Ève (oratorio)
| Work data | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Ève |
Title page of the piano reduction, Paris 1875 |
|
| Shape: | “Mystère” in three parts |
| Original language: | French |
| Music: | Jules Massenet |
| Libretto : | Louis Gallet |
| Premiere: | March 18, 1875 |
| Place of premiere: | Cirque d'été , Paris |
| Playing time: | Around 1 hour |
| Place and time of the action: | Garden of eden |
| people | |
Ève is an oratorio (original name: "Mystère") in three parts by Jules Massenet (music) with a libretto by Louis Gallet . It premiered on March 18, 1875 at the Cirque d'été in Paris.
action
The italicized sections come from the German version of Ferdinand Gumbert's text .
First part
The creation of woman
The serenity of nature surrounds slumbering people. A pure light pours over creation, and from the still steaming earth light vapors, gilded by the sun, rise to the horizon. The plants and the waves of the sea move at the same time under mild winds.
After the orchestral prelude, heavenly voices describe the appearance of the first woman Ève (chorus: “L'homme sommeille sous les palmes”).
Adam and Eve
Adam wakes up from his sleep and realizes that he is no longer alone (duet: "Homme tu n'es plus seul!"). The couple is fascinated by each other at first sight. The narrator points out that the two do not yet know life and its sufferings. Nature herself also regards the couple's happiness with benevolence (chorus: “Au premier sourire d'Ève”).
Second part
Eve in Solitude - The Temptation
Heavenly heaven. Mild summer night, intoxicating and fragrant. In the loneliness of the forest Eva walks dreamily, far from the man. Sighing and bewitched, she hears the voices of the night floating around her indefinitely.
Night ghosts lead Ève to the tree of knowledge (choir: “Femme qui viens écouter le silence”). She enjoys the feeling she has never experienced before (aria: “O nuit! Douce nuit”) and would like to learn more about the secret of her existence. Voices of hell assure her that love is the key through which she can receive “all power on earth” (chorus: “Loin de l'homme endormi”). Beside herself with desire, Ève flees into the darkness.
third part
The case
After an orchestral prelude, the speaker describes that Ève does not recognize the futility of her wishes and succumbs to temptation (aria: “Femme! Tu n'as point versé de larmes”). Spirits of Hell encourage the couple to indulge in love ("Aimons-nous! C'est vivre!"). When Ève asks him to "kiss her hot love", Adam hesitates, confused at first, but then surrenders to her in "sweet ecstasy".
The curse
The narrator reports how a mighty voice rises from heaven and the whole of creation hears the curse. Voices of nature explain to the couple the dire consequences of their lust for love (chorus: “Pour avoir écouté les esprits de l'abime”). Adam and Ève accept the punishment. They just ask God to continue to let them enjoy the delights of love.
layout
Massenet's Ève is not a typical oratorio, but also has features of a short opera. Massenet seems to have been influenced by Gounod's recently completed (but not premiered until 1878) opera Polyeucte . The work can also be seen as the French counterpart to Haydn's oratorio The Creation . In contrast to Haydn's oratorios, the focus is not on spreading the ideals of the Enlightenment , but on the representation of moods. The biblical events mainly serve as a background for the erotically charged encounter of the first people. A choir of hellish spirits replaces the serpent mentioned in Genesis . The fruit of the tree of knowledge is not an apple, but love. The name of the work "Mystère" refers to the tradition of the medieval mystery plays . Formally Ève ties in with the baroque “ dialogues ”.
The title character is assigned particularly artistic melodies and sounds. A musical highlight is the couple's first duet, harmonized almost impressionistically . In the final section, Massenet deals with the theme of the Dies irae in a variety of ways. Even if the work cannot compete qualitatively with Massenet's masterworks, according to the Massenet biographer Demar Irvine it offers some “interesting coloristic passages and moments of freshness and lovable grace” (“Though admittedly lacking the qualities of Massenet's best, Ève has its interesting coloristic passages and moments of freshness and amiable charm. ")
orchestra
The orchestral line-up of the oratorio includes the following instruments:
- Woodwinds : two flutes (2nd also piccolo ), two oboes , two clarinets , two bassoons
- Brass : four horns , two trumpets , three trombones , tuba
- Timpani
- harp
- Strings
- Incidental music : two trumpets, two trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion ( tam-tam , bass drum )
Music numbers
The piano reduction of the oratorio contains the following musical numbers (German translations based on the text version by Ferdinand Gumbert ):
First part
- 1. "La Naissance de la femme" - "The Creation of Woman"
- A. Prologue, introduction and chorus (voices from heaven): "L'homme sommeille sous les palmes" - "Man lies in slumber under palm trees"
- 2. "Adam et Ève" - "Adam and Eve"
- A. Prelude, scene and duet (Ève, Adam): "Homme tu n'es plus seul!" - "Man, you are no longer alone!"
