Le silence des ombres
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| Title: | Le silence des ombres |
| Shape: | Operas - triptych |
| Original language: | French |
| Music: | Benjamin Attahir |
| Libretto : | Maurice Maeterlinck : Trois petits drames pour marionnettes |
| Premiere: | September 25, 2019 |
| Place of premiere: | Royal Flemish Playhouse Brussels (KVS) |
| Playing time: | about 3 hours |
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La mort de Tintagiles
Interior In the garden
In the house
Alladine and Palomides
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Le silence des ombres (German as: "The silence of the shadows") is an opera - Triptych with the parts of La mort de Tintagiles (The Death of Tintagiles) , Intérieur (home) and Alladine et Palomides (Alladine and Palomides) of Benjamin Attahir who used three small plays of the same name for puppet theater by Maurice Maeterlinck from 1894 as the libretto . The triptych was premiered on September 25, 2019 in the Royal Flemish Theater in Brussels (KVS).
action
La mort de Tintagiles
(Scene notes based on the translation by Friedrich von Oppeln-Bronikowski )
Act One. On the top of a hill that dominates the castle
Ygraine leads her little brother Tintagiles to the gloomy house on an island where she lives with her sister Bellangère and the old servant Aglovale - their father is no longer alive and their two brothers are missing. Tintagiles spent his early years across the sea but has now had to return by order of the Queen. The sisters never dared to leave the island. The Queen's neglected castle lies in a valley behind dead trees. Only the huge tower can be seen and casts its shadow on the house. The old queen, grandmother of the siblings, lives alone in her castle without ever leaving it. All fear their inexplicable power, which apparently all other family members have fallen victim to. The sisters are determined to protect their brother from her. Ygraine urges Tintagiles never to stray from her or Aglovale.
Second act. A room in the castle
Ygraine tells Bellangère that Tintagiles went to bed after the long journey and is crying for no reason. Bellangère is concerned. She noticed an open gate on the tower, entered carefully and was able to overhear a conversation between the servants. They spoke of a small child that the queen wanted to see. They may come for it this evening. Ygraine is certain that Tintagiles is in danger. She hopes the queen will show mercy if they tearfully submit to her. That also helped in the past. Even the men would have thrown themselves on the ground in front of her. Actually, it's long time for an uprising. Bellangère and Aglovale promise to stay close to them. Aglovale feels too old to fight, however. He advises the nurses to close the doors and hug Tintagiles tightly.
Third act. The same room
Ygraine has examined the three gates of the house. She only wants to guard the big door with Aglovale, because the other two can no longer be opened. Aglovale has fetched his old sword and sits on the doorstep. Bellangère brings in Tintagiles. He is pale, looks weak and declares that he can no longer walk. In addition, he is afraid of the dark, as the only lamp gives only little light. Suddenly he cries out, having heard noises behind the gate, and sinks down fainted. Aglovale affirms that people are approaching. A key creaks in the lock and the door opens a little. Aglovale tries to close the opening with his sword, but it breaks. They only succeed in closing the door if they join forces. The intruders withdraw. All four embrace each other with relief.
Fourth act. A corridor in front of the chamber of the previous act
Shortly before midnight, the queen's three servants at the gate listen to see whether the residents are still awake. Since they don't hear anything, they break into the room and find Tintagiles sleeping in a tight embrace of his sisters. They carefully loosen the girls' arms and hair and kidnap the child unnoticed. When they reach the end of the corridor, Tintagiles wakes up and lets out a scream. The sisters wake up from their sleep. Ygraine takes up the chase. Her sister Bellangère collapses in front of the door.
Fifth act. A large iron gate under very dark vaults
Ygraine has penetrated alone into the gloomy tower in which she suspects Tintagiles. She desperately calls for her brother and hits the gate with her fists. Tintagiles answers weakly from the other side. Both try in vain to open the heavy door. In doing so, Ygraines lamp breaks, so that it is in complete darkness. The two say goodbye with a symbolic hug until Tintagiles falls to the ground. Ygraine couldn't protect him.
