The Life and Times of Joseph Stalin
An opera by Robert Wilson
Music by Alan Lloyd, Igor Demjen, Julie Weber, and Michael Galasso
Texts by Robert Wilson, Cynthia Lubar, Christopher Knowles, and Ann Wilson
Choreography by Andrew de Groat
Performed by Robert Wilson and the Byrd Hoffman School of Byrds
Premiered on December 14, 1973 at the Opera House of the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn, New York
The Life and Times of Joseph Stalin was more than 12-hour long opera that incorporated scenes from previous plays, e.g. from The Life and Times of Sigmund Freud (1969) and Deafman Glance (1971), as well as new material. It was previewed in mid-September of 1973 at The New Theater (Det Ny Teater) in Copenhagen, Denmark, and after its premiere in New York was shown four times at the Municipal Theater in Sao Paulo, Brazil - under the title The Life and Times of Dave Clark.
In 1973, Robert Wilson's Byrd Hoffman School of Byrds released an LP with sound excerpts from the production. The following two tracks from the LP feature Christopher Knowles's famous text 'Emily likes the TV' (TIMES) and a music for violin solo, composed and performed by Michael Galasso (STALIN):