Frankenstein (Gray)
| Opera dates | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Frankenstein |
| Shape: | Opera in two acts |
| Original language: | English |
| Music: | Mark Gray |
| Libretto : | Júlia Canosa i Serra |
| Literary source: | Mary Shelley : Frankenstein |
| Premiere: | March 8, 2019 |
| Place of premiere: | Brussels Opera House La Monnaie / De Munt |
| Playing time: | approx. 2 ¼ hours |
| Place and time of the action: | 2816 and late 1810s |
| people | |
|
|
Frankenstein is an opera in two acts by Mark Gray (music) with a libretto by Júlia Canosa i Serra based on the novel Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley . It was premiered on March 8, 2019 at the Brussels Opera House La Monnaie / De Munt .
action
first act
During a research expedition in 2816, scientists found a frozen human-like creature 235 m below the European permafrost . You determine the time of death to be 1816. The expedition leader Dr. Robert Walton has it resuscitated and uses technical means to examine its brain in order to query its memories. Gradually the being begins to speak and says a name: Victor. The following scenes show his life in the form of flashbacks, while the observers from the future repeatedly comment on the event.
At the end of the 1810s, the scientist Victor Frankenstein created a living creature from body parts. He finds it difficult to part with his work when his lover Elizabeth calls him over. He assures her of his love and vows to return to her soon. He also promises to reveal his secret to her after the wedding. The creature is secretly watching the scene.
In the meantime, the existence of the creature has become known in the village and has caused fears among the residents. They band together and forcibly drive it from the village. As it wanders aimlessly through the landscape, it contemplates itself and its origins. It states that it is different from the other living beings, but, like the other animals and humans, longs for a companion. It encounters a blind man who speaks to him fearlessly as he cannot see his abomination. The blind explains to the being that although people are born kind, they are badly taught. It is important to contain the violence. The creature worries about meeting the blind man's children, Felix and Agatha, who would only see him as a monster. Rightly so, because when Felix appears, he attacks him immediately.
The creature watches as Victor's little brother William plays under the supervision of the servant Justine. When she loses sight of him for a moment, the boy is killed. Justine is believed to be guilty of his death, especially since his necklace is found in her pocket. The creature indicates to Victor that it did the deed itself. However, Victor remains silent in court. Justine finds a committed advocate in Elizabeth. Yet she is sentenced to death and executed.
Second act
The scientists of the future will feel like "intruders in a strange world". They'd rather let the creature rest in peace. Walton, however, does not want to leave her story to be forgotten.
The being has kidnapped its creator in a cave and confronts him in order to learn more about his life and his destiny. It asks Frankenstein to create a companion for him who is just as repulsive as himself. Although they would have to live in solitude, their love would dampen his anger so that he could find the way to a virtuous life. Victor promises this, but makes the creature swear to stay away from humans in the future.
Elizabeth continues to feel neglected by the work-hungry Victor. In a letter she asks him to finally return home.
Victor's friend Henry Clerval appears in the lab to try to see his senses. The creature tries to drive Henry away so Frankenstein can finish work on his mate. However, Henry, terrified by the gruesome experiment, persists. Gradually Victor himself also realizes the horror of his research. When he begins to destroy the work he has begun, the creature intervenes. She threatens Henry to force Victor to continue working and eventually kills him. Before leaving, he threatens to murder Elizabeth on her wedding night as well.
In the future, the resuscitated being explains to the scientist Walton that it feels remorse. His heart was made to feel love and compassion, but suffering made it evil. Walton does not want to judge the deeds long ago. He advises the being to forgive its Creator in order to find the way into another future. However, the creature has not yet confessed to all crimes.
On the wedding night the creature approaches Elizabeth, who is waiting for her husband, singing. She remembers the secret Victor wanted to tell her about after the marriage. In the intruder she sees "neither demon nor angel", but offers him her care. Obsessed with the desire for revenge, the creature kills Elizabeth.
When Victor finds his dead wife, he realizes the consequences of his arrogance, which has brought him to "eternal hell".
In the future the being mourns for its creator. Although Walton seeks consolation, it decides to build a stake for itself. Death in the flames will end his sufferings.
layout
music
The music is composed of a wide variety of elements. In the description of the work at Operavision “old or romantic music, industrial noise, electroacoustic sounds and the harmonic language of John Adams and Aaron Copland ” are mentioned. The reviewer of the Deutsche Bühne described the music as follows: "It oscillates between the grimace of limping marches and the warmth of real romantic-colored poetry, conjures organ-like overtone-rich cleft sounds and freezes in ice-cold, vibrato-free strings."