Interior
(Scene notes based on the translation by George Stockhausen)
An old garden with willow trees; in the background a house with three lighted windows.
A family can clearly be seen through the window, peacefully watching the night by the lamp. The father is sitting by the fireplace. The mother looks into space, one arm on the table. Two young girls dressed in white are embroidering and dreaming, smiling to themselves. A child sleeps under the mother's left arm.
The old man and the stranger appear in the garden and carefully watch the family. The two have to bring them the news of the death of their third daughter, whom the stranger found drowned in the river. They think about how they can do this as gently as possible without overwhelming the elderly and ailing parents. The old man suggests going into the house alone first, as he is known to the family. Since he is afraid that he will not be able to say anything more after the first words, the stranger should follow him so that they can take turns reading the report. While the two contemplate the quiet family life in the house, they go over what is happening again: The stranger was on his way to the village in the evening. As it was getting dark, he headed for the river, where there was even better light. There he discovered the dead girl. The old man had been talking to her that morning when she came out of church. She wanted to visit her grandfather on the other side of the river. The stranger learned from the farmers that she had wandered around the river by the evening - she may have been looking for flowers. Now Marthe and Marie, the old man's two granddaughters, watch over the dead while the peasants make a stretcher. It's only a matter of time before they get to the house. By then the family should have found out everything.
Marie arrives and reports that the whole village is on the way. She asked people to turn off their lights and be quiet. The two sisters in the house look out the windows for a while without noticing the others. Marie is also impressed by the peaceful atmosphere in the house. Like her grandfather, she has inhibitions about destroying family happiness. She asks him to wait for the next morning - but Marthe is already warning that the villagers are approaching. She asked them to wait on the way, but there are also screaming children among them. She has already prepared the dead woman, brought her ring and some fruit for the toddler and had flowers picked. It is high time to let the family know. The old man asks her to wait with her sister while the stranger stops the farmers and he goes into the house himself. Marie, Marthe and he strangers watch the entry of the old man and the reactions of the family sympathetically from outside. But the crowd rushes to the windows and is becoming increasingly restless. Children scream because they want to see too. By the old man's head nod, everyone can tell that he "said it". Father, mother, and the two daughters rush out the door. All go off at once. Only the small child remains in the house. The stranger finally notes that it has not woken up.
Alladine and Palomides
(Scene notes based on the translation by Friedrich von Oppeln-Bronikowski )
First act. Park wilderness
Scene 1. The old King Ablamore looks at his sleeping young slave Alladine, with whom he has fallen in love. He has not yet revealed his feelings to her, but wants to marry her and make her queen. He kisses her carefully and is happy about her smile.
Scene 2. Alladine wakes up when a rider appears between the trees. It is Palomides, the fiancé of Ablamore's daughter Astolaine, who arrived a few days before the planned wedding.
Scene 3. Palomides informs the king that Astolaine will not come until the next day. His own sisters arrived three days earlier.
Scene 4. Ablamore introduces him to Alladine. The latter is caressing a lamb that she received from her godmother and from which she is now inseparable. Alladine and Palomides are immediately drawn to each other.
Scene 5. Alladine tells Palomides that she still feels lost in the huge palace and that she even got lost in it.
Second act
Scene 1. A room in the castle. Ablamore meets Alladine, who, lost in thought, looks out the window at the park. He confides in her that he worries about his son, who seems changed for some time. Ablamore invites Alladine for a walk. She refuses because she is not feeling well. When Ablamore opens the door, the lamb runs out unnoticed.
Scene 2. A drawbridge over the moat of the castle. Returning from the hunt, Palomides meets Alladine and her lamb. He warns them of the dangerous bridge that crosses raging water. The lamb leaps from Alladine's hands, falls into the ditch, and is drawn into a whirlpool. Alladine is horrified. She doesn't want to see Palomides anymore.
Scene 3. A room in the castle. Ablamore talks to Alladine about her feelings for Palomides. He saw the two of them kissing under the Astolaines window the day before. He suspects a secret plan between the two of them, as they must have known that they would be seen. Although Ablamore wants to forgive her everything, Alladine denies the kiss. Ablamore throws himself on his knees in front of her and asks her sympathy for Astolaine, the only surviving of his seven daughters. Through Palomides, she had only just found her will to live again.
