| Paradise Lost | |
|---|---|
| Opera by Krzysztof Penderecki | |
 The composer in 2008 | |
| Description | Sacra Rappresentazione |
| Librettist | Christopher Fry |
| Language | English |
| Based on | "Paradise Lost" by John Milton |
| Premiere | 29 November 1978 |
Paradise Lost is an opera in two acts with music by Krzysztof Penderecki and an English libretto by Christopher Fry. The opera is based on the 1667 epic poem of the same name by Milton. Penderecki himself characterized the work as a Sacra Rappresentazione (sacred representation) rather than an opera.[1] He wrote the opera on commission for the 1976 US Bicentennial celebrations. The first performance was given on 29 November 1978, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.[2] The same production was given at La Scala, Milan on 31 January 1979.[3][4][5]
The opera is set in heaven, hell, and on earth at the dawn of creation, and is divided into 42 scenes.
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, 29 November 1978 (Conductor: Bruno Bartoletti)[6] |
|---|---|---|
| John Milton | speaker | Arnold Moss |
| Adam | baritone | William Stone |
| Eve | soprano | Ellen Shade |
| Satan | bass-baritone | Peter Van Ginkel |
| Beelzebub | tenor | Michael Ballam |
| Moloch | baritone | William Powers |
| Belial | tenor | Melvin Lowrey |
| Mammon | baritone | Edward Huls |
| Death | countertenor | Paul Esswood |
| Sin | mezzo-soprano | Joy Davidson |
| Zephon | soprano | Susan Brummell |
| Ithuriel | John Patrick Thomas | |
| Gabriel | tenor | James Schwisow |
| Raphael | Dale Terbeek | |
| Messias | baritone | Alan Opie |
| Michael | tenor | Frank Little |
| Voices of God | John Brandstetter | |
| Voices of God | David Howell | |
| Voices of God | Edward Huls | |
| Voices of God | Daniel McConnell | |
| Voices of God | William Mitchell |
