La Chute de La Maison Usher (opera) - Attempts at Reconstruction

Attempts At Reconstruction

In the 1970s, two musicians made attempts at producing a performing edition of the incomplete opera. Carolyn Abbate's version, with orchestration by Robert Kyr, was performed at Yale University on 25 February 1977. In the same year the Chilean composer Juan Allende-Blin's reconstruction was broadcast on German radio. Blin's version was staged at the Berlin State Opera on 5 October 1979 with Jesús López-Cobos conducting, the baritone Jean-Philippe Lafont as Roderick Usher, the soprano Colette Lorand as Lady Madeline, the tenor Barry McDaniel as the doctor, and the bass Walter Grönroos as Roderick's friend. Blin's reconstruction was later recorded by EMI — the music has a running time of approximately 22 minutes.