Trouble in Tahiti / The Old Maid and the Thief

Trouble in Tahiti is a short opera composed by Leonard Bernstein to an English libretto written by himself. It received its first performance on 12 June 1952 at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. Set in the affluence of a nameless American suburb, the story shows the disenchantment of Dinah with her philandering husband Sam, who is more interested in his career than in his family. They effect a reconcilement of sorts at the end of the opera, although it is doubtful that it will last.

The Old Maid and the Thief is an opera by Italian-American composer Gian Carlo Menotti, written and premiered in 1939. It was the first opera ever composed specifically for performance on the radio, commissioned by NBC. The opera is probably most known for two arias. First, "What curse for a woman, is a timid man (Steal me, sweet thief)," is a full scene, where Laetitia sings of her affection for Bob, the bum. The other popular aria is "Bob's Bedroom Aria," where Bob contemplates hitting the road. The opera was premiered on NBC on April 22, 1939, and was first staged in Philadelphia on February 11, 1941.

Trouble in Tahiti is presented by arrangement with Boosey & Hawkes, Inc., sole agent for Leonard Bernstein Music Publishing Co. LLC, publisher and copyright owner.

The Old Maid and the Thief is used by arrangement with European American Music Distributors LLC, U.S. and Canadian agent for Belwin Mills Publishing Corporation, publisher and copyright owner.

information from the opera company's site