The name Charles A. Lindbergh will forever be associated with two dramatic events: the first, Lindbergh’s historic nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic in the airplane named “The Spirit of St. Louis”; the second, the kidnapping and murder of Lindbergh’s infant son.

On today’s date in the year 2002, marking the centennial of Lindbergh’s birth and the 75th anniversary of Lindbergh’s Atlantic crossing, the Opera Theatre of St. Louis premiered a new opera entitled “Loss of Eden,” a musical reflection on Lindbergh’s public triumph and personal tragedy.

The opera’s composer, Cary John Franklin, reworked themes from his opera into a chamber piece for oboe and guitar, entitled “Falls Flyer.” The title refers to both Lindbergh, who was born in Little Falls, Minnesota, and to the line of speedboats marketed under that name from the 1930s to the 1950s, whose sleek lines were modeled after the open cockpit of Lindbergh’s first plane.

Franklin wrote, “‘Falls Flyer,’ is derived from music that accompanies the major dramatic moments of the opera – the plane departing for Paris, the kidnapping, and the execution of the man convicted of the crime. The more lyrical sections suggest the serenity and solitude found floating through clouds – or drifting on the water.”

Cary John Franklin (b. 1956): Falls Flyer (Klemp-Kachian Duo) Schubert Club/Ten Thousand Lakes 115