Kurofune
| Work data | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Kurofune, officially renamed Yoake in 1954 |
| Original title: | 黒 船 |
| Shape: | Opera in three acts |
| Original language: | Japanese |
| Music: | Yamada Kosaku |
| Libretto : | by Yamada Kōsaku, Atsuo Oki |
| Literary source: | Tōjin Okichi after Percy Noel |
| Premiere: | 1940 |
| Place of premiere: | Tokyo , Takarazuka Theater |
| Place and time of the action: | Shimoda Harbor , the time of the outgoing Tokugawa Shogunate |
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Kurofune ( Japanese 黒 船 , roughly: "Black Ships") is an opera in three acts by the Japanese composer Yamada Kōsaku based on a libretto by Percy Noël, which was edited by Tōjin Okichi ( 唐人 お 吉 ). In Japan the opera is also known under the title Yoake ( 夜 明 け , about "dawn"). Kurofune is often referred to as the first Japanese opera, but in fact there were a few Japanese compositions before Kurofune, including two operas with one act each by Kōsaku himself.
History of origin
The opera has an eventful history of genesis and performance. The original English libretto was written under the title Kurofune ("Black Ships") by the American journalist Percy Noël in the 1920s. It was an early attempt to thematically deal with the Japanese-American relations, which had been impressively shaped by the arrival of the Black Ships in 1853 and the associated opening of Japan . A world premiere was scheduled for 1929 at the Chicago Opera, but it did not take place.
The libretto remained there for a few years until 1940, the 2600th anniversary of Japan was announced. Percy saw the festivities and cultural events planned for the occasion as an opportunity for publication and had his libretto translated into Japanese. A new composition by Kōsaku was created, which was finished in 1940, but was then only partially performed.
A world premiere under the title Yoake then took place on November 25, 1940, u. a. with the Japanese tenor Yoshie Fujiwara in the role of consul. Although the consul and the embassy secretary are not Japanese, from the start they sing in a somewhat awkward Japanese, which improves in the second act, with English words occasionally being woven into the spoken passages.
action
The action begins in the years of the outgoing Tokugawa shogunate in the port of Shimoda, which was opened to foreign ships after the Japanese-American friendship and trade treaty . The abandoned samurai loyal to the emperor Yoshida bursts into a drinking bout of the city magistrate and delivers a fiery speech to expel the barbarians from the country. While Yoshida leaves without having achieved anything, the geisha Okichi who is present at the feast receives the order to murder the American consul. Okichi, who then becomes the consul's mistress, is torn between her growing affection for the consul and her duty to kill him. Yoshida, losing patience over all this, steals secretly into the Ryusen-ji temple, which serves as the consulate, draws his sword and is about to assassinate the consul when a messenger arrives and proclaims the emperor's wish for peace. Yoshida, suddenly realizing his shamefulness, commits seppuku on the spot , while the consul folds his hands, the guns of the Black Ships shoot salutes and the choir joins a song of praise for peace.
Orchestral line-up
Harp and celesta , as a distant orchestra on stage, shamisen , shakuhachi , small and large drums.
Productions
- 2007/08 New National Theater Tokyo , Direction: Hiroshi Wakasugi
Recordings and CDs
- 1960: Head of Tadashi Mori; Tokyo Symphony Orchestra; Compact Disc - Toshiba EMI TOCE 9432-33 (2 CDs)
- TBS Vintage J Classics 戦 後 作曲家 発 掘 集成 , COCQ-85274-81, 8 Cds, CD 1 + 2 Black Ships
Web links
- The Black Ships - Yoake. Opera Information Center of Showa University of Music, accessed November 30, 2016 .
- 語 と 歌 ・ オ ペ ラ . (PDF) Kunitachi College of Music Library, October 2010,accessed November 30, 2016(Japanese).
Remarks
- ↑ In reality, this is Geisha Saitō Kichi ( 斎 藤 き ち , 1841–1890), who worked under this name in Shimoda.
- ↑ These are the operas Ochitaru Tennyo ( 堕 ち た る 天 女 , for example "fallen angel", composed 1912, premier: 1929) and Ayame ( あ や め , "lily").
- ↑ The starting point of the Japanese founding myth is the accession of the first Tennō Jimmu to the throne in 660 BC. Chr.
- ↑ Another seven LP and CD recordings with details can be found in the Datalogue database . Durbeck Archive, accessed December 1, 2016 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Kōsaku Biography. Japan Music-Drama Society, 2011, accessed November 30, 2016 .
- ↑ a b The black ships - Yoake. New National Theater Tokyo, accessed November 30, 2016 .
- ↑ 黒 船 - 夜 明 け - 新 国立 劇場 (オ ペ ラ) 2008-02-23 (オ ペ ラ ア ー カ イ ブ ス) . Kunitachi College of Music Library, February 24, 2010; accessed November 30, 2016 (Japanese).