One of the shortest complete operas was written by American composer Samuel Barber with a libretto by his partner, Gian Carlo Menotti. A HAND OF BRIDGE is a one-act opera that premiered in 1959. It features two unhappily married couples playing a hand of bridge, while revealing their inner thoughts and feelings.
Today's Beautiful Music features a performance of A HAND OF BRIDGE by mezzo soprano Lauren Haygood, tenor Murch Murray, Soprano Kaelyn Harris, and baritone Nathaniel Burch. Fun fact: Samuel Barber's friend Andy Warhol drew the cover of the vocal score for A HAND OF BRIDGE.
