The Fall of the House of Usher is an opera by Peter Hammill (music) and Chris Judge Smith (libretto). It is based on the short story of the same name by Edgar Allan Poe. It has never been performed live in its entirety, but Hammill sang a suite of songs from it at live concerts in 1991 and 1992.
Hammill and Smith, two of the co-founders of Van der Graaf Generator, worked sporadically on the opera from 1973 until its first recording was released o...
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The Fall of the House of Usher is an opera by Peter Hammill (music) and Chris Judge Smith (libretto). It is based on the short story of the same name by Edgar Allan Poe. It has never been performed live in its entirety, but Hammill sang a suite of songs from it at live concerts in 1991 and 1992.
Hammill and Smith, two of the co-founders of Van der Graaf Generator, worked sporadically on the opera from 1973 until its first recording was released on Some Bizzare Records (the only instance of Hammill's work appearing on the label) in Nov 1991. The album was available on CD, cassette and a limited edition of 500 double vinyl LPs. The cast of singers was:
Smith's libretto takes certain liberties with Poe's source text. The House itself becomes a vocal part, to be sung by the same performer who sings the role of Roderick Usher. The narrator, unnamed in the story, is given the name Montresor (the name of the narrator of another tale by Poe, "The Cask of Amontillado"), and a romantic...
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