The
Loathly Lady:
An Opera in Three Acts, based on Geoffrey Chaucer's "The
Wife of Bath's Tale"
The Loathly Lady is an original, sung-through opera with
music by Paul Richards, words by Wendy Steiner, musical
concept by John DeLucia, and art (for projection) by John
Kindness. It is based on Chaucer's The Wife of Bath's Tale,
but with magical appearances of characters from other times
(Freud, Virginia Woolf, Sheherezade, etc.). The medieval
acts (I and III) are scored for early instruments; the music
and instrumentation in act II fit the periods of its various
characters. Performance time is 110 minutes.
The singers committed to the project include some of the
best-known artists in the field: Julianne Baird, title role;
Susan Hellauer, Jacqueline Horner, and Ruth Cunningham (current
or former members of Anonymous 4). The instrumental accompaniment
is provided by two of America’s foremost ensembles:
Parthenia, a consort of viols; and Piffaro, the Philadelphia-based
wind band. Gary Thor Wedow is the conductor. The premiere
of the work is scheduled for concert performance in Philadelphia
on April 1, 2009.
In 2006, Wendy Steiner produced a 7-minute animation pilot
for the opera. She conceived it originally as a full-length
animated film. CLICK for detailed
information on the project.
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