Scene 4. Astolaine's room. Palomides speaks openly with Astolaine about his feelings for Alladine. Although Astolaine still loves him, she shows understanding and wants to help him.
Third act
Scene 1. A room in the castle. Astolaine tells her father that she will not marry Palomides because she has changed herself. She wants to spend the rest of her life at Ablamore's side. Father and daughter hug each other.
Scene 2. A room in the castle. Alladine, Palomides want to flee the castle together with his sisters because they no longer trust Ablamore. Astolaine has already prepared everything necessary. But now Palomides is getting a remorse. He wants to inform Alladine of his decision the next day.
Scene 3. A corridor in front of Alladine's room. Astolaine is about to lead Palomides' sisters to the horses waiting in the forest. She is concerned that Palomides appears to intend to stay in spite of the increasing danger and that she has since noticed signs of madness in her father. She suspects that he locked Alladine in her room, but every night she listened at the door without hearing anything. When they hear Ablamore singing in the distance, Astolaine and the sisters hide. Ablamore sits down on a bench by the door and falls asleep with the keys in hand. A little later, Palomides appears, who has followed the king unnoticed. He manages to take the keys and enter the room. There he finds Alladine tied up and gagged. Ablamore, who has now awakened again, is friendly. He asks Alladine and Palomides to look out the window, enjoy the view of the landscape and hug each other.
Fourth act. Wide underground grottos
Scene 1. Alladine and Palomides were overwhelmed, tied up and blindfolded into a cave in their sleep. Palomides frees himself, but cannot see anything in the darkness. With a lot of effort he feels for Alladine to loosen her bonds.
Scene 2. Alladine's blindfold was tied to her hair with lots of gold silk threads and has to be torn off.
Scene 3. Palomides believes they are in the grottos below Ablamore's palaces, which are connected to the sea and regularly flooded. The two hug and kiss tenderly. Supernatural light enters and they admire the shine of the water for a while.
Scene 4. In the distance, Palomides hears irons hitting the rocks. At the extreme end of the vault, first a stone and then a whole piece of rock loosens. It's getting light.
Scene 5. Astolaine and Palomides' sisters enter the grotto to save the couple.
Fifth act. One corridor
Introduction.
Scene 1. Palomides' sisters wait in front of one of the many doors in the corridor as if they were guarding it. In front of another door, Astolaine talks to a doctor about the madness of her father, who ran into the meadows singing through tears after his last act and has not been seen since. She doesn't know what happened to Palomide and Alladine because they haven't spoken a word since they were rescued. The doctor suspects that they caught a cold in the water or that the water contained toxins from the rotting lamb. He urges absolute calm. If the two are to survive, they would have to forget each other.
Scene 2. The sisters are deeply concerned about Palomides. They do not understand why the king was so upset against him. Astolaine tries to calm her down and points out that her father believed he was doing good. Astolaine and the sisters notice that Alladine and Palomides are gradually regaining consciousness. You want to take the doctor's advice and prevent the two of them from hearing each other.
Scene 3. Alladine and Palomides call each other weakly and sadly reassure each other of their love until their voices fail.
layout
For the two frameworks La mort de Tintagiles and Alladine et Palomides , the composer used similar musical material, which he processed in a complementary way with different colors. La mort de Tintagiles begins with a solo for serpent , while Alladine et Palomides begins with a solo for violoncello . The vocal parts consist of composed parlando . In the short middle section Intérieur, on the other hand, spoken text is “'only' primed with atmosphere” by the orchestra. It contains a longer trio for three violas and speaking voices.
