L'ombre de Venceslao
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| Title: | L'ombre de Venceslao |
| Shape: | Opera in two acts |
| Original language: | French |
| Music: | Martin Matalon |
| Libretto : | Jorge Lavelli |
| Literary source: | Copi : La sombra de Venceslao |
| Premiere: | October 12, 2016 |
| Place of premiere: | Opéra de Rennes |
| Playing time: | approx. 1 ½ hours |
| Place and time of the action: | Argentina, mid 20th century |
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L'ombre de Venceslao (German: "Der Schatten Venceslaos") is an opera in two acts by Martin Matalon (music) with a libretto by Jorge Lavelli based on the play La sombra de Venceslao by Copi . It was premiered on October 12, 2016 at the Opéra de Rennes.
action
Like the play on which it is based, the opera is set in Argentina in the mid-20th century. Venceslao is originally from Uruguay, but fled this country as a child after a militia raid in which his mother was killed. He now lives in the Argentine rainforest in the village of Diamante near the Paraná River . He founded two families there. With his wife Hortensia he has two children, Lucio and China, and with his lover Mechita the son Rogelio. Mechita has another admirer in the older merchant Largui, who presses her with marriage proposals. The half-siblings Rogelio and China enter into an incestuous relationship. Several animals play other important roles: Venceslao's loyal draft horse Gueule de rat and a parrot, whose sayings are fundamentally on Venceslao's side and who often make fun of Don Largui. In the second act, Venceslao also has a monkey.
After Hortensia's death, Venceslao decides to leave the village and move north with Mechita. Largui follows them on his bike. You will settle near the Iguazú Falls . China and Rogelio move to Buenos Aires, where their relationship is torn apart by the unscrupulous Coco Pellegrini. Rogelio is killed by an alleged coconut sleeping pill that China gives him in his dessert. You and Coco are caught in the crossfire in a coup. Venceslao hangs himself. In the final scene he appears to Mechita again and assures her that she will be with him forever.
first act
Don Venceslao and his son Rogelio get stuck in the mud on the way home with their car due to the pouring rain. Venceslao wants to return to Rogelio's mother Mechita, even though she is expecting her admirer Largui. Rogelio tells his father about his love for his half-sister China.
Largui comes by bike to the Mechita, who is eagerly awaiting him. Since he fell into a puddle on the way, she helps him take off his pants. He makes her a marriage proposal, which she answers evasively. The two get closer, but in the end Largui's virility fails. Mechita's parrot comments on the whole scene with teasing sayings. When Venceslao and Rogelio arrive, Largui frantically dresses again. Venceslao first asks Mechita for her horse. Instead, she suggests that he borrow Largui's bike to ride home. Venceslao gets angry at being asked to drive through the rain. He chases Largui out.
At his next meeting with China, Rogelio claims that he is a reality the son of Larguis and not Venceslaos. So they are not siblings and could get married.
When Mechita tells him about Largui's marriage proposal, Venceslao becomes furious and rapes her. Mechita realizes that she has feelings for him again.
Rogelio and China are planning their future. He is happy that Largui has agreed to pay for his lawyer training. They hug each other.
Rogelio visits China. She worries about her mother, Hortensia, who is seriously ill after taking rat poison. When they want to call the doctor, they find that Hortensia has passed away. Venceslao mourns his wife, whom he has not always loved, but always respected.
China listens to her favorite singer Tita Merello on the radio . She dreams of meeting her in person one day. Her father appears, demands a steak (which he does not receive) and talks to her about her plans to marry Rogelio. This comes in and announces that China wants to take dance lessons in Paraná. To the surprise of his children, Venceslao takes a bath in their presence. He then explains that he agrees with the marriage and that he wants to travel to the north himself. After saying goodbye, the two hug each other, relieved.
Largui complains to Mechita about his bad business. Rogelio appears to tell his mother about Venceslao's travel plans. He added that Venceslao wanted to take her with him. To Largui's displeasure, Mechita immediately starts packing her bags and leaves her farm to Rogelio.
In the next rainy flood, China reveals to Rogelio that she is pregnant. They decide to bring their wedding forward. Venceslao is now ready to leave. Largui makes another marriage proposal to Mechita, but Mechita refuses on the pretext that he lost all of his property in the flood. Venceslao, Mechita pack their things on the wagon in the thundering storm. Rogelio suggests that Largui sell his business and move in with him and China. Venceslao and Mechita say goodbye to each other and leave.
Second act
China is heavily pregnant at Christmas. Rogelio surprises her with his lawyer diploma. The two decide to move to Buenos Aires after the child is born. Already labor begins and Rogelio sends Largui to fetch a midwife. But it is already too late. Rogelio has to help with the birth of his son himself.
