Leonard Kastle

From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia Leonard Gregory Kastle 11 February 1929 May 18 2011 was an opera composer librettist and director though he is best known as the writerdirector of The Honeymoon Killers his only venture into the cinema for which he did all his own research He was educated at the Curtis Institute of Music studying under opera composer Gian Carlo Menotti and also the Juilliard School He was an adjunct member of the SUNY Albany music faculty His operas include Deseret 1961 on a libretto by Anne Howard Bailey about Brigham Young which he directed for the NBC Opera Theatre He wrote in a Romantic style that he believed the music academy did not hold in high regard as something for contemporary composers to do His favorite composer was Gustav Mahler whom he believed was not at all respected when he was in music school In 1956 Kastle composed a thirteenminute madetomeasure opera titled The Swing for two singers a speaking part and piano accompaniment It was commissioned by and broadcast on the NBC television network on Sunday June 10 1956 at noon He also wrote The Pariahs about the sinking of the whaling ship Essex a trilogy of operas about the Shakers known under the collective title The Passion of Mother Ann A Sacred Festival Play a childrens opera called Professor Lookalike and the Children a piano concerto sonatas for piano and violin and three unproduced screenplays Wedding at Cana Change of Heart and Shakespeares Dog In a 2003 interview for the Criterion Collection he said that no producer wanted Wedding at Cana just another Honeymoon Killers which he did not want to do After The Honeymoon Killers Kastle returned to teaching and composing After the Criterion release of the film he was rediscovered by a new generation of cult film enthusiasts and occasionally attends film related events such as The Ed Wood Film Festival in 2007 where he served on the panel of judges Description above from the Wikipedia article Leonard Kastle licensed under CCBYSA full list of contributors on Wikipedia