Alan Bush composed his fifth and final opera in 1965–67 on a commission from the
Berlin State Opera in
East Berlin, where other works by the composer had been performed. Bush's compositions were better received in East Germany than in the West. The opera's
libretto is based on a play by the American
Barrie Stavis,
The Man Who Never Died, which was first performed at the
Jan Hus Theater in New York City in 1958. Stavis arranged the libretto himself, after Nancy Bush, Alan's wife and principal librettist, who first worked on a libretto, failed to retain the short scenes of the play. It is based on the life of
Joe Hill, an immigrant to the U.S. from Sweden, who became a union activist and songwriter. He was controversially convicted of murder and executed in 1915. Four songs by Joe Hill, written as encouragement of industrial workers, became musical material for the composition. The opera was premiered at the
Berlin State Opera in
East Berlin on 29 September 1970, conducted by
Heinz Fricke, directed by
Erhard Fischer, in a stage design by Wilfried Werz. Erich Siebenschuh appeared in the title role. Reviewer
James Helme Sutcliffe of
The New York Times noted that the performance was "visually exciting despite the economy of the approach". Both authors attended the opening night. The opera was broadcast on
BBC Radio 3 in 1979, and repeated twice, once in 1985. The performance was conducted by
James Judd, with the
BBC Singers (chorus-master: Simon Joly) and the
BBC Concert Orchestra. == References ==