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| Operas by Carl Maria von Weber |
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Peter Schmoll und seine Nachbarn (1802) |
Euryanthe is a German Romantic opera by Carl Maria von Weber, first performed at the Theater am Kärntnertor, Vienna on 25 October 1823. Though acknowledged as one of Weber's most important operas, the work is rarely staged because of the weak libretto by Helmina von Chézy. Only the overture, an outstanding example of the early German Romantic style (heralding Richard Wagner), is frequently played today. Like Schubert's lesser-known Alfonso und Estrella and Fierrabras, of the same time and place (Vienna, 1822 and 1823, respectively), Euryanthe parts with the German Singspiel tradition, adopting a musical approach free from the interruption of spoken dialog characteristic of earlier German language operas such as Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, Beethoven's Fidelio, and Weber's own Der Freischütz.1
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Performance history
Euryanthe premiered on 25 October, 1823, in a year marked by Vienna's interest in Italian operas, particularly those of Rossini. The performance was poorly received, with complaints about the libretto, and the length of the opera. Franz Schubert commented that, "This is not music ..."2
In spite of this situation, the opera has since then had several champions. During his term as director of the Vienna State Opera, Gustav Mahler mounted a new production of Euryanthe in 1903. Despite amendments in the libretto by Mahler himself (who described von Chézy as a "poetess with a full heart and an empty head") and Max Kalbeck and a few changes in the score by Mahler, there were only 5 performances. Mahler knew better than anyone the weaknesses of the libretto and the absurdities of the plot; in particular, in the third act, the ludicrously implausible meeting of all the characters in the middle of a rocky waste, a scene which he always alluded to as 'the merry folk reunited'. Leo Slezak played Adolar, Leopold Demuth played Lysiart. 3
The composer and musicologist Donald Francis Tovey regarded it as musically superior to Wagner's much better-known opera Lohengrin (whose plot and music echo Euryanthe in several respects, especially with regard to the use of Leitmotiv technique) and, like Mahler, worked on another performing version, while Arturo Toscanini conducted the La Scala premiere in 1902. Carlo Maria Giulini conducted a performancewhen? at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, and several historic recordings of the opera are now available. It has also been staged more frequently in recent years.
Roles
| Role | Voice Type | Premiere Cast, October 25, 1823 |
|---|---|---|
| King Louis VI | bass | |
| Euryanthe of Savoy | soprano | Henriette Sontag |
| Adolar, Count of Nevers | tenor | Anton Haizinger |
| Rudolf, a knight | tenor | |
| Bertha, a country girl | soprano | |
| Lysiart, Count of Forest | baritone | |
| Eglantine von Puiset | mezzo-soprano | Therese Grünbaum |
| Ladies, knights, soldiers, hunters, pages, heralds, peasants | ||
Synopsis
Euryanthe is betrothed to Count Adolar. In a hall in the palace of King Louis of France the count sings the praises of his promised bride. Lysiart, Count of Forest and Beaujolais, challenges the fidelity of the maiden and asserts that he can win her should he care to try. Adolar stakes his lands and fortune on the faithfulness of Euryanthe and demands that his friend shall show some proof of his victory should he win one.
In her castle at Nevers Euryanthe has given refuge to Eglantine de Puiset, the daughter of a mutineer. This woman is enamoured of Adolar, and, under the pretense of friendship for her benefactor, she secretly determines to effect her downfall and the rupture of her attachment to Adolar. Herein she is assisted by Lysiart, who has unsuccessfully attempted to gain the favor of Euryanthe. To Eglantine, Euryanthe has confided a secret given her by Adolar. The latter's sister Emma had lost her lover in battle, and had killed herself by drinking poison from a ring. Her soul could find no rest until the ring, lying in her tomb, should be moistened with the tears of an injured and innocent maiden. Eglantine visits the tomb, abstracts the ring, and gives it to Lysiart. The latter then displays the jewel to Count Adolar, who is convinced that his betrothed is unfaithful, since she must have betrayed the secret known to him and her alone. He takes Euryanthe into the desert, intending to kill, her but they are attacked by a serpent and the girl throws herself between the reptile and her lover. Adolar kills the serpent, but he cannot find the heart to murder her who would have given her life for his. He leaves her to her fate. Euryanthe is found by the king and his hunters, and to the monarch she unfolds the story of her woe and the treachery of Eglantine. In the meantime Eglantine has become affianced to Lysiart, and the wedding is about to be celebrated in the Castle of Nevers when the woman is suddenly stricken with hysterical remorse. She thinks that Euryanthe appears to her as a ghost and, in her ravings, divulges the plot. Lysiart, in fury, slays his bride, but is at once seized by order of the king, who enters with Adolar as Eglantine breathes her last. Explanations follow, and Euryanthe, who makes her appearance at that, moment is once more taken to the heart of her beloved.4
Selected recordings
- DVD videorecording from the Teatro Lirico di Cagliari under Gerard Korsten, in which the opera is performed as Weber left it, is now commercially available.
- 1974 premiere studio recording of the complete score features singers Jessye Norman, Nicolai Gedda, Tom Krause and Rita Hunter; the Staatskapelle Dresden is conducted by Marek Janowski (who has also made recordings of Weber's other major operas Der Freischütz and Oberon).
References
- ^ Elizabeth Norman McKay: "Alfonso und Estrella", Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed October 30, 2007), <http://www.grovemusic.com>.
- ^ Otte, Andreas; Wink, Konrad (2007). Kerners Krankheiten großer Musiker: Die Neubearbeitung. Schattauer. pp. p. 157. ISBN 3794526015. http://books.google.com/books?id=9Ot2Zhjg3qYC.
- ^ Henri-Louis de La Grange, Gustav Mahler, Vienna: The Years of Challenge, Vol. 2 Oxford University Press 1995
- ^ Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1911). Program Notes. Orchestral Association. http://books.google.com/books?id=DMIUAAAAYAAJ.
Sources
- Viking Opera Guide ed. Holden (Viking, 1993)
External links
- (German) Libretto
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 31 December 2008, at 06:42.
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