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Ausrine Stundyte as Cio-Cio-San, Elizabeth Janes as Butterfly’s child and Sarah Larsen as Suzuki in Seattle Opera's production of Puccini's Madama Butterfly. Photo by Elise Bakketun.
North American Works Directory Listing
The Harmfulness of Tobacco
Composer: Martin Kalmanoff
Librettist: Eric Bentley
Premiere Date: March 22, 1979
Producing Company: Manhattan Opera Singers
Description: Setting: Russia, turn of the century.

A lecture that is ostensibly about the dangers of tobacco becomes a forum through which the speaker vents his frustrations with his life. As he randomly discusses one thought after another, a complete picture of his unhappy existence unfolds. The main difficulty for this henpecked man is his domineering wife. As he describes his duties, which includes running their household and teaching all the classes in her school, his confidence builds, and he fantasizes about running away. But, when his wife enters the wings, his moment of independence is over. He lamely finishes the lecture, trying to pretend that he has merely informed his audience of the harmfulness of tobacco.

Courtesy of Recent American Opera: a production guide by Rebecca Hodell Kornick
Character List (Major): Lecturer (bar, b or t)
Length: 00:30
Total Acts: 1
Orchestration: fl, ob, cl, bsn - hrn, tpt, tbn - timp, perc - str
Contact: Center for Contemporary Opera
Address: 338 W 23rd St New York, NY 10011
Phone: (347) 265-8943

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