LEE HOIBY (b.1926): Bon Appétit!, This is the Rill Speaking.

Description: Bon appétit is based on a transcript of a PBS cooking show from 1971 in which Julia Child cooked a chocolate cake. No, seriously. From this whimsical premise - and Child's presentation was nothing if not whimsical in itself, including in this instance a race between manual and electrical egg-whisks - Hoiby crafted a delightful light entertainment full of elegance and charm, constantly melodically inventive. Rill is a plotless evocation of small-town life, based on the early play by Lanford Wilson. Hoiby's music perfectly complements the gently colloquial atmosphere of the play, with vocal writing of exemplary clarity in the ensemble numbers, and eloquent melodiousness throughout. Libretti included. Eastman Opera Theatre; Benton Hess.