The raftsman

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Opera dates
Title: The raftsman
Original title: Flis
Shape: Opera
Original language: Polish
Music: Stanislaw Moniuszko
Libretto : Stanisław Bogusławski
Premiere: September 24, 1858
Place of premiere: Teatr Wielki (Warsaw)
Playing time: approx. 55 minutes
Place and time of the action: Vistula river near Warsaw, around 1858
people
  • Franek , young raftsman ( tenor )
  • Zosia , his lover ( soprano )
  • Antoni , her father ( baritone )
  • Jakub , hairdresser from Warsaw (baritone)
  • Szóstak , old soldier ( bass baritone )
  • Feliks , Flößer (tenor)
  • Fishermen, raftsmen, women and children ( choir )

The Flößer (original title Flis ) is an opera in one act by Stanisław Moniuszko with a libretto by Stanisław Bogusławski .

action

The opera is set near Warsaw around 1858. After a summer thunderstorm (overture), farmers gather on the bank of the Vistula and thank God that the storm did not cause any major damage to the village and the fields. Among those gathered is Zosia, the daughter of the wealthy fisherman Antoni, who is very worried about her beloved raftsman Franek, who was on a wild river cruise during the thunderstorm. The old soldier Szóstak tries to comfort the sad girl and assures her that Franek has returned safe and sound from Sandomierz and will soon be seen on the bank. The hairdresser Jakub from Warsaw appears. In the distance, chants of the returning raftsmen can be heard. Among them is Franek, safe and sound. You reach the bank and are warmly welcomed there. However, Zosia's and Frank's joy does not last long when they learn that Zosia's father Antoni has promised her hand to Jakub. Szóstak advises Jakub not to marry and the young people ask Antoni to look into his decision. But it doesn't help, marriage is a done deal. Jakub paints a picture of a happy life together in Warsaw for Zosia, but she is very sad about her father's irrevocable decision. Franek decides to leave home after his dream of a future with Zosia is shattered and goes in search of his missing brother. This arouses Jakub's interest. It turns out that he himself is the missing brother of the young raftsman. Eventually Jakub renounces Zosia's hand after knowing who he is, and Zosia marries Franek with everyone's approval.

layout

music

In connection with the humorous, old Polish libretto, a spontaneous and lively work was created, which is located in the convention of the national opera characteristic of Moniuszko. Such a connection undoubtedly increased the attractiveness of this work and ensured its success with audiences who longed for something light and witty, but at the same time full of Polish. Moniuszko himself wrote about The Raftsman that it was his intention to combine "the most tender heart with happiness". He seems to have succeeded: he gave every character in his opera the chance to present his singing possibilities and renounced the privilege of the title role. For the lovers, apart from the two duets , he determined a solo number each, in the form of Dumka Zosias “Did you perhaps perish” and Frank's song “Floß and Barge are on the river”. Moniuszko favored significantly the figure Jakub, for which he two successful Buffo - arias "In the salon where I always holds sway" and "Love Zosia, will you stop." Probably the excellent comic abilities of the Polish opera actor Alojzy Żółkowski were an inspiration for the composer, according to Eugeniusz Szwankowski he was an “original and unique actor; he had no predecessor and no successor, he was a unique phenomenon in the history of the Polish stage ”. Żółkowski played Jakub in the premiere. The quartet “Antoni, don't you have a heart in your body?” And the overture painting a thunderstorm on the Vistula represent very successful dramatic fragments of the opera, whereas the choir prayer “Thank you, Eternal Lord!” Can be considered one of the most beautiful Scenes from Polish opera literature can be viewed. The contrast of the stylistic devices and the material, which is based on the rhythms of Oberek , Mazurka , Kujawiak or Polonaise , express Moniuszko's folklore excellently.

libretto

After Wojciech Bogusławski became famous with the establishment of the Teatr Wielki in Warsaw, his son Stanisław Bogusławski also found widespread recognition in 1858 : he wrote the libretto for the opera The Raftsman in Old Polish; skilfully, agile and cheerful, it successfully illustrates the lively music that is linked to Polish folklore.

history

Emergence

After the successful premiere of Halka , Stanisław Moniuszko received the nomination as managing director of Teatr Wielki in Warsaw , which fundamentally changed his living and professional circumstances. Not only was he able to raise his standard of living (he had his family moved from Vilnius to Warsaw), but he also began to believe in his abilities. The business board of what was then the only music theater in Poland commissioned the next one-act opera from him and decided to send him on an attractive educational trip to Paris , the then opera center of Europe. The sketch for Der Flößer was made during this trip . It was probably homesickness that caused Moniuszko to repeat a work in which he included the spirit of Poland and turned to the local tradition. The opera's premiere took place on September 24, 1858 in the Teatr Wielki in Warsaw under the direction of the composer.

reception

After the opera's premiere, the Warschauer Kurier wrote: “The opera's success was complete. The audience received them with the warm satisfaction that was to be expected from the excellent talent of the author of 'Halka'. The music was wonderful, some parts were repeated on request and the whole thing was accompanied by sustained applause until the end of the performance. ”The opera critic at the time, Józef Sikorski , again assured:“ We warmly welcome Der Flößer , because we have the impression that he will be the first in the new series of musical dramas that are supposed to create a homely, yet easy opera for us. ”However, some malicious voices said that the one-act little comedy that Moniuszko is said to have written within a few days will either be closed for four days was written short or four days too long.

Despite such voices, Moniuszko was sure of success, his work garnered good reviews and was performed in Lviv (1860), Poznan (1873), Katowice (1930) and even in Chicago (1931). After the end of the Second World War there were five performances in Poland until the political change: in Posen (1949), Wroclaw (1952, 1955), Bytom (1954) and Bydgoszcz (1988). After the fall of the Berlin Wall and the founding of the Third Polish Republic , a performance in Poznan (1997) and Szczecin (2003) is known. In 2009, the Polish record company Dux Records presented the second complete recording of the opera score with the financial support of the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage . Warcisław Kunc was the musical director .

Discography

literature

  • Warcisław Kunc: Booklet for CD Flis , DUX 0736, 2009

Web links