Gustav Wasa (Koželuh)
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| Title: | Gustav Wasa |
Title page of the score manuscript, around 1792 |
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| Shape: | Great heroic opera in three acts |
| Original language: | German |
| Music: | Leopold Koželuh |
| Premiere: | probably around 1792 |
| Playing time: | approx. 2 ¼ hours |
| Place and time of the action: | Stockholm, around 1523 |
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(Spelling of the role names as in the list of characters in the libretto; voices according to the occupation of the Finnish National Opera)
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Gustav Wasa is a "great heroic opera in three acts " (P. XXII: 6) by Leopold Koželuh , which was written around 1792.
action
Prehistory and historical background
At the beginning of the 16th century, all of Scandinavia in the Kalmar Union was under Danish rule. In 1513 Christiern II was crowned King of Denmark and Norway. However, the Swedes refused to recognize him. Since he harassed the Swedish population heavily, there was a revolt against foreign rule. The Danes then took Gustav Erichson Wasa , the son of the influential Swedish politician Erich Johansson (Wasa), hostage and kept him in custody in Denmark. He was able to escape and hid in the woods of Norway, disguised as a farmer. In 1520, Christians were crowned King of Sweden. During the festivities, he had a large part of the Swedish nobility and many clergy arrested as heretics and executed 94 men - the Stockholm carnage . Gustav's father Erich was also among the victims. There was an intensive search for Gustav himself. He finally liberated Sweden from Danish rule with an army of farmers and miners. On June 6, 1523 he was elected king at the Swedish Diet .
first act
Underground dungeon in Stockholm Castle; in the background a portcullis; on the side a staircase to further cells
Scene 1. Gustav's mother Caecilia, his sister Margaretha and other women with their children were incarcerated by the Danes. Her male relatives were executed. The women desperately pray for salvation or redemption through death (chorus: "Hear 'oh heaven our lament"). Caecilia worries about the fate of her son (Aria Caecilia with chorus: “Just once let me see you”).
Scene 2. Christine Gyllenstierna , the widow of the former imperial administrator Sten Sture , enters. She reports that Gustav and his army are advancing on the Danish capital and that there is hope for the Swedes again. She herself has managed to gain the trust of King Christiern, who fell in love with her, through feigned affection. Secretly, however, she is firmly on the side of the Swedes. Margaretha and Caecilia thank her for her commitment (Terzett Margaretha / Caecilia / Christine: "You have appeared to us as a guardian spirit"). Christine promises to support Gustav. She has only contempt for the tyrant Christians (Aria Christine: "Torn from the poor of love").
Scene 3. A Danish officer picks up the prisoners to show them to the king.
Magnificent Gothic hall with statues of the Swedish kings; in the middle a throne
Scene 4. After the Swedish court has taken its seats, soldiers, people, noblemen and servants march into the hall to the sound of a march. Finally the king appears in the circle of the high nobility and ascends the throne. A herald asks the people to praise the ruler (chorus “Feyert him der Uberwinder”).
Scene 5. The Danish Grand Admiral Severin Norby reports to the king about Gustav's campaign. He has already won several victories and defeated the Danish troops in front of Stockholm, the remnants of which are fleeing to the city. After the horror of those present, Christians get angry. He points out that Gustav's mother is still in his power, and swears vengeance on the enemy (Aria Christiern: "Why was only human power my part?"). Norby advises the people to be reconciled through leniency. Christiern rejects this.
Scene 6. The Swedish women and children are brought before the throne. Caecilia and Margaretha urge Christians to carry out the sentence quickly. Christians, however, have other things in mind with the hostages. Christine is supposed to deliver a message to Gustav: If he doesn't leave with his army today, Christiern will send him his mother's head. The women are horrified (finale: “I am filled with shudders and tremors”). Caecilia begs Christine to tell Gustav that he should not be considerate of her, but should continue to fight for the salvation of the fatherland (Cantabile Caecilia: "This kiss and this tear").
