Susannah

Susannah is an opera in two acts by American composer Carlisle Floyd, who wrote the libretto and music while a member of the piano faculty at Florida State University. Floyd adapted the story from the Apocryphal tale of Susannah and the Elders, though the latter story has a more positive ending. The story focuses on 18-year-old Susannah Polk, an innocent girl who is targeted as a sinner in the small mountain town of New Hope Valley, in the Southern American state of Tennessee. Influenced by the Elders and Elders' Wives, traveling preacher Olin Blitch and the town push her away, leading to tragedy. After Susannah refuses to repent at Blitch’s revival meeting, Blitch comes to see Susannah on her property. Though he planned to continue asking her to repent, he ends up pressuring her into sex. Blitch is very remorseful after this and tries to persuade the townspeople to forgive her. They refuse, and Susannah refuses to forgive him. Susannah’s brother Sam returns home, kills Blitch and runs away. The townspeople try to force Susannah to leave, but she points her gun at them and they leave, except for her former friend Little Bat, whom she pretends to try to seduce, but she pushes him away also.