Donna Diana
| Work data | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Donna Diana |
| Original title: | Donna Diana |
| Shape: | Weird opera |
| Original language: | German |
| Music: | Emil Nikolaus von Reznicek |
| Libretto : | Emil Nikolaus von Reznicek |
| Literary source: | "El desdén, con el desdén" by Agustín Moreto |
| Premiere: | December 16, 1894 |
| Place of premiere: | Prague |
| Playing time: | about two hours |
| Place and time of the action: | Don Diego's castle in Barcelona, "at the time of independence from Catalonia" (in the case of Moreto possibly a 13th century that was not historically precise with borrowings from its own Baroque era) |
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Donna Diana is a comic opera in three acts by Emil Nikolaus von Reznicek , who was also his own librettist here. As a model he used the Spanish comedy El desdén, con el desdén by Agustín Moreto, arranged by Carl August West (= Joseph Schreyvogel ) as "Donna Diana or pride and love" based on the Italian translation by Carlo Gozzi . The first performance took place on December 16, 1894 in the Deutsches Theater in Prague .
action
The heart of the knight and tournament finalist Don Cesar beats passionately for Donna Diana, the proud daughter of the Count of Barcelona. But she pretends to be completely indifferent to this. She mimes the cool philosopher.
Cesar takes advice from Perin, the court jester. He advises him to be completely indifferent to his crush. Cesar promises to heed this advice, which he succeeds better and better in the course of time. The court jester immediately tries out the mediated strategy on the "milk sister" (means: not related, but nursed by the same nurse) Dianas, Donna Floretta, although - or precisely because - she makes advances to him.
The people gather, the tournament is celebrated. The Count announced that his daughter would be awarding the winner's prize, at the same time imploring her to choose a husband from the finalists and to propose to Barcelona an heir to his line. Diana protests indignantly against this idea, while the other protagonists - the court jester, the two noblemen Louis and Gaston, as well as the three ladies-in-waiting Floretta, Laura and Fenisa - plead that such stubbornness be averted, with liaisons and schemes being forged between these liaisons become. Despite Diana's outwardly demonstrated attitude, Cesar's reorientation is beginning to have an effect - now it is she who attests to his intolerable pride. Of course, it now has to be broken.
The celebrations reach their next climax with a mask festival. Through Diana's manipulation, the - anyway predetermined - couples find each other to dance, also she and Cesar. Both show weaknesses, but can keep their facades for the time being. Those Dianas are already noticeably crumbling, which the wise jester knows how to reinforce.
Diana's vocal beguiling attack on Cesar, flanked by the other Donna's, completely misses its target, it doesn't seem to impress Cesar in the least. Diana rages, even when the two nobles serenade their loved ones.
When the masks fall and the three comparatively uncomplicated couples openly testify to their connections, this is also a final attack on the marble pedestal of Diana, who is standing alone. And yet that comes up with a pre-final parade: Diana claims that she can no longer ignore both father and people and now wants to marry one of the two nobles, Prince Louis. However, her hope to see Cesar jealous now is not fulfilled. It gets even worse: Cesar is in top form in his role and congratulates her on her good choice, which would also pave the way for Louis' counterpart Laura. Then Papa Diego is happy about the announced future son-in-law. That is too much, Diana's proud pedestal splintered. She falls into the confession of her love for Cesar.
Perin's advice did not fail to have its effect: "If they meet you hard, you do the same."
music
Reznicek's music has a lot of Viennese charm and a bit of Spanish flavor. Its brilliant instrumentation is rich in catchy melodies. The lively overture - detached from the actual opera - should be familiar to every lover of classical music, as it often appears in the concert hall or is required in requested concerts. ZDF used a small excerpt from it as the identification melody for its music quiz Do you recognize the melody? , Which aired from 1969 to 1985 (with interruptions) once a month.
Frames
Reznicek revised the opera in 1908 and 1932. In the third version of the opera, the plot was moved from the Middle Ages to the present, the new text was provided by Julius Kapp . Accordingly, the functional names of the people have been adapted to the realities of modern times without affecting the social hierarchy.
Sound carrier
- "Donna Diana" - live recording from the Kiel Opera House 2003 with Manuela Uhl , Max Wittges, Heike Wittlieb, Susanne Kreusch, Roman Sadnik, Hans-Jürgen Schöpflin, Matthias Klein, Simon Pauly, Anne-Carolyn Schlueter as well as the opera's choir and orchestra Kiel under the direction of Ulrich Windfuhr , two CDs, cpo 999 991-2
Individual evidence
- ^ Agustín Moreto: El desdén, con el desdén. Edición de Enrico di Pastena, preceded by a study by John E. Varey. Crítica Publishing House, Barcelona 1999, ISBN 8-4843-2011-1 .
- ↑ Function designations of the persons as well as place / time information (supplemented) according to libretto, third edition, J. Schuberth & Co. (Felix Siegel), Leipzig 1895.
- ↑ Function and person names of the third version added to the piano reduction of the Universal Edition, Vienna 1933.