Le dernier jour d'un condamné (opera)
| Opera dates | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Le dernier jour d'un condamné |
Illustration from the novel, 1853 |
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| Shape: | “Drame intérieur” in two acts and an intermezzo |
| Original language: | French |
| Music: | David Alagna |
| Libretto : | David Alagna, Roberto Alagna , Frédérico Alagna |
| Literary source: | Victor Hugo : The last day of a convict |
| Premiere: | July 8, 2007 (concert) November 3, 2009 (scenic) |
| Place of premiere: |
Théâtre des Champs-Élysées Paris (concert version) National Theater Szeged (production by the Csokonai Theater Debrecen , scenic) |
| Playing time: | about 2 hours |
| Place and time of the action: | Two death row, 1820s and 21st century |
| people | |
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Voices according to the specifications of the Opera Competition and Festival with Mezzo Television .
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Le dernier jour d'un condamné is an opera (original name: "drame intérieur") in two acts and an intermezzo by David Alagna (* 1975). The libretto comes from the composer and his two brothers, the singer Roberto Alagna and the author Frédérico Alagna . It is based on Victor Hugo's novel The Last Day of a Condemned Man . The opera was premiered in concert on July 8, 2007 at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris. The scenic premiere took place on November 3, 2009 in a production of the Csokonai Theater Debrecen in the National Theater Szeged (Hungary).
action
Like the novel, the opera is a plea against the death penalty . It shows the last hours of two people sentenced to death, whose names or crimes are not disclosed, in their prison cells. The convict from Victor Hugo's novel awaits his execution around 1820. At the same time, a black American woman of the 21st century is shown in the same situation. Both are exposed to a variety of violent emotions between horror, anger, and remorse. They think back to their previous life and family. Until the bitter end, they do not give up hope of salvation.
first act
The prisoner has been on death row alone for five weeks and is desperately fixated on one single thought: he was sentenced to death.
The contemporary convict tells a television crew about her trial, which began three days ago: when the death sentence was read out, she went into a fit of faintness. All she could hear was that the execution was due to take place in six weeks.
Both have received paper and pens and are wondering what to write about. The woman decides to keep a diary of her suffering. The man writes about his trial, hoping his notes will help later prisoners - but what good does that do himself? He thinks of his family: his mother, his wife, his daughter. The woman also leaves a little daughter, Marie. She looks at the wall scribbles in her cell, which are apparently written in blood.
A group of soldiers enter the man's cell. They have come to pick up some prisoners condemned to galley service to be taken to Toulon the next day. The convicted person is allowed to watch the procedure "like in a lodge". The galley convicts are given clothing and chained to one another before they are removed to the scornful laughter of the population. The condemned thinks their fate is worse than death.
The woman is in despair that there is no way out for her because the process went properly. The two convicts have no hope of mercy.
A prison guard politely asks the woman what breakfast she wants. The prison director also pays her a visit. She should have no reason to complain about her treatment. A clergyman comes to their support and blesses them. The man prays too.
A bailiff of the royal court shows the condemned a letter from the attorney general: His appeal for clemency was rejected and the execution was scheduled for 7:30 a.m.
The visit of the director upset the condemned woman, but now she is calm about her fate.
Second act
Guards bring another person to the convict - a "Friauche" who has also been sentenced to death and who has received six weeks' reprieve. His frivolous and cynical manner disturbs the condemned, who would rather collect his thoughts in peace. The “Friauche” asks him to give him his frock coat, for which he will no longer have any use. He wants to monetize him to buy tobacco for his last six weeks. In return, he gives the condemned his own ragged jacket so that he is “properly” dressed on the cart. The guards come in to pick up the convict. Because of the changed clothes, they take the "Friauche" with them instead. The convict stays behind.
Six hours before the execution, the woman was transferred to another cell. She asks the guard for a table, a chair and writing materials and a bed and writes a letter to her daughter, who will later be ashamed of her mother.
