| The Death of Klinghoffer | |
|---|---|
| Opera by John Adams | |
 Composer John Adams, 2008 | |
| Librettist | Alice Goodman |
| Language | English |
| Premiere | 19 March 1991 La Monnaie, Brussels |
The Death of Klinghoffer is an American opera, with music by John Adams to an English-language libretto by Alice Goodman. First produced in Brussels and New York in 1991, the opera is based on the hijacking of the passenger liner Achille Lauro by the Palestine Liberation Front in 1985, and the hijackers' murder of a 69-year-old Jewish-American wheelchair-using passenger, Leon Klinghoffer.
The concept of the opera originated with theatre director Peter Sellars,[1] who was a major collaborator, as was choreographer Mark Morris. It was commissioned by five American and European opera companies, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
The opera has generated controversy, including allegations by Klinghoffer's two daughters and others that the opera is antisemitic and glorifies terrorism. The work's creators and others have disputed these criticisms.[2]
- ^ Christiansen, Rupert, "Breaking Taboos". Opera, 54(5), 543–548 (May 2003)
- ^ Cooper, Michael (October 20, 2014). "Klinghoffer Protesters Flock to Met Opera House". The New York Times. Retrieved October 20, 2014.