A one-act opera based on the play by August Strindberg, 26 minutes. First performance during VI:3, A Night of Student Opera Premiers, April 2002, Leverett House, Harvard University, sponsored by the Harvard-Radcliffe Contemporary Music Ensemble.
Score
Miss Julie: dramatic soprano
Jean: Tenor
Christine: Mezzo-soprano
Chorus
Orchestration: flute, oboe, clarinet, violin, viola, cello, and piano.
Download a pdf of the score (for study purposes only).
For performance rights and materials, please contact the composer by e-mail at ch@christopherhossfeld.com.
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 must decide what to do.