Gray gave each character its own "color" characteristic. He renounced traditional melodic leitmotifs in favor of recurring rhythmic and harmonic "cells" that he used when the characters reappeared.
orchestra
The orchestral line-up for the opera includes the following instruments:
- Woodwinds : two flutes (2nd also piccolo ), two oboes (2nd also English horn ), two clarinets (2nd also bass clarinet ), two bassoons (2nd also contrabassoon )
- Brass : four horns , three trumpets , three trombones (3rd also bass trombone), tuba
- Timpani , drums (three players)
- harp
- Celesta
- Sampler keyboard, electronic soundscapes
- Strings
Work history
The opera Frankenstein by the American composer and sound designer Mark Gray , a long-time employee of John Adams , was created on the occasion of the bicentenary of the first publication of Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus . The idea for the material came from the director Alex Ollé from the artist collective La Fura dels Baus and the artistic director of the Brussels opera house La Monnaie / De Munt , Peter de Caluwe . Júlia Canosa i Serra was commissioned with the libretto. Due to Shelley's subtle and nuanced language and the many historical and literary allusions in the original, an English-speaking composer was explicitly chosen, Gray. It is his first opera in "classical form" with singers and a "traditional" orchestra.
Besides Gray, several other composers also created operas on this subject, for example Gordon Kampe (premiere: Berlin, 2018) or Jan Dvorak (premiere: Hamburg, 2018).
According to the composer, the Brussels premiere was originally planned for 2016, but had to be postponed due to the renovation of the house. The idea at the time to design the role of the monster as an androgynous travesty part was discarded because it would confuse the plot. The creature has now been cast with a high tenor, which forms a great contrast to the well-known embodiment by Boris Karloff in the 1931 film Frankenstein .
The world premiere took place on March 8, 2019 at the Brussels Opera House La Monnaie / De Munt in a production by Alex Ollé ( La Fura dels Baus ). The stage was by Alfons Flores, the costumes by Lluc Castells, the lighting by Urs Schönebaum and the videos by Franc Aleu. Bassem Akiki was the musical director . Scott Hendricks (Victor Frankenstein), Topi Lehtipuu (creature), Eleonore Marguerre (Elizabeth), Andrew Schroeder (Dr. Walton and public prosecutor), Christopher Gillett (Henry), Stephan Loges (blind man and father) and Hendrickje van Kerckhove (Justine) sang ). A recording of the production was made available as a video stream at Operavision on the Internet.
The reviewer for the Belgian Broadcasting Corporation spoke of a “great, spectacular premiere”, an “almost cinematographic implementation reminiscent of the best science fiction films” and also praised the performers. All he found was that the libretto contained “too much pathos”. The reviewer of Opernwelt magazine wrote of "beautiful science fiction pictures in which an unbroken path of progress and the world of images from youth books flow together in a naive way". The plot is "partly stale [...] re-enacted, partly shown by somewhat more dynamic video projections". The music is "well written" and implemented, but has no "signature".
Gray created a symphonic orchestral suite entitled Frankenstein Symphony from five scenes from the opera , for which he thoroughly reworked the music.
Recordings
- March 2019 - Bassem Akiki (conductor), Alex Ollé ( La Fura dels Baus , staging), Alfons Flores (stage), Lluc Castells (costumes), Urs Schönebaum (lighting), Franc Aleu (video), symphony orchestra and choir from La Monnaie .
Scott Hendricks (Victor Frankenstein), Topi Lehtipuu (creature), Eleonore Marguerre (Elizabeth), Andrew Schroeder (Dr. Walton and prosecutor), Christopher Gillett (Henry), Stephan Loges (blind man and father), Hendrickje van Kerckhove (Justine).
Recording of the world premiere production from the Brussels Opera House La Monnaie / De Munt.
Video stream at Operavision.
Web links
- Work information and video stream at Operavision, video available until September 13, 2019
- Program booklet and biographies of the participants from the Brussels opera house La Monnaie / De Munt
- Manuel Brug: The thing from the ice: "Frankenstein" and his monster are back at the Monnaie Opera in Brussels. Review of the world premiere production in Brussels 2019. In: Die Welt , March 17, 2019
Individual evidence
- ↑ Voices after the cast of the premiere.
- ↑ a b c d information about the work and video stream at Operavision, video available until September 13, 2019, accessed on May 17, 2019.
- ↑ Hannah Schmidt: Large staged electric surge. Review of the world premiere production in Brussels 2019. In: Die Deutsche Bühne , March 9, 2019, accessed on May 16, 2019.
- ↑ a b Pierre Jean Tribot: Mark Gray, Frankenstein d'hier à aujourd'hui. Interview with the composer (French). In: Crescendo Magazine, March 12, 2019, accessed May 17, 2019.
- ↑ Work information on the composer's website, accessed on May 9, 2019.
- ↑ A monster is listening to Radiohead. Review of the opera by Gordon Kampe. In: Der Tagesspiegel , accessed on May 17, 2019.
- ^ Elias Pietsch: Jan Dvořák: WP von Frankenstein. Work information from the Ricordi publishing house, accessed on May 17, 2019.
- ^ A b Claire Seymour: "It Lives!": Mark Gray "re-animates" Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Report on a conversation with the composer (English). In: Opera Today, February 22, 2019.
- ↑ a b Michael Struck-Schloen: Mood maker. Review of the world premiere production in Brussels 2019. In: Opernwelt , May 2019, p. 37.
- ^ Frankenstein: spectacular world premiere at the Brussels Opera La Monnaie. Review of the world premiere production in Brussels 2019 on Belgian Radio , March 9, 2019, accessed on May 16, 2019.