Something a little out of the ordinary from Jungfer Marianne Leitmetzerin this week: David Del Tredici‘s Final Alice, featuring the “original cast.”

David Del Tredici: Final Alice

Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Georg Solti, conductor
January 1980

Barbara Hendricks, soprano

Described by Del Tredici as “an opera, written in concert form,” “Final Alice” is a one-hour virtuoso showpiece for coloratura soprano and large orchestra. The work premiered in 1976 and is dedicated to Sir Georg Solti. The text is drawn from Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” “Through the Looking Glass,” and early draft versions of these poems.

Even though the album sold extremely well upon its release, it was never issued on Compact Disc and available only as an LP before being deleted and remaining unavailable for many years. Only recently, it was released on CD in Australia.