Even the convict has only a few hours to live. He imagines his walk to the scaffold. Unlike before, he would now prefer life as a galley slave to death. A priest comes in, but instead of comforting him, he asks him about his faith. The condemned man's answers do not satisfy him and he leaves the cell with the words: "A wicked one". The condemned man is confused because he does not consider himself ungodly. A young vicar or old pastor could have helped him better.
Guards bring the condemned person's last meal to the cell. She thinks back to her childhood and falls asleep exhausted. The clergyman comes to her again. They talk about their daughter
The convict compares himself to another man who is surrounded by guards just like him, but who is as high in society as he is low. This man would only have to speak a single word to turn his fate - but it will not happen.
Before the execution, the condemned person's hair is cut. Both death row inmates are picked up. They beg for a delay of at least five minutes to write down their last wishes. The executioner proclaims that the time has come. The condemned hope in vain for rescue until the last moment.
layout
Musically, David Alagna is based on the style of the late 19th century. The opera has a traditional structure. Melodies and harmonies are reminiscent of Leonard Bernstein's musical language . Passages of particular tragedy are emphasized by brass and percussion, while more pensive moments are accompanied by strings and woodwinds. The orchestration is varied. David Alagna also borrowed from Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov . The reviewer of the Gramophone recognized his music in the choir parts and the countdown of the clocks before the execution. He was also reminded of the prelude to the third act of Kaija Saariaho's opera L'amour de loin .
orchestra
The orchestral line-up for the opera includes the following instruments:
- Woodwinds : two flutes (including piccolo ), two oboes (also cor anglais ), two clarinets (including bass clarinet ), two bassoons
- Brass : four horns , two trumpets , two trombones , tuba
- Timpani , percussion (one player)
- harp
- Strings
Work history
The libretto of the opera was created in collaboration between the three Alagna brothers, the composer David Alagna , the singer Roberto Alagna and the author Frédérico Alagna . The content is based on Victor Hugo's novel The Last Day of a Condemned Man , where the prisoner was contrasted with a contemporary black American woman who was also sentenced to death. The authors only used the original words of the novel. Both stories develop in parallel to each other. However, the two convicts did not meet. David Alagna composed the music. Roberto Alagna sang the title role both in the concert premiere and in the later performances in Avignon and Marseille.
Roberto Alagna said in an interview that the premiere should originally take place in Montpellier. He was hoping that Barbara Hendricks would sing the leading female role. However, the world premiere only took place in concert on July 8, 2007 in the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris. Alongside Roberto Alagna, Indra Thomas sang the female convict. All other roles were shared by the baritone Jean-Philippe Lafont and the bass-baritone Richard Rittelmann . Michel Plasson directed the Orchester National d'Île-de-France and the Chœur Régional Vittoria d'Île-de-France. A recording was published on CD.
The staged world premiere was on November 3rd, 2009 as a production by the Csokonai Theater Debrecen in the National Theater Szeged (Hungary) as part of the Opera Competition and Festival with Mezzo Television . Here the three most important roles were sung by international competitors. The Hungarian Zoltán Nyári sang the male convict, Donita Volkwijn from the USA the female part and the South Korean Chul Jun Kim the “Friauche”. Balázs Kocsár directed the Debrecen Philharmonic Orchestra and the choir of the Csokonai Theater. Directed by Nadine Duffaut, the stage design was by Emmanuelle Favre and the costumes by Katia Duflot. The television station Mezzo TV broadcast a video recording of the performance. In the festival competition, she received the audience award for “best production”. Nyári won both the official award for “best male actor” and the audience award for “best actor”.
In March 2014 the same production was shown at the Opéra Grand Avignon. As before, Roberto Alagna took on the male title role in the concert premiere. The female part was sung by Adina Aaron . The conductor was again Balázs Kocsár. A recording was released on DVD.
