Jour de gloire

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Jour de Gloire is an opera-like musical (Opera-Musical) in 4 acts and an epilogue . The libretto resembles the structure of an opera seria , the music is musical. You can find elements from classical opera to rock'n'roll. The libretto was written by Jürg Bauer and the music was composed by Hanspeter Reimann . The premiere took place on October 31, 2003 in the Bärenmatte in Suhr on the occasion of the canton anniversary of the canton Aargau .

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The play takes place at the time of the French occupation of Switzerland at the beginning of the 19th century and reports critically on workers' uprisings and religious hypocrisy . The irregulars and the Sonderbund War also play a role. However, the characters are fictitious.

First act: In the country

On the eve of their wedding, the two couples, Gertrud and Werner, Johannes and Therese, celebrate together with the other villagers. The festivities are interrupted by the arrival of the bishop and the seven clerics, followed by Napoleon's soldiers. Therese and Johannes take the bishop in. The soldiers storm in, kill some people and take Gertrud and Werner hostage. Gertrud is raped by a French lieutenant, Werner is killed by the soldiers. Gertrud weeps in despair and wishes, united with Werner, in the heaven of pure love. The now pregnant Gertrude is admonished by the bishop: “Whatever the holy father teaches, the fruit of your body should be carried out with humility!” The scene closes with a great alleluia.

Second act: 18 years later, in the factory

Johannes and Therese have become the owners of a weaving mill in which Gertrud and her son Lucien work. Lucien rebels against the poor working conditions. The pastor appears and calls on the weavers to pray in celebration of St. John's Day, the name day of their “Lord”, and to express their gratitude. Luzia, a weaver, admires his courage and falls in love with him. Lucien revolts and calls on the other weavers to stand up for their rights. The factory owner Johannes appears and orders the overseers to remove the rebellious rabble from his eyes. Lucien is knocked down by the guards. In the weaving mill there is a fashion show “From the diaper to the shroud”, to which Johannes and Therese have invited clergymen and representatives of the higher classes. After the fashion show, Luzia finds the unconscious Lucien. He regains consciousness. Luzia and he sing about their love. Lucien's mother, Gertrud, asks him to flee, but Lucien turns against the overseers and incites the weavers to rebel again with his “Song of Freedom”. The weaving mill burns down in the weavers' revolt. Gertrud dies in the flames.

Third act: in front of the church, autumn mass

Lucien mourns the death of his mother in the market square in front of the church. Luzia comforts him. They retire to the church. At dawn the arrested weavers lament the failure of their uprising. Together with their rich friends, Johannes and Therese dance the "Tango of Predestination" and celebrate the wealth they are entitled to. The police are looking for Lucien as the leader of the workers' uprising. During the preparations for the autumn fair, rich and poor gather. You first listen to a "girl group" and then the speech of the President (CEO) of Universal Insurance. Thanks to the universal insurance, Johannes and Therese can rebuild their weaving mill; they celebrate progress and prosperity.

Recruiters from three countries, Naples, the USA and France, encourage those present to emigrate or do military service. Another recruiter campaigns for the service of the Reformed free troops who fight against the conservative Catholics. Lucien joins them in order to break away and avoid imminent arrest. He promises to return as soon as possible. Luzia has to let him go.

Fourth act: in front of and in the cathedral

After a short struggle, the Catholic troops succeed in killing the Reformed troopers or taking them prisoner. Lucien is one of the prisoners. He laments and mourns the death of his mother and the separation from Lucia. The lawsuit ends in a combative song that cheers everyone on, his fellow prisoners and the Catholic guards. The bishop appears and condemns him as a heretic , that is, as a heretic. Liberal federal troops march in and free the captured militants. The general offers the conservatives to participate in the progress of the new age. Lucien protests against the general's intentions, snatches a gun out of the hand of a guard and praises a future of reconciliation and without war. He is shot as a supposed revolutionary or as a heretic from both sides.

epilogue

Lucien's body rests on a catafalque. Clergy from both denominations, bishop and reformed pastor, Johannes, Therese and the general director of the insurance company come to Lucien's solemn burial. The choirs of both denominations start a great fugato . Enter Luzia. Johannes and Therese try to comfort her. Luzia rejects the hypocritical consolation of Therese and Johannes with disgust. Instead, as Lucien did, she calls for a non-violent and human-loving future. She collapses in front of her lover's corpse. The general and director of UNIVERSAL insurance assures you lifelong security. Lucien is revered as the future national and freedom hero.

Postplay (end) orchestra

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