October 7,8,14,15; Saturdays at 7:30pm, Sundays at 2pm

Carlyle Floyd, arguably the greatest of America's 20th century opera composers, adapts to the operatic stage John Steinbeck's Nobel Prize winning novella Of Mice and Men which details a forceful story of two displaced migrant ranch workers in California during the Great Depression whose dream of owning their own land one day ends in tragedy. Carlyle Floyd's vivid adaptation of John Steinbeck's story will grip audiences with powerful music and timeless themes. In the opinion of the late composer himself, this work is his greatest operatic achievement.

This opera was debuted in 1970 with the Seattle Opera, has been performed frequently in the US and abroad, but has not been seen in Northern California since the 1997 production by Opera San Jose. Of Mice and Men is the sole Steinbeck story that Carlyle Floyd set to music. This opera places both dramatic and vocal demands on its principals: there are no "small roles" in Of Mice and Men, leading to challenges in its casting. But ultimately, it is a deeply cathartic opera, ideally suited for the intimate setting that the 500-seat Bankhead Theater offers. And its plea of compassion and hope is as timely now as it was when John Steinbeck wrote his novella in 1935.

$20 to $105.

Presented by Livermore Valley Opera.

http://www.livermorevalleyopera.com 

info@livermorevalleyopera.com 

925-413-0571