1.1.0.0-0.0.0.0-perc(1):timp/gong/tgl/SD/wdbl/cym(on stand)/tpl.bls-
harp-0.0.1.1.0
Abbreviations (PDF)
Boosey & Hawkes
Kaufmann Concert Hall, New York, New York
Sanae Kawaguchi, director
Conductor: Sheldon Soffer
Company: Music in Our Time
| SOTOBA KOMACHI | Soprano |
| 1st PRIEST | Bass Baritone |
| 2nd PRIEST | Tenor |
| CAPTAIN SHII-NO-SHOSHO | Dancer (male) |
| THE YOUNG KOMACHI | Dancer (female) |
| CHORUS | Mezzo Soprano |
Any time period, anyplace
Ono no Komachi, once a beautiful and heartless poet, reflects on her past and on her present shame and misery, evoking her younger self as a vision. Thinking she is a beggar, two priests try to instruct and admonish her, but she remains unmoved, and she reveals her true identity. The chorus tells the story of a Captain who was madly in love with the young Komachi. The cruel and captivating beauty demanded that he visit her in his chariot for a hundred nights before he could enjoy a rendezvous with her. He died just before his task was completed. The Captain's love and anger now possess Komachi's soul and have left her a miserable, withered old woman. The priests pray for her.
Dramatic, Poetic, Romantic