| Willie Stark | |
|---|---|
| Opera by Carlisle Floyd | |
 Carlisle Floyd in 2004 with the National Medal of Arts | |
| Librettist | Floyd |
| Language | English |
| Based on | All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren |
| Premiere | April 24, 1981 |
Willie Stark is an opera in three acts and nine scenes by Carlisle Floyd to his own libretto, after the 1946 novel All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren, which in turn was inspired by the life of the Louisiana governor Huey Long. The opera was commissioned by the Houston Grand Opera, which premiered it on April 24, 1981, in a production directed by Harold Prince and conducted by John DeMain. The original production was dedicated to the American radio journalist Lowell Thomas. Floyd made cuts to the score for a television presentation of the opera, and the edited version was shown on US public television in September 1981.[1]
The opera was remounted in 2007 by the Louisiana State University Opera. The composer visited the university and advised on the production.[2] The production was recorded and released on DVD, by Newport Classic.
The work generated some small controversy among music critics, as it draws upon elements of Broadway musical theater more than Floyd's other more traditionally operatic works. The involvement of Broadway director Harold Prince in the initial production contributed to the emphasis of these elements of the work. In the years since its premiere, this sort of blurring of boundaries between opera and Broadway musicals has become commonplace.
- ^ John J. O'Connor (September 28, 1981). "Carlisle Floyd's Willie Stark on PBS". New York Times. Retrieved September 15, 2007.
- ^ "LSU School of Music to Present "360° of Willie Stark"". LSU News. March 5, 2007. Retrieved September 15, 2007.