The Poisoned Kiss

The Poisoned Kiss, or The Empress and the Necromancer is an opera in three acts by the English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. The libretto, by Evelyn Sharp, is based on Richard Garnett's The Poison Maid and Nathaniel Hawthorne's Rappaccini's Daughter. The opera was completed in 1929, first performed by the Intimate Opera Company at the Cambridge Arts Theatre, Britain, on 12 May 1936 (conducted by Cyril Rootham), and premiered in New York by the Bronx Opera in January 2012.

Roles

Role	Voice type	Premiere Cast, 12 May 1936 (Conductor: Cyril Rootham )
Angelica	soprano	Margaret Field-Hyde
Tormentilla	soprano	Mabel Ritchie
Gallanthus	baritone	Geoffry Dunn
Dipsacus	bass	Frederick Woodhouse
Empress	contralto	Meriel St Clair
Amaryllus	tenor	Trefor Jones

References

Notes

Sources

• Holden, Amanda (Ed.), The New Penguin Opera Guide, New York: Penguin Putnam, 2001. ISBN 0-14-029312-4