Overview
Synopsis
Drawing from letters of Galileo and his family, and various other documents, the story concerns Galileo’s development of the hypothesis that the earth revolved around the sun and his relationship with his daughter. The opera opens with Galileo as an old, blind man after the trial and Inquisition for his heresy and proceeds backwards through time. It explores his piousness as well as his break with the church, and expands into the greater, oscillating relationship of science to both religion and art, reaching its end with Galileo -as an infant- watching an opera composed by his father.
Show Information
- Music
- Philip Glass
- Category
- Opera
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 10
- Genres
- Ideal For
- All-Male Cast, All-Female Cast, Small Cast
Context
Plot
Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|
Songs
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
Sorry! We do not currently have terms for this guide.
Videos
Sorry! We do not currently have videos for this guide.
Quizzes
Sorry! We do not currently have quizzes for this guide.
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
Sorry! We do not currently have learning modules for this guide.
Quote Analysis
Sorry! We do not currently have learning modules for this guide.