Largui longs for Mechita. In the meantime he has almost no money left. He decides to follow her and Venceslao on his bike. The two have settled near the Iguazú Falls , where Venceslao takes in an orphaned monkey. Largui's journey is difficult. His bike has a flat tire and he's run out of food.
China and Rogelio are packing their things to move to Buenos Aires. China notices that their son is sick. Apparently she mistook powdered milk for insecticide.
Largui struggles through the desert under the burning sun. He must devour a chicken that he has found raw. He also has to protect himself from an aggressive vulture. At the Iguazú, Venceslao asks Mechita to lay cards because he wants to find out what is happening in the world. She sees death and a journey in it. Largui arrives completely exhausted. After crossing the waterfall, there wasn't much left of his bike and the vulture bit his glasses. Venceslao and Mechita take care of him.
Rogelio and China have arrived in Buenos Aires. However, your young child passed away. Rogelio tries to comfort China about this. You learn in horror from the newspaper that Tamborini was overthrown . This puts Rogelio's career at risk.
Venceslao, Mechita and Largui visit the falls. There Venceslao confesses that he thinks he will soon die. He asks Mechita to erect an oak cross on the falls.
Rogelio tells China that he has found a job with the state telephone company. She wants to celebrate that with a visit to the revue.
While collecting mushrooms with Mechita, Largui and the monkey, Venceslao ponders death.
China and Rogelio go to a Tita Merello concert in a good mood.
Venceslao tells the parrot about his childhood in Uruguay, his mother's death in the militia raid and his escape to Argentina. Then he hangs himself.
After the screening, China and Rogelio go to a restaurant. China is easily drunk. Fascinated, she observed a tango dancer who shortly after asked her to dance. He introduces himself to her as Gustavo Pellegrini and adds that he is called Coco and that he is a film director. He compliments China and persuades her to add a sleeping pill to dessert for Rogelio for the opportunity for a romantic adventure. When Rogelio complains of stomach ache a little later, China and Coco leave the restaurant in a hurry. Rogelio dies alone in great pain in the restaurant's toilet.
China and Coco are dancing the samba exuberantly when news of a coup arrives. A shootout breaks out, in the course of which the two get caught in the crossfire and die.
The spirit of Venceslao appears to Mechita and asks about her and Largui's well-being. The monkey has since returned to the jungle. When Mechita asks Venceslao if they can see each other again after death, he assures her that they will be together forever.
layout
The scenes of the libretto set in Buenos Aires contain some historical references. The half-siblings China and Rogelio arrive there during the military coup of 1943. A little later the newspapers report on the general elections of 1946. The fighting that China and Coco fell victim to refer to the 1955 coup d'état against Juan Perón .
Matalon provided each of the three animal roles with an independent task. The parrot brings irony and humor into play, the horse acts as a kind of "extension" of the protagonist, and the monkey ensures movement in the scenic space. The characters' journeys are the central element. The action begins in a village in the rainforest with extreme weather conditions and leads through the desert to the waterfalls of Iguazú or into the jungle of the city of Buenos Aires.
The 32 scenes of the theater presentation correspond to as many sections of the opera. Matalon added an instrumental prelude (a storm music) and an interlude (for four solo bandoneons), so that there were a total of 34 miniatures, each of which Matalon equipped with its own character, color, instrumentation, rhythm, dynamics and playing time to the work to give a varied dynamic shape. The short scenes of between 40 seconds and seven minutes in length are complementary to one another due to these differences. This, according to Matalon, gives the shape a framework and a direction: an unimportant detail in one section becomes the main element of the next.
The vocal parts alternate between normally sung or free rhythmic passages up to spoken chanting and also use various playful and experimental techniques. The composer attached great importance to varied combinations of parts, from arias to duets, terzets and quartets to quintets. A pure theater scene without music is also included.
The opera contains some musical quotes like classic tangos or milongas that relate directly to the plot.
orchestra
The opera's orchestra corresponds roughly to that of Mozart's time. There are also four solo bandoneons and electronics. On the one hand, the latter functions as an extension of the orchestra and its resonance body and, on the other hand, delivers “concrete” sounds such as city noise, nature noises, explosions or gunfire. Two of the bandoneon players also play the accordion in the orchestra . The bandoneon quartet appears for the first time in the interlude before the second act. Here the players sit on the otherwise empty stage. They have another appearance at the end of the opera. In the credits of the video recording from Toulouse, the players of the following instruments were named:
- Woodwinds : two flutes , oboe , two clarinets , bassoon
- Brass : four horns , two trumpets , trombone
- two accordions
- Percussion (two players)
- piano
- Strings : eight violins 1, eight violins 2, six violas , six cellos , four double basses
- electronics
- Stage music: four bandoneons (including the two accordion players)
Work history
The libretto for the opera was written by the Argentinian director Jorge Lavelli . It is based on the 1977/1978 Spanish-language play La sombra de Venceslao by Copi , an Argentinian author who also lives in Paris. This was premiered in 1999 in a production by Lavelli at the Théâtre de la Tempête in Paris. The French translation used was by Lavelli and Dominique Poulange.