In September / October 2017, the Opéra de Marseille also showed the production. Again Roberto Alagna and Adina Aaron sang the title roles. Jean-Yves Ossonce was the musical director .
Recordings
- July 2007 - Michel Plasson (conductor), Orchester National d'Île-de-France, Chœur Régional Vittoria d'Île-de-France.
Indra Thomas (the condemned), Roberto Alagna (the condemned), Jean-Philippe Lafont (prison guard, prison director, priest, bailiff, prison chaplain and executioner), Richard Rittelmann (leader of the guard, "friauche" and public prosecutor).
Live from the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées Paris; Recording of the concert premiere.
Deutsche Grammophon DGG 480 095 8 (2 CDs). - November 3, 2009 - Balázs Kocsár (conductor), Nadine Duffaut (director), Emmanuelle Favre (stage), Katia Duflot (costumes), Debrecen Philharmonic Orchestra, Choir of the Csokonai Theater.
Donita Volkwijn (the condemned), Zoltán Nyári (the condemned), Lajos Wagner (executioner and prison director), Zoltán Bátki Fazekas (bailiff), Antal Cseh (prison guard and prison chaplain), Imre Ürmössy (priest), Tamás Kóbor (leader of the guard and Public Prosecutor), Chul Jun Kim ("Friauche").
Video; live from the National Theater Szeged; Recording of the staged premiere.
TV broadcast on Mezzo TV . - March 2014 - Balázs Kocsár (conductor), Nadine Duffaut (director), Emmanuelle Favre (stage), Katia Duflot (costumes), Orchester régional Avignon-Provence, Chœur de l'Opéra Grand Avignon.
Adina Aaron (the condemned), Roberto Alagna (the condemned), Luc Bertin-Hugault (executioner), Jean-Marie Delpas (bailiff), Philippe Ermelier (prison guard), Jean-Marie Frémeau (priest), Carl Ghazarossian (leader of the guard ), Christian Helmer ("Friauche"), Yann Toussaint (prison director), Éric Martin-Bonnet (prison chaplain), Alain Gabriel (public prosecutor).
Video; live from the Opéra Grand Avignon.
Deutsche Grammophon 076 290 1.
Remarks
- ↑ a b In the dialect of the thieves of Paris, a condemned man who has appealed to the court of cassation. See David Falkayn (Ed.): A Guide to the Life, Times, and Works of Victor Hugo. University Press of the Pacific, 2001, ISBN 0-89875-465-8 , p. 110 ( limited preview in Google Book Search).
- ↑ The performance of the festival in Szeged was announced as a "world premiere". There may have been performances in Debrecen before.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d brochure for the 2009 competition of the Opera Competition and Festival with Mezzo Television (PDF, Hungarian / English), accessed on 22 August 2018th
- ↑ a b c Ekkehard Pluta: “Singing is something supernatural!” Interview with Roberto Alagna. In: Opera world . December 2006, p. 32.
- ↑ a b c Jacques Schmitt: Le Dernier Jour d'un Condamné des frères Alagna, moment exceptionnel. CD review on resmusica.com, accessed August 23, 2018.
- ↑ David Patrick Stearns: CD Review on Gramophone , accessed August 23, 2018.
- ↑ a b c Work information and sheet music editions from Verlag Symétrie, accessed on August 22, 2018.
- ^ A b Première représentation à l'Opéra de Marseille. Performance information from the Opéra de Marseille, accessed on 23 August 2018.
- ^ Archives of the Armel Opera Festival , accessed on August 23, 2018.
- ^ Fabrice Malkani: Le Dernier Jour d'un condamné - Avignon. In: Forum Opéra. March 9, 2014, accessed August 23, 2018.
- ↑ a b DVD information from the French National Library , accessed on 23 August 2018.
- ↑ Le Dernier jour d'un condamné de David Alagna à l'Opéra Grand Avignon on Culturebox, accessed on 23 August 2018.