2008, Revised 2016 | mezzo-soprano/piano.
From The Scarlet Letter. Libretto by David Mason (b.1954).
Act One, Scene Four of The Scarlet Letter finds Arthur Dimmesdale sharing rooms with Roger Chillingworth, who has come to suspect Dimmesdale of adultery. Chillingworth leaves to attend to the dying governor, and when Dimmesdale awakes from a drug- induced sleep he wanders alone out into the streets, tortured by his own guilt. There he meets Mistress Hibbons, who sees the hypocrisy in the young minister, sees that he has hidden behind his pious image and even distanced himself from his own identity. In this song she taunts the minister—a sort of grotesque mirror of his guilt. — David Mason.
Link to purchase the PDF is below. Click here to purchase a hard copy from Classical Vocal Reprints.
This aria is included in the Project Voce Moderna database, which helps singers connect with contemporary opera arias. Here is The Scarlet Letter page, where one can purchase the piano or vocal track.
If you are interested in performing the voice/orchestral version, please contact me directly for licensing information.
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