Missy Mazzoli becomes the first woman composer to receive a world premiere at the Met
Lincoln in the Bardo brings George Saunders’s novel about loss, memory and compassion to the New York stage.
On October 19, the Metropolitan Opera presented the world premiere of American composer Missy Mazzoli’s Lincoln in the Bardo. Mazzoli became the first woman whose opera received its world premiere at the company.
Royce Vavrek’s libretto adapts George Saunders’s Booker Prize-winning novel. Set in 1862, the story follows Abraham Lincoln as he visits the cemetery where his recently deceased son, Willie, has been laid to rest. Around him exists a realm of ghosts struggling to understand their condition. The president’s private grief becomes part of a wider story about loss and compassion.
Directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz, the premiere was conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin, with baritone Peter Mattei singing Lincoln. Puppetry, stage illusions and pyrotechnics help bring its supernatural world to life.
Performances continue through November 14. The Met has previously staged works by women composers, but those operas received their first performances elsewhere. Mazzoli’s premiere marks a distinct milestone in the company’s history.