Attahir's music is not atonal . According to Koen Van Caekenberghe, "[she] plays with the tension between consonance and dissonance within a closed world of sound that has all the hallmarks of the extraordinary universe of Maeterlinck's symbolism ". The reviewer of the daily Le Monde particularly recalled La mort de Tintagiles with its continuous “orchestral flow ” (“reinforced by rhythmic ostinati and subtly fugal counterpoints ”) of the music of Claude Debussy , who had also set a text by Maeterlinck with Pelléas et Mélisande . According to the reviewer of Forum Opera , the music of Alladine et Palomides is "simple [] and concise [], but more mysterious and dreamlike, with orientalizing leitmotifs and brief memories of Debussy".
orchestra
Due to the spatial restrictions of the Brussels theater, the operas only require a reduced orchestral line-up without violins . In order to avoid a concrete temporal or spatial localization of the action by the orchestral sound, Attahir integrated some unusual instruments such as the serpent, which was used in the 17th century or the accordion developed in the 19th century . The orchestra contains the following instruments:
- Woodwinds : flute (also piccolo and flute in G), oboe (also oboe d'amore ), clarinet in Bb (also bass clarinet ), bassoon (also contrabassoon )
- Brass : two horns in F, serpent (also bass saxhorn in B)
- Drum : Vibraphon (large), fanfare , Chinese basin , Sizzle- pool , triangle , two drums (.. No. 1, No. 3), snare drum , maraca or Eggshaker , Vibraslap (support), ratchet (support)
- accordion
- harp
- piano
- voice
- Strings : three violas, three cellos, two double basses
Work history
The triptych Le silence des ombres is the first opera by the French composer Benjamin Attahir , born in 1989 , who used three small dramas for puppet theater by Maurice Maeterlinck as a libretto. He received the contract from the Brussels Opera House La Monnaie / De Munt , the Royal Flemish Theater Brussels (KVS) and the Théâtre National Wallonie-Bruxelles, which formed a so-called “Troika” in the 2019/20 season to offer joint programs. Other co-producing partners for the premiere were the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel Waterloo, Les Théâtres de la ville de Luxembourg and the Teatr Wielki Warsaw.
Attahir discussed the details of the project in 2016 at the Villa Medici in Rome with Peter de Caluwe (the director of the opera house) and the director Olivier Lexa. Maeterlinck's dramas appear to them to be ideal for an opera version due to their concise language with short sentences, and all three had already been set to music by other composers: La mort de Tintagiles by Lawrance Collingwood (1950), Intérieur by Giedrius Kuprevičius (1976) and Alladine et Palomides by Osvald Chlubna (1921), Emil František Burian (1923) and Jarmil Burghauser (1934). Also Aribert Reimann had in his 2017 premiered opera invisible L' two of these three dramas ( interior and La mort de Tintagiles set to music). Lexa named the new opera triptych Le silence des ombres ("The silence of the shadows"), because in "Maeterlinck's universe [...] silence and shadow, the unsaid and the unseen are omnipresent".
The world premiere took place on September 25, 2019 in the Brussels theater KVS. The production was done by Olivier Lexa. Young people were deliberately chosen for the other contributors. Students of the École nationale supérieure des arts visuels de La Cambre were responsible for their master's theses for stage design and costumes. The lighting design was done by Alexander Koppelmann. The composer himself conducted the chamber orchestra there. The soloists were Julia Szproch (Tintagiles and Alladine), Raquel Camarinha (Ygraine, Marie and Astolaine), Clémence Poussin (Bellangère and Marthe), Renaud Delaigue (Aglovale and Ablamore), Luc van Grunderbeeck (the old man), Sébastien Dutrieux (the stranger) and doctor) and Pierre Derhet (Bauer and Palomides).
The reviews were mixed. Benedict Hévry von Resmusca considered the work to be “a world-class opera of high quality”. “The production is a total visual, dramatic and musical success.” Manuel Brug von der Welt was less impressed. The work is overly long, "because the gloomy, faded, melancholy, rigid mood remains much too similar". However, Attahir has proven "that he has his own narrative musical language and can orchestrate suggestively". Waldemar Kamer from Online Merker found the production "unfortunately less successful". The music is “just boring”, the production “looked like amateur theater” and the lighting is “well meant, but badly made”. Hans Reul from the Belgian Broadcasting Corporation praised the singers' performance and the “excellent orchestration”. Nevertheless, he found the evening too long. Only the third part showed "the necessary tension". Marie-Aude Roux from Le Monde also criticized the excess length, especially the third part. Nevertheless it is "a promising first lyric work". For Alma Torretta from the Giornale della musica , the performance was a success, but she too found the piece too long.
