SALT

Libretto by the composer, after a Russian folktale collected by Alexandr Afanas’yev (1826-71)

A saga for soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, bass, 2 clarinets (2 + bass cl.), guitar, violin, ‘cello and double bass

(2020)

designed to make a double-bill with JUMP INTO MY SACK (1996)

28'

The original concert version of Salt was commissioned in honor of the 50th Anniversary of Emmanuel Music by the Harvard Musical Association.

First performance of the concert version: 9 April 2021

A ne’er do well younger sister outsmarts her brothers, persuades he father to give her a boat, and makes a fortune discovering salt. She abducts a bride, who is in turn stolen by her brothers, and she makes a bargain with a giant to restore her fortunes.

Read a version of the folktale HERE, this is different in some major respects to my retelling, but the outline is the same