The opera was created as a co-production of nine French and two South American institutions and opera houses: the Center Français de Promotion Lyrique, the Opéra Grand Avignon, the Center lyrique Clermont-Auvergne, the Opéra de Marseille, the Opéra National de Montpellier , the Opéra de Reims, the Opéra de Rennes, the Opéra de Toulon Provence-Méditerranée, the Théâtre du Capitole Toulouse , the Teatro Municipal in Santiago de Chile and the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. Le Grame in Lyon, the TV station France 3 and the radio station France Musique were also involved. Further support came from the Fund of the Création Lyrique de la SACD, the Orange Foundation, the state financial institute Caisse des Dépôts and the French Ministry of Culture .
The singers for the five singing roles were selected in an open competition by a commission made up of the directors of the Rennes, Toulon and Toulouse opera houses.
Thibaut Desplantes (Venceslao), Ziad Nehme (Rogelio), Estelle Poscio (China), Sarah Laulan (Mechita) and Mathieu Gardon (Largui) sang at the world premiere on October 12, 2016 at the Opéra de Rennes. Other contributors were the dancer Jorge Rodriguez (Coco Pellegrini, Tango in the second act), the actor Germain Nayl (Gueule de rat), the pantomime Ismaël Ruggiero (monkey) and David Maisse as the voice from the tape (parrot). The Orchester Symphonique de Bretagne played under the direction of Ernest Martinez Izquierdo. The production was done by the librettist Lavelli, the decoration by Ricardo Sánchez Cuerda , the costumes by Francesco Zito and the lighting design by Jean Lapeyre and Lavelli. There were two more performances in Rennes on October 14th and 16th. The production then went on tour through the theaters of the other cities involved in the production. The Internet platform Culturebox made a video recording of the performance in Toulouse available on the Internet.
Matalon was nominated for L'ombre de Venceslao for the Prize of the Victoires de la musique classique 2017.
Web links
- Program text of the performance in Avignon (French)
- Thierry Martin: Opéra de Rennes: creation mondiale de L'Ombre de Venceslao de Martin Matalon. Review of the world premiere in Rennes on unidivers.fr, October 1, 2017 (French)
- Roland Duclos: L'Ombre de Copi dans la lumière de Matalon. Review of the performance in Clermont-Ferrand on forumopera.com , March 22, 2017 (French)
- Arnaud Saura-Ziegelmeyer: L'Ombre de Venceslao: le désenchantement argentin. Review of the performance in Toulouse on bachtrack.com, April 4, 2017 (French)
Remarks
- ↑ A light and agile baritone pitch with a higher tessitur that occurs in French opera , named after Jean-Blaise Martin .
Individual evidence
- ^ Jorge Lavelli: Conception et mise en Scène. In: L'ombre de Venceslao. Program of the performance in Clermont-Auvergne ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) (PDF, French), p. 8, accessed on November 4, 2017.
- ↑ a b c d Martin Matalon: Le regard et le projet du compositeur. In: L'ombre de Venceslao. Program booklet for the performance in Clermont-Auvergne ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) (PDF, French), p. 7, accessed on November 4, 2017.
- ↑ a b c Vincent Deloge: Création mondiale de L'Ombre de Venceslao de Martin Matalon. Review of the world premiere on ResMusica, October 17, 2016, accessed on November 3, 2017.
- ↑ Both dates are mentioned in the program booklet.
- ↑ a b c d L'ombre de Venceslao. Program of the performance in Clermont-Auvergne ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) (PDF, French), accessed on November 4, 2017.
- ↑ Michèle Tosi: Création de L'Ombre de Venceslao, opéra de Martin Matalon. In: L'éducation musicale, November 2016, accessed on November 3, 2017.
- ↑ VIDEO. "L'Ombre de Venceslao" by Martin Matalon à l'Opéra de Toulouse on Culturebox, video available until February 6, 2018.
- ↑ List des nommés 2017 - Les Victoires de La Musique on francetv.fr, accessed on November 11, 2017.