Recordings
- 2019 - Benjamin Attahir (conductor), Olivier Lexa (staging), students of the École nationale supérieure des arts visuels de La Cambre (stage and costumes), Alexander Koppelmann (lighting design), La Monnaie chamber orchestra.
Julia Szproch (Tintagiles and Alladine), Raquel Camarinha (Ygraine, Marie and Astolaine), Clémence Poussin (Bellangère and Marthe), Renaud Delaigue (Aglovale and Ablamore), Luc van Grunderbeeck (the old man), Sébastien Dutrieux (the stranger and doctor) , Pierre Derhet (Bauer and Palomides).
Video recording of the world premiere production.
Video stream on the Brussels Opera House La Monnaie / De Munt website .
Text versions
- Maurice Maeterlinck , George Stockhausen (transl.): The death of Tintagiles - at home - two small dramas for puppet shows. Authorized German translation of the text. F. Schneider & Co., Berlin 1899 ( online in the Internet Archive ).
- Maurice Maeterlinck , Friedrich von Oppeln-Bronikowski (transl.): Three mystical games: The seven princesses; Alladine and Palomides; The death of the Tintagiles. German translation of the text. Diederichs, Leipzig 1904 ( online at HathiTrust , only available from the USA).
Web links
- Video of the world premiere production on YouTube
- View scores : La mort de Tintagiles , Intérieur , Alladine et Palomides, Acts 1 and 2 and Alladine et Palomides, Acts 3 to 5 on ISSUU
Remarks
- ↑ The scene is included in the score, but is missing in the video of the premiere.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Indication in the score.
- ↑ a b After the cast of the premiere. The pitch of the Bellangère is not explicitly stated in the score.
- ↑ a b c d e f g Koen Van Caekenberghe: Everything you should know about "Le Silence des ombres". Work information on the website of the Brussels Opera House La Monnaie / De Munt , accessed on January 9, 2020.
- ↑ a b c d Joachim Lange: Dark is the end, is death - premiere of “Le Silence des ombres” by Benjamin Attahir in Brussels. In: Neue Musikzeitung , September 26, 2019, accessed on January 9, 2020.
- ^ A b Marie-Aude Roux: Premier opéra entre innocence et gravité pour Benjamin Attahir. Review of the world premiere in Brussels 2019 (French). In: Le Monde , September 28, 2019, accessed January 9, 2020.
- ^ Marie Hooghe: Une petite musique de nuit. Review of the world premiere in Brussels 2019 (French). In: Forum Opera, September 25, 2019, accessed January 9, 2020.
- ↑ a b Information on the world premiere production on the website of the Brussels Opera House La Monnaie / De Munt , accessed on January 9, 2020.
- ↑ Benedict Hévry: Le silence des ombres de Benjamin Attahir ou actuel Maeterlinck. Review of the premiere in Brussels (French). In: Resmusica, October 5, 2019, accessed January 9, 2020.
- ↑ Manuel Brug: Opera night and nightmares: the Brussels Monnaie bravely starts its season with two world premieres by Dusapin and Attahir. In: Die Welt , September 27, 2019, accessed on January 9, 2020.
- ↑ Waldemar Kamer: As a prelude to a new “Troika collaboration”, a second world premiere - unfortunately not very successful. In: Online Merker, September 29, 2019, accessed on January 9, 2019.
- ↑ Hans Reul: Second world premiere at the start of the season of the Brussels Opera La Monnaie on the Belgian Broadcasting website , September 30, 2019, accessed on January 9, 2020.
- ↑ Alma Torretta: Successo per Le silence des ombres. Review of the world premiere in Brussels 2019 (Italian). In: Il giornale della musica, October 2, 2019, accessed on January 9, 2020.