The story is of Amahl, a young crippled shepherd boy who lives with his mother. They are visited one night by the Magi, on their journey to Bethlehem. The Magi are in need of food, drink, and rest when they encounter Amahl and his mother. The story of their visit is a wonderful, uplifting tale. The opera is performed by extraordinary singers, accompanied by an excellent chorus and orchestra.
Here in Kansas City, the Lyric Opera presented "Amahl..." for several years, with an interesting twist. The character performances were done by the Paul Mesner Puppets, his talented puppeteers bringing the story to life (I know one of the puppeteers, who had the role of "mothers right arm"). Members of the Lyric Opera were to the left of the elevated stage performing the singing, and an ensemble from the Kansas City Symphony was to the right for the musical score. The production was in a small venue, seating only about 200 persons at most, so we were very close to the performers and set. I attended this amazing production twice, always feeling like it was one of the best events of the Christmas season.
In addition to a digital transfer from the vinyl album, I have scanned and added as a PDF the program notes brochure that was included with the album, featuring the entire libretto as well as information about the opera and the original production.
I believe that this recording is available on CD, so I'll ask that if you listen to this and fall in love with it, please go ahead and make a purchase of the CD or other digital media. My audio files are simply Side 1 and Side 2 - I didn't feel right trying to break it up into smaller tracks.
Please enjoy "Amahl and the Night Visitors"
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