The opera is about Esther's struggle as she becomes the queen of Persia, and her heroic triumph over the evil Prime Minister Haman and his plot of exterminating the Jews.
It was considered one of his most successful works, along with Six Characters in Search of an Author, which confirmed his reputation as a major 20th-century American composer.
Despite the background and sources of the subject, Weisgall composed Esther with no discernible attempt to adapt Persian music or style in his opera.
Weisgall descended from four generations of cantors, including his father, and as a result, absorbed from an early age the musical traditions of the Jews of central Europe as well as the standard opera and song repertory, which influenced the writing for Esther.
Designed by Jerome Sirlin and lit by Jeff Davis, the premiere was conducted by Joseph Colaneri and directed by Christopher Mattaliano.
"[5] The New York Times wrote: "When Weisgall took curtain calls, the ovation was so thunderous, you would have thought that Verdi had risen from the dead.
Mordecai begs Esther, now the Queen, to ask Xerxes to intercede for the Jewish people, even though the law states that approaching the King unsummoned is a capital offense.