A one-act opera based on the play by August Strindberg, 26 minutes. Music by Christopher Hossfeld. Libretto by Leslie Caroline Chu. Orchestration: flute, oboe, clarinet, piano, violin, viola, cello, and singers. First performance during VI:3, A Night of Student Opera Premiers, April 2002, Leverett House, Harvard University, Christopher Hossfeld, Music Director, Meg Weathers, Stage Director, Caroline Koo, Producer, sponsored by the Harvard-Radcliffe Contemporary Music Ensemble.
Score
Download a pdf of the score below (for study purposes only):
For performance rights and materials, please contact the composer by e-mail at ch@christopherhossfeld.com.
Recording
Use the controls above to play a brief section of the piece, or download a full recording here:
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•miss_julie.mp3 (25:44)
Live recording, first performance, Leverett House, Harvard University, April 2002.
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•Susan Long, Miss Julie
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•John McMunn, Jean
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•Maggie Harrison, Christine
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•Christopher Hossfeld, Conductor
Plot Synopsis
The setting is midsummer’s eve in rural Sweden, around 1900. The villagers are dancing and feasting outside and Miss Julie is dancing with her servants. Her father is gone, leaving her unsupervised for the sun-filled night. Miss Julie is flirting with her father’s valet, Jean, and things go way too far. Miss Julie and Jean try to keep things secret, but all has been witnessed by Jean’s girlfriend, Christine. As Christine threatens to reveal all, Miss Julie realizes that her world is about to come crashing down around her. The excerpt above is taken from the final scene of the opera: the morning after. After Christine prevents Miss Julie from running away with Jean, Miss Julie must decide what to do, knowing she cannot face a future where this affair is about to be very public.
Copyright ©2010 Christopher Hossfeld, All Rights Reserved
1 April 2002
Miss Julie
