Blood Wedding (Fortner)
| Work data | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Blood wedding |
| Shape: | Singspiel |
| Original language: | German |
| Music: | Wolfgang Fortner |
| Libretto : | Federico García Lorca in the translation by Enrique Beck |
| Literary source: | “Blood Wedding” by Federico García Lorca |
| Premiere: | June 8, 1957 |
| Place of premiere: | Cologne |
| Place and time of the action: | Andalusia, Spain, early 20th century |
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Bluthochzeit is an operatic version of the lyric tragedy of the same name in two acts (seven images) by Federico García Lorca in the German translation by Enrique Beck . Wolfgang Fortner composed the music for it and combined the template into two acts. The work was premiered on June 8, 1957 at the Cologne Opera House under the direction of Günter Wand . The great success ensured that the work was soon taken up by numerous other stages, but nowadays it is rarely found in the repertoire. In 2013, the Wuppertal Opera brought out a much acclaimed new production directed by Christian von Götz and under the musical direction of Hilary Griffiths, which was recorded on DVD. Dalia Schaechter sings and plays the part of the mother.
Stage sets
1. Living room in the groom's house, 2. Room in the mother-in-law's house, 3. Inside of the bride's house carved into the mountain, 4. Large anteroom in the bride's house, 5. In front of the bride's house carved into the mountain, 6 . forest, 7 white room with arches and thick walls
action
The opera is set in an Andalusian village in the early 20th century.
Although several years have passed since the old woman lost her husband and older son in blood revenge, the memory of this bad time keeps coming back painfully in her when she sees a bare knife. Her only remaining son asks her to do this in order to cut grapes in the vineyard. The news of her son that he fell in love with a girl who was once engaged to that Leonardo of the Félix family stings her heart; because she owes the darkest chapter of her life to this family. Like a Cassandra, she suspects how things will develop.
Leonardo Félix has been married to a relative of his former bride for a few years and has become a father. Nevertheless, the news of the upcoming wedding of his former fiancée does not leave him indifferent; because secretly he never stopped loving her. Even this one still has a place for Leonardo in her heart. But she trusts that Leonardo will disappear from her thoughts as soon as she has married her current bridegroom.
The wedding day has come. Many guests arrive, including Leonardo and his wife. The latter recognizes the beauty of the bride and notices how her husband is blinded by her charms. When the traditional ribbon dance is about to take place, the bride is missing. But not only she, Leonardo too is as if swallowed by the earth. Everything indicates that the two fled to the nearby forest on horseback. The bridegroom and a couple of men immediately set out to look for the fugitives. Surrealistic figures like the moon man with his glaring light and death as a beggar join them.
Finally, the search party found the fugitives in a cave. The inevitable happens: Leonardo and the groom attack each other with open knives and kill each other.
The mother waits in vain for her son to return. But instead of him, her daughter-in-law suddenly appears at her place. In her boundless rage, she wants to kill them immediately, but when she hears the death knell, she is made more conciliatory.
Men bring the bodies to the village. The neighbors mourn the dead. Now the knife has lost its terror for the mother:
- Hardly takes hold of the hand
- but it penetrates cold
- the meat, surprisingly,
- and only stay there
- where the dark secret
- Root of the scream
- trembled in confusion.
The neighbors kneel down and cry.
music
The literary model consists partly of prose and partly of bound language, which almost calls for music. The composer took advantage of this and set his setting here. Fortner also uses the twelve-tone technique here, which corresponds to his nature and what he is known for. However, he does not adhere rigidly to their rules, but also includes elements of Spanish folklore. For this purpose he also prescribes mandolins, castanets, tambourines and guitar for the orchestra.
literature
- Federico García Lorca: "Bluthochzeit" and " Yerma ", German by Enrique Beck, Library Suhrkamp Volume 454, licensed edition by Insel Verlag Frankfurt am Main, ISBN 3-518-01454-4
- Wolfgang Fortner: "Blood Wedding", lyric tragedy in two acts (seven pictures) by Federico Garcia Lorca. German by Enrique Beck. Music by Wolfgang Fortner. Piano reduction by Wolfgang Held (musician) , Mainz, Edition Schott 4934