The Tender Land

Copland’s only full-length opera, “The Tender Land”  tells a coming-of-age tale a young woman on a Midwestern farm in the 1930s. She’s caught between the smothering expectations of her family and her dreams of life and love beyond the borders of her rural town.

The opera opens on the eve of Laurie Moss’ graduation from high school. Preparations for a party are underway when two drifters, Martin and Top, arrive looking for work. The outsiders quickly find themselves victims of small-town prejudice as they are (falsely) suspected of having attacked a girl. Meanwhile, Laurie falls for Martin at the party, earning the wrath of her mother and especially her grandfather. The couple make plans to elope in the morning, but Top convinces Martin it would be a mistake and they leave town without her. Though overcome with anguish, Laurie — in a strong-willed act of independence and defiance — strikes out on her own.