Amahl and the Night Visitors

AMAHL AND THE NIGHT VISITORS was the first opera to be broadcast to a national television audience, which catapulted the work to national fame and recognition. The premiere was on December 24, 1951 and was broadcast by NBC. The story concerns a young handicapped boy and his mother, who live in a poor village that is on the route for the three kings to travel to meet the Christ-child after his birth. The kings arrive, weary from their journey and they stop for the night, enjoying the hospitality of Amahl and his Mother. There is a great disparity in the wealth of the kings and Amahl's mother, and socio-economic conflict ensues, with a beautiful and altruistic resolution at the end. 

The heartfelt one-act opera is one of the operas most produced by community organizations and churches throughout the country. Due to it being originally written in english, containing wonderful characters and a situation that most of us can identify with on varying levels.