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Adam Bede

Адам Беде

Projected opera (1893).

Catalogue References TH 246 (not in ČW)
Date Late 1893 (unrealized project)
Libretto Based on the novel of the same name (1859) from the collection Scenes of Clerical Life by George Eliot (pseudonym of Mary Ann Evans, 1819–1880)
Language Russian
Autograph Location Klin (Russia): Tchaikovsky House-Museum Archive (musical sketch only)

History

Among the books in Tchaikovsky’s library at Klin is a French translation of George Eliot’s story Adam Bede, containing a brief musical sketch by the composer, which was later struck through. It seems likely that this note was made during the last months of his life, when the composer became acquainted with the works of George Eliot, and he also considered writing operas on the subjects of The Sad Fortunes of the Reverend Amos Barton and Mister Gilfil’s Love-Story.

From: The Tchaikovsky Handbook, vol. 1 (2002), p. 422
Copyright © 2002 Alexander Poznansky and Brett Langston

This page was last updated on 14 November 2010