[2] In the ruined paradise, she confronts Lilith, who in Jewish mythology and legends such as the medieval Alphabet of Sirach mated with Adam before Eve was created.
Work on the opera began in 1986 when Drattell composed an 11-minute symphonic poem for the Denver Symphony when she was the organization’s artist-in-residence on the subject of Lilith.
[3] The piece was expanded to a full-length opera, with a libretto by David Steven Cohen, due to Drattell's fascination with the theme.
[4] Its world première was initially planned for 1997 at New York’s Dicapo Opera, but production was cancelled due to a labor dispute.
Drattell reworked the piece, presenting it as a workshop offering at the Glimmerglass Opera in Cooperstown, New York in 1998 as a concertized version.