Fra Diavolo (Opera)
| Work data | |
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| Title: | Fra Diavolo or The Tavern in Terracina |
| Original title: | Fra Diavolo or L'Hôtellerie de Terracine |
| Shape: | Weird opera |
| Original language: | French |
| Music: | Daniel-François-Esprit Auber |
| Libretto : | Eugène Scribe |
| Premiere: | January 28, 1830 |
| Place of premiere: | Paris |
| Playing time: | approx. 2 ½ hours |
| Place and time of the action: | Italy around 1830 |
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Fra Diavolo or Das Gasthaus zu Terracina is a comic opera (with spoken dialogues between the individual musical numbers) in three acts by Daniel-François-Esprit Auber . The libretto was written by Eugène Scribe . The world premiere took place on January 28, 1830 in Paris.
action
place and time
The opera takes place at the beginning of the 19th century in Terracina , a place in Italy, and in the nearby mountains.
first act
In the courtyard of the Terracina inn
The young Lorenzo, officer of a dragoon troop, has received the order to arrest the notorious robber captain Fra Diavolo and his gang. Should he succeed in this, he would have to expect a high reward, which would finally enable him, successfully at Matteo, the host of the inn, to hold the hand of his daughter Zerlina. Matteo doesn't want Zerlina to marry a poor soldier. He has long since promised it to the rich farmer Francesco and hopes that this marriage will also help him to restore his own finances.
Lord Kookburn and his wife Pamela get out of a carriage that has come up. Quietly, the two report that they got into the hands of robbers and that their jewelry and valuable clothing were robbed. The lord assures that he will reward whoever brings back the stolen property with 10,000 piastres. Lorenzo immediately suspects who is behind the crime and orders his soldiers to leave.
In addition to the English couple, a very elegantly dressed gentleman arrives who pretends to be Marquis de San Marco. In fact, however, this marquis is none other than the robber chief Fra Diavolo. He loves to mingle with people in a different disguise every now and then. He turns to Lady Pamela quite unabashedly. She is not averse to a flirt with the good-looking stranger, which triggers mad jealousy in her husband. In the course of the conversation, the “Marquis” learns from the lady that she has sewn her stolen travel money into various items of clothing.
Two somewhat dumb monks enter the scene. In reality it is Fra Diavolo's accomplices Giacomo and Beppo. They report to their captain that they could only steal some jewelry and clothing, but no money, in the attack on the English couple.
Hoof kicks announce a new visit: The Dragoons return. Lorenzo happily hands over his stolen valuables to the lord and receives the offered reward. But Lorenzo is not satisfied with that. Ultimately, his mission is to break Fra Diavolo's ties. After he has handed over the reward he received to his beloved Zerlina in loyal hands, which Fra Diavolo has not remained hidden, he immediately sets off again with his men.
Second act
Zerline's bedchamber
Fra Diavolo is hiding in Zerline's bedroom. He wants to stay there until Zerlina has gone to sleep and then take the 10,000 piastres away from her. Because Lord Kookburn and Lady Pamela have set up their quarters in the next room, he then wants to rob the couple a second time. When Zerlina leads the English into their chamber, Fra Diavolo signals his two cronies to come to him. When Giacomo and Beppo have entered the bedroom through the window, he orders them to carry out the robbery for him. He would take care of the English himself. As soon as he has left the room, Zerlina is already approaching. In a hurry, the two crooks hide behind a curtain. Beppo is already pulling out his knife to kill Zerlina. However, when she starts a sweet song, he is very touched and can no longer carry out his plan.
Suddenly there is an energetic knock on the front door. The Dragoons have returned early and are demanding entry. A miller they met on the way told them that the band of robbers was on their way to Terracina. Fra Diavolo hurries to join his two companions. All three are now hiding in Zerline's bedchamber. The clumsy Beppo knocks over a chair, making a loud noise that also robs the kookburns in the next room of sleep. The Lord wants to get to the bottom of the problem and rushes into Zerline's room. Here he meets with Lorenzo, who has not escaped the noise either. Fra Diavolo realizes that he is about to be discovered. To avoid this danger, he confidently confronts the intruders and claims that he was invited to a gallant rendezvous here. Lord Kookburn immediately suspects his wife, and Lorenzo doubts Zerlin's loyalty. Furious with jealousy, the men, feeling cheated, demand the “Marquis” to a duel at dawn the next day.
The excitement subsides. Everyone goes back to their guest rooms - except for Fra Diavolo. This sneaks secretly, quietly and quietly out of the house.
Third act
Hermitage in the mountains near Terracina
Fra Diavolo continues his plan to rob the English. He has called his faithful Beppo and Giacomo to the hermitage, where he has left a message for them in a hollow tree. The two of them find the note and read the order to ring the bell in the hermitage as soon as the soldiers have left. In order to shorten the wait, they add excessive emphasis to the wine.
Lorenzo appears to fight the agreed duel with the supposed marquis. Zerlina also arrives and has to let her lover reproach her for trying to be unfaithful to him. When the alcohol begins to work for Beppo and Giacomo, they become careless and sing the song that they listened to from Zerlina the day before in their room. As a result, they reveal themselves as Fra Diavolo's backers. Lorenzo immediately has the two arrested and their pockets searched. They discover the note with Fra Diavolo's message. Lorenzo triumphs as he now sees the opportunity to lure the robber captain out of his hiding place. He forces Beppo to ring the bell. Lorenzo's cunning is effective: Fra Diavolo falls into the trap and is arrested.
Matteo admires the courage of the dragoon officer and now has no objection to having him as a son-in-law. Lord Kookburn also realizes that his jealousy was unfounded.
In a later version of the opera, Fra Diavolo manages to escape after being captured. He is shot by the dragoons and falls into the abyss.
music
Auber had the light hand when composing the opera, which hit the mark here. Many melodies have catchy tunes. It already begins with the overture: after a short roll of the drum, a long march unfolds in which soft and loud tones alternate. In the first act, Zerline's romance "Behold the Rock Heights" should be the musical highlight. In the second act it is her aria “What a luck, I breathe freely”, but Fra Diavolo's swaying song “As a gondolier on a light boat” also has an impact.
Adaptations
Hal Roach and Charley Rogers filmed the opera material in the Hal Roach Studios in Hollywood in 1933 using the overture, some arias and choirs under the title The Devil's Brother with Stan Laurel , Oliver Hardy , Thelma Todd , Dennis King and James Finlayson . Laurel and Hardy take on the roles of Diavolo's idiot helpers, although their roles are expanded. The film still leaves a large part of the plot of the opera, and it is sung several times. The production was first released in German cinemas in 1957 under the title Dick und Doof - Hands up - or not . The lexicon of international films describes the film as "a phenomenal Laurel and Hardy comedy".
Web links
- Fra Diavolo : Sheet music and audio files in the International Music Score Library Project
- Action and libretto from fr at Opera-Guide landing page due to URL change currently not available