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confronts Toime on his self destructive behavior, and encourages him to pursue his significant intellectual gifts. Toime stops drinking and stealing and applies himself to his studies in chemistry, leading to the discovery of a valuable scientific formula that will bring wealth to his nation and enable him to become "the most important man". After revealing the formula which will enable him to alter the world to a group of white scientists, a power struggle over how the formula will be used and who will take credit for it ensues as the scientists attempt to take the formula from Ukamba. Ukamba flees into the wilds of the
African savannah with Cora, the daughter of Dr. Arnek, with whom he has fallen in love. Dr. Arnek's wife, Leona, and his other white assistant, Eric Rupert, are distraught over Cora's assignation with a black man. They scheme against the couple and ultimately use the tools of the "white state" to thwart the happiness of the couple. Toime is tragically disgraced and killed, but not before he burns his research. This leaves Dr. Arnek as the "most important man" as he is now the only one who has seen Ukamba's research and knows the important formula. The opera ends with the other scientists demanding Dr. Arnek divulge the formula held within his mind. Will he divulge it?
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Native
African Toime Ukamba is a scientist and former pupil of Dr. Arnek, a white man who is one of few white individuals who treats the African natives with respect, kindness, and dignity. Unable to find work due to racial prejudice, Toime drinks heavily and becomes a thief. Dr. Arnek
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opera tradition. In this work he infuses
African percussion and rhythms, much in the way Puccini infused Asian inspired melodies and musical practices into his opera
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Bruce, Archibald; Barnes, Jennifer (2001). "Menotti, Gian Carlo". In
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Dr. Otto Arnek, a white scientist and Toime's teacher
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139:. The work's first European performance was at the
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284:Professor Risselberg, a scientist
163:Roles, voice types, premiere cast
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310:Professor Grippel, a scientist
271:Professor Clement, a scientist
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99:in three acts with music and
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619:The Saint of Bleecker Street
611:Amahl and the Night Visitors
177:Premiere cast, 12 March 1971
141:Teatro Lirico Giuseppe Verdi
136:The Saint of Bleecker Street
667:Help, Help, the Globolinks!
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675:The Most Important Man
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44:The composer in 1944
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333:Racially segregated
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81:New York City Opera
545:Gian Carlo Menotti
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372:(March 14, 1971).
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107:. Commissioned by
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587:The Medium
343:References
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130:The Consul
74:1971-03-12
50:Librettist
643:Labyrinth
331:Setting:
683:The Hero
470:(2013).
405:(eds.).
319:Don Yule
300:baritone
250:baritone
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111:for the
101:libretto
66:Premiere
58:Language
718:Related
691:La Loca
263:soprano
236:soprano
145:verismo
72: (
61:English
808:Operas
758:Portal
710:(1986)
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327:Plot
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