Second act
The Swedes' Camp; in the background the city of Stockholm; in front the tent of Gustav; Eve
Scene 1. Gustav's soldiers look confidently towards the next day (choir of soldiers: “Be happy companions!”). He himself is lost in thought. In prayer he hopes that his actions will save the fatherland, even if it should cost him his life (aria Gustav with chorus: "You! Keep the weak upright").
Scene 2. An adjutant reports that Admiral Franz Brun had arrived with ten ships from Lübeck, Hamburg and Bremen to support him. You traveled under the Danish flag for camouflage. For Gustav and his people this is a sign of God's support (choir: “God is in league with us”).
Scene 3. Gustav asks his people to prepare for tomorrow's storm on the city. The battle cry should be "Erich Wasa".
Scene 4. The adjutant leads in Norby, who has arrived on behalf of Christiern to ask Gustav to submit. Gustav firmly refuses (duet Gustav / Norby: “I want to accomplish my goal”). Then Norby leaves the floor to Christine, who arrived with him but has so far remained in the background.
Scene 5. Gustav is initially shocked to see the widow Stures on the side of the enemy. But she quickly explains her real intentions to him and, in Norby's presence, openly calls on him not to give up his plans under any circumstances. Then she hands him the letter of Christiern, in which the latter threatens to murder his mother. Gustav is desperate and indecisive (trio Gustav / Norby / Christine: "Fear fills my whole being"). However, since Christine encourages him to put the freedom of the country above his mother's life, he stands firm. His people support his decision (chorus: “Die Theuern may die”). Even Norby is impressed. Gustav asks Christine to send one last greeting to his mother. Christine and Norby make their way back to the king.
Scene 6. The soldiers go to their tents in good spirits (choir of soldiers: “Be happy companions!”).
Scene 7. Gustav sits down on a field chair in a heavy mood. He is determined not to give in to the tyrant (Aria Gustav: "I am pressed by the heavy burden of pain"). With this thought he falls asleep.
Scene 8. After a moment of silence, soft tones announce the appearance of Sweden's Guardian Spirit, who strengthens the sleeping Gustav for his upcoming tasks (Guardian Spirit: “He is slumbering, his mother sadly Loos”).
Scene 9. Genii dance around Gustav and sprinkle him with roses and poppies (choir of genii: "Let the hero float around us"). The goddess Victoria lays victory signs in front of him, and the guardian spirit presents him with his future royal crown (guardian spirit: "Whoever gets for a just cause, heaven never lets him down" - "Yours is Sweden's royal crown").
Third act
Gloomy dungeon in Stockholm
Scene 1. Caecilia is sure that her son made the right decision. She likes to sacrifice herself for the well-being of her country (Arie Caecilia: “Dying is nothing more than sleeping”).
Scene 2. Christine tells Caecilia about her conversation with Gustav. All pray for the success of his campaign (chorus: “Let our supplication reach you”).
Scene 3. An officer picks up Caecilia to take her to the Danish fleet. She readily follows with the words "learn from a woman how men should die".
Christiern's room
Scene 4. The king wakes up from his sleep, startled. He dreamed that furies wanted to wrest his crown from him. In a vision he sees the murdered men in front of him, including Gustav's father Erich, Sture and Joachim Brahe .
Scene 5. Norby informs Christiern that Caecilia has been brought into the fleet in chains and that Swedish troops are approaching the city walls. He advises the king to show nobility and let Gustav's mother go free. That could paralyze its energy. Christiern does not want to give up his leverage, however. He lets her ship run ashore and orders Norby to kill Caecilia as soon as Gustav approaches her. Norby refuses because such an act appears dishonorable to him (Duett Christiern / Norby: "Do you want to do what I commanded?").
Scene 6. Drum rolls and trumpets bear witness to the beginning battle. An officer reports that many Danes have already fled. He also advises the king to flee. Christiern makes one last attempt to lead his guard into battle.
