William Bolcom's A View From The Bridge is widely considered as one of the most significant additions to the American opera in recent times. The libretto, written by Arnold Weinstein and Arthur Miller, is based on Miller’s play of the same name. The play – set in mid-twentieth-century Brooklyn – centers around an Italian dock worker named Eddie and his niece Catherine, who falls in love with her aunt’s cousin Rodolpho. As the story unfolds, Eddie’s jealousy, fueled by a possible incestuous love for his niece, leads the dockworker to violence and ultimately to the betrayal of his community and disastrous personal consequences.

Bolcom is one of the country's most important composers working in his prime, who writes confidently in a style that is musically sophisticated but always accessible. Drawing from a palette that serves to support the characters rather than overwhelm them, Bolcolm's music traverses a powerful emotional and stylistic landscape, from jazz to lyricism to dissonance.

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