The Masque of Edgar Allan Poe was inspired by Poe’s short story “The Masque of the Red Death.” In the opera, the “Red Death” character is a personification of loneliness, drawn to the party by the two main characters--a professor who has studied Poe so fervently that he believes he is Poe, and a woman who is stuck there after being abandoned at the party by a friend; and the hostess (who struggles to form meaningful relationships with her guests). The action focuses on the developing relationship between Poe and the Woman, while the Red Death watches them, becomes angry and jealous, and eventually unites the two in the afterlife.
Masque will be paired with The Juniper Tree by Philip Glass and Robert Moran. Both operas will be fully staged, and performed with orchestra.
Nov. 11: University of Delaware, Loudis Recital Hall, 8 pm.