The walls of Stockholm with storeys and towers
Scene 7. The Swedes, led by Gustav, climb the wall and celebrate their victory: “Victoria, the goal is there!” An adjutant reports that Christiern and his generals have fled to the waiting ships. Gustav lets him go.
Scene 8. Christine, Caecilia and Norby join them. Norby has finally decided on the side of the Swedes and freed Gustav's mother. Everyone cheers for Gustav (final chorus: "Heil dir Gustav! Friedensgeber!").
orchestra
The orchestral line-up for the opera includes the following instruments:
- Woodwind : two flutes , two oboes , two clarinets , two bassoons
- Brass : two horns , two trumpets , three trombones
- Timpani , drums
- Strings
Work history
The catalog of works by the Bohemian composer Leopold Koželuh compiled by Milan Poštolka includes a total of six operas, all of which were considered lost for a long time. The score by Gustav Wasa, composed around 1792 with the number P. XXII: 6, was only found again in the library of the Prague Conservatory during the printing of Postolka's Koželuh monograph in the 1960s. The date and circumstances of the premiere are not known.
The name of the librettist is not known. The title page of the libretto contains the note "after the French former time Sr. Majesty King Gustav III of Sweden freely edited". The main features of the plot can be found in Johan Henrik Kellgren's Gustaf Vasa , based on a design by the Swedish King Gustav III. based, set to music by Johann Gottlieb Naumann and premiered in 1786 at the Royal Theater Stockholm. It is possible that the French version of Koželuh's libretto is a text by Antoine Le Bailly , written somewhat later, for an opera by François-Joseph Gossec that was never completed .
It was not until 2018 that the work was shown again for the first time in recent times at Musiikkitalo Helsinki under the musical direction of the Finnish conductor Aapo Häkkinen. Häkkinen worked out the performance score himself from the manuscript. A recording of the production was made available as a video on the Internet and broadcast by several radio stations.
Recordings
- March 10, 2018 - Aapo Häkkinen (conductor), Erik Söderblom (scenic concept), Ville Sandqvist (director), Helsinki Baroque Orchestra, Helsinki Chamber Choir.
Cornelius Uhle (Christiern), Mario Zeffiri (Gustav), Helena Juntunen (Caecilia), Martina Janková (Christine), Niall Chorell (Norby), Monica Groop (Margaretha), Tuuli Lindeberg ( Guardian Spirit of Sweden).
Live from the Musiikkitalo Helsinki.
Video stream on the Internet and radio broadcasts.
Web links
- Video recording of the Finnish National Opera
- Page no longer available , search in web archives: Libretto of the opera
Remarks
- ↑ The name of Gustav's mother is in the text of the libretto in contrast to the list of persons "Caecilie".
- ↑ The name of Gustav's sister is in the text of the libretto in contrast to the list of persons "Margarethe".
Individual evidence
- ↑ Information on the work on dilia.cz, accessed on February 19, 2019.
- ↑ Rudolf Pecman: A heroic ballet by Leopold Koželuh. In: Sbornik Praci Filozoficke Fakulty Brnenske Univerzity Studia Minora Facultatis Philosophicae Universitatis Brunensis, H 15, 1980, p. 22 ( online ).
- ↑ a b Jan Granberg: Review of the performance in Helsinki 2018. In: Hufvudstadsbladet , March 4, 2018, accessed on February 19, 2019.
- ↑ Ortrun Landmann : Naumann: Gustaf Vasa. In: Piper's Encyclopedia of Musical Theater . Volume 4: Works. Massine - Piccinni. Piper, Munich / Zurich 1991, ISBN 3-492-02414-9 , p. 394.
- ↑ a b Opera from the Helsinki Music Center - Swedish hero life. Report by Deutschlandradio Kultur , September 29, 2018, accessed on February 19, 2019.
- ↑ Nastasia Tietze: Review of the performance in Helsinki 2018. In: Orpheus , 3/2018, accessed on February 19, 2019.