The Devils of Loudun (opera)

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The Devils of Loudun (German: Die Teufel von Loudun) is an opera in three acts written in 1968 and 1969 by Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki, and then revised in 1972 and 1975. It has a German libretto by the composer, based on John Whiting's play The Devils which was based on Aldous Huxley's book The Devils of Loudun. The work was commissioned by the Hamburg State Opera, which consequently gave the premiere on 20 June 1969. Only 48 hours afterwards, the opera received its second performance in Stuttgart, followed two months later by its American debut mounted by the Santa Fe Opera. The work was revised in 1972 following suggestions by Polish theatre director Kazimierz Dejmek. This added two new scenes, excluded a scene from the opera's first act, regrouped other scenes, and modified the first act's instrumentation. In 1975, Penderecki added two more scenes in the second act. He revised the entire score again in 2012. The Devils of Loudun, the first and most popular of Penderecki's operas...

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