Samuel Barber & Gian Carlo Menotti - I

Samuel Barber's first opera, Vanessa, was a hit on its opening night - only to be denounced as 'un-American'. Did its fall from grace have anything to do with the composer's lifelong relationship with the Italian composer-writer Gian Carlo Menotti? In the first part of this series given on Monday 11 March, one of our regular presenters, Dr Murray Dahm, outlined the legacy of the two composers and focused on the creative output of Samuel Barber.