19, 20 and 21, 1956 to both critical and popular success. Its New York premiere was performed by the New York City Ballet on January 15, 1957, in a production conducted by Thomas Schippers and choreographed by John Butler who also choreographed the world premiere in Washington. The role of The Poet in the New York City production was danced by Nicholas Magallanes with the three mythical creatures in the story danced by Arthur Mitchell (The Unicorn), Eugene Tanner (The Gorgon), and Richard Thomas (The Manticore). It has been revived many times over the ensuing 40 years, both in its full ballet form and (more frequently) as a choral work. It received its Boston premiere in 1972 performed by the Boston Cecilia, who revived it again in 1996 with a performance at Sanders Theatre in preparation for their studio recording released the following year. Recent performances have included those in Reno, Nevada performed by Nevada Opera and the Sierra Nevada Ballet in 2007; Spoleto, Italy at the Festival dei Due Mondi also in 2007; and Washington, D.C. performed by the Cantate Chamber Singers and the Bowen McCauley Dance troupe in 2009. Menotti's centenary year, 2011, has seen performances in Seattle by The Esoterics vocal ensemble and in Ljubljana by the Slovenian National Theatre Opera and Ballet. Structure and music The Unicorn, the Gorgon and the Manticore consists of a prologue and 12 madrigals which tell a continuous story. They are sung (most of them a cappella) by a 24-voice SATB chorus and are interspersed with six musical interludes. Lasting approximately 45 minutes, the work is orchestrated for a chamber ensemble consisting of winds (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet), lower strings (cello and double bass), harp, and percussion. The music was described by the Time Magazine critic who attended the world premiere as "a singular and engaging combination of ancient contrapuntal harmonies and tart, modern, dramatic values." The critic also singled out the melancholy beauty of the twelfth and last madrigal with the chorus singing "almost liturgically, as if each voice were a pipe in an organ." Menotti said of the twelfth madrigal: "It is the most deeply and personally felt of anything I've written. It is something I would like for my own funeral." The madrigal was also sung in 1981 at the funeral of Samuel Barber, who had been Menotti's lover for many years. Synopsis The prologue describes a