Girls of the Golden West (opera)
# Girls of the Golden West (opera)

Girls of the Golden West is an opera in two acts with music by John Adams and a libretto by Peter Sellars. The San Francisco Opera commissioned the work jointly with Dallas Opera, the Dutch National Opera (De Nationale Opera) and Teatro La Fenice in Venice. The opera was premiered in San Francisco on November 21, 2017. The running time is 160 minutes.

## Composition history

The opera is inspired by the 1851/1852 letters of Louise Clappe, who lived for a year and a half in the mining settlement of Rich Bar (now Diamondville, California) during the California Gold Rush. Clappe published the letters under the pen name Dame Shirley. The libretto is also sourced from other literature of the period, including newspaper articles and the writings of Mark Twain. Adams wrote, "To be able to set to music the authentic voices of these people, whether from their letters or their songs or from newspaper accounts from their time, is a great privilege for me." Sellars, who also directed the opera, conceived the libretto while doing research for a production of Giacomo Puccini's 1910 opera La fanciulla del West (based on David Belasco's 1905 play The Girl of the Golden West), which also deals with the gold rush period. According to Sellars, "These true stories of the Forty-Niners are overwhelming in their heroism, passion and cruelty, telling tales of racial conflicts, colorful and humorous exploits, political strife and struggles to build anew a life and to decide what it would mean to be American."

Sellars's previous collaborations with Adams have included premiere productions of Nixon in China, The Death of Klinghoffer and Doctor Atomic (for which Sellars also wrote the libretto).

## Roles

| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, 21 November - 10 December 2017 (Conductor: Grant Gershon) | European Premiere cast, 28 February - 17 March 2019 (Conductor: Grant Gershon) | Los Angeles Premiere Cast, 27 & 29 January 2023 (Conductor: John Adams) |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Dame Shirley | soprano | Julia Bullock | Julia Bullock | Julia Bullock |
| Ned Peters | bass-baritone | Davóne Tines | Davóne Tines | Davóne Tines |
| Joe Cannon | tenor | Paul Appleby | Paul Appleby (Lucas van Lierop March 13 & 17) | Paul Appleby |
| Ah Sing | soprano | Hye Jung Lee | Hye Jung Lee | Hye Jung Lee |
| Clarence | bass-baritone | Ryan McKinny | Ryan McKinny | Ryan McKinny |
| Josef Segovia | mezzo-soprano | J'Nai Bridges | J'Nai Bridges | Daniela Mack |
| Ramón | baritone | Elliot Madore | Elliot Madore | Elliot Madore |
| Lola Montez | dancer | Lorena Feijóo | | |
| Fayette | actor | Kai Brothers | Carlos García Estévez | |
| Chorus of Miners | Chorus of Male Voices | San Francisco Opera Chorus | Dutch National Opera Chorus | Los Angeles Master Chorale |

## Recording

In January 2023 two live performances of the opera, performed at Walt Disney Concert Hall and conducted by the composer were recorded for Nonesuch Records, and will be released later in the year.