- B. Recitative (narrator): "Ignorants de la vie" - "They don't understand life"
- C. Chorus (voices of nature): "Au premier sourire d'Ève" - "There, at Eva's first smile"
Second part
- 3. "Ève dans la Solitude" - "Eve in Solitude" (The Temptation)
- A. Choir prelude (voices of the night): "Femme qui viens écouter le silence" - "Woman who approaches in silent silence"
- B. Aria (Ève): “O nuit! douce nuit "-" O sweet night! "
- C. Scene and choir (voices of hell): "Loin de l'homme endormi" - "Far from the slumbering man"
third part
- 4. "La Faute" - "The Fall"
- A. Prelude
- B. Aria (narrator) “Femme! tu n'as point versé de larmes ”-“ Woman! The tears remained strange to you "
- C. Duet (Ève, Adam, Spirits of Hell): “Aimons-nous! c'est vivre! ”-“ Love yourselves! love you! "
- 5. "La Malédiction" - "The Curse"
- A. Recitative (narrator): "Mais soudain, au milieu des extases" - "But suddenly, in the delight of the earth"
- B. Choir (voices of nature): "Pour avoir écouté les esprits de l'abime" - "Since hearing you are given only to the spirits of Hell"
Work history
After the great success of his oratorio Marie-Magdeleine , Massenet put aside the conception of his opera Le roi de Lahore that had already been started in order to compose another oratorio in accordance with the fashion he himself had introduced. Louis Gallet , the librettist of the previous work, quickly provided him with a suitable text about the fall of Adam and Eve . This topic was of particular interest after the works of Charles Darwin that had appeared a few years earlier . The composition was created in 1874.
The premiere took place on March 18, 1875 at the Cirque d'été in Paris. This was not a church, but a purely secular venue with 6000 seats, in which circus events were also held. It was a concert by the Société de l'Harmonie Sacrée, founded a few years earlier by Charles Lamoureux . Lamoureux also had the musical direction. The singers were Mme. Brunet-Lafleur (Ève), Jean Lassalle (Adam) and M. Prunet (narrator).
In his memoirs, Mes souvenirs , Massenet reports on the circumstances surrounding the premiere: In order to avoid the excitement of the premiere, he waited for the performance to end in a nearby café. In every break his friend, the flautist Paul Taffanel , told him about the good progress of the performance. After the last part, he told him that everything went well and that the audience had left. May Massenet come now to thank Lamoureux. However, this was a ruse, because immediately after his arrival he was dragged onto the stage by his friends. The audience was still in the hall, applauded and waved hats and handkerchiefs. He then left the hall furious. A servant intercepted him at the last door of the concert hall to inform him of his mother's death. However, since she only died six days later, the report is apparently a "theatrical self-staging" by Massenet.
Massenet's second oratorio was deemed less inspired by critics than his predecessor Marie-Magdeleine. The sensual treatment of the subject was particularly criticized. However, his instrumentation skills were praised. The audience also liked the work. The subsequent performances were sold out.
On April 19 and 21, 1878 (Good Friday and Easter Sunday), a few days before the opening of the Paris World's Fair , the first part of the oratorio was performed at the Concerts du Conservatoire together with works by other composers. Here, too, Brunet-Lafleur and Lassalle sang. On April 11, 1879 (Good Friday) it was played in the Théâtre du Châtelet . Ten years after the premiere, on April 26, 1885, there was another performance in the Cirque d'été.
The oratorio has seldom been played recently. On May 18, 2018 there was a performance as part of the Klangvokal Music Festival in the Reinoldikirche in Dortmund with Eleonore Marguerre in the title role, Thomas Laske as Adam and Thomas Blondelle, who jumped in at short notice, as narrator. Granville Walker directed the Dortmund Philharmonic and the Philharmonic Choir of the Dortmund Music Association.
Recordings
- Unknown date - Jean-Pierre Loré (conductor), Oratorio Francais d'Oratorio, Ensemble Vocal Loré, Ensemble Vocal Roger; Les Petits Chanteurs de Sainte Croix de Neuilly.
Michèle Command (Ève), Hervé Lamy (Adam), Jean-Philippe Courtis (narrator).
Studio recording.
EROL 94002-4 (3 CDs). - July 1998 - Jean-Pierre Faber (conductor), Euregio Symphony Orchestra, Three Nations Choir.
Susanne Geb (Ève), Armin Kolarczyk (Adam), Angelo Simon (narrator).
Live, in concert from Passau (?) Or Zlatá Koruna (?).
Arte Nova. - 2008 - Daniele Agiman (conductor), Ab Harmoniae Orchestra.
Denia Mazzola Gavazzeni (Ève), Massimilano Fichera (Adam), Giuseppe Veneziano (narrator).
Bongiovanni 2008.
Web links
- Ève : Sheet music and audio files in the International Music Score Library Project
- Piano reduction (French), Paris 1875. Digitized in the Internet Archive
- Ferdinand Gumbert : Libretto (German), Berlin / Dresden 1800. Digitized from the Library of Congress
- Work data for Ève based on MGG with discography at Operone
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Uncle Dave Lewis: Work information from Allmusic , accessed on June 5, 2018.
- ↑ a b c d e f Stefan Schmidl: Jules Massenet - His life, his work, his time. Schott, Mainz 2012, ISBN 978-3-254-08310-4 .
- ↑ Sabine Radermacher: Women, Art and Fate. In: Program of the Dortmund performance from May 18, 2018, p. 8.
- ↑ a b c d e f Demar Irvine: Massenet. A Chronicle of His Life and Times. Amadeus Press, Portland 1994, ISBN 0-931340-63-2 .
- ↑ Information on works at Schott Music , accessed on June 5, 2018.
- ↑ Jules Massenet : Mes souvenirs. English edition: My Recollections. Small, Maynard & Company, Boston 1919, pp. 89 ff.
- ↑ Thomas Molke: Adam and Eve. Review of the Dortmund performance from 2018 in Online Musik Magazin, accessed on June 6, 2018.
- ↑ a b Jules Massenet. In: Andreas Ommer: Directory of all complete opera recordings (= Zeno.org . Volume 20). Directmedia, Berlin 2005.
- ↑ CD information at klassika.info, accessed on June 5, 2018.