Marco Polo (Opera)

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Opera dates
Title: Marco Polo
Marco Polo in front of Kublai Khan

Marco Polo in front of Kublai Khan

Shape: Well-composed large form
Original language: English
Music: Tan Dun
Libretto : Paul Griffiths
Premiere: May 7, 1996
Place of premiere: Muffathalle Munich
Playing time: approx. 1 ¾ hours
people

Marco Polo is an “ opera within an opera” by Tan Dun (music) with a libretto by Paul Griffiths . The world premiere took place on May 7, 1996 in the Muffathalle in Munich.

action

The opera describes three parallel journeys by the title character. The “physical journey” (“Oper II”) deals with Marco Polo's expedition from Venice to Kublai Khan's China in the 13th century at real locations. As an “opera in the opera” it is embedded in the “spiritual journey” (“Spiritual Journey” or “Opera I”), which runs through the four seasons in the “Book of Timespace”. A third “musical journey” essentially follows the locations of the “physical journey”. The scenes of the opera are assigned to the three journeys as follows:

Spiritual journey, opera I. Physical journey, opera II Musical journey
Book of the period: winter
piazza middle Ages
Book of the period: spring
sea middle Ages
bazaar Middle East
Book of the period: summer
desert Indian
Himalaya Tibetan
The wall Mongolian
Book of the period: autumn
The Wall (continued) Chinese

While the “physical journey” is mainly based on the western musical tradition (but also uses Eastern instruments), the scenes of the “spiritual journey”, which provide a kind of framework, are more inspired by the Peking Opera . According to Tan Dun, the latter give an “impression of the togetherness of the three levels of consciousness of human experience - past, present and future” and gradually lead Marco Polo from his “initial split to inner unity”.

The various roles are also assigned to different levels, which Tan Dun explicitly named in the score. The title role is divided into two parts: While Marco represents his essential, acting side (“essence” or “being”), the reflective side (“memory” or “memory”) is assigned to the figure of Polo. The only other role described as a traditional person or "being" is the Mongol ruler Kublai Khan. In addition, as a kind of natural spirit ("nature"), water is personified as an allegory for the person closest to Marco Polo. Three shadow roles ("shadows") reflect the influences of the different cultures with which Marco Polo is confronted on his trip to China. They take on different shapes as they progress.

The following table of contents is based on the description in the manual of the opera, the program booklet of the Amsterdam performance from 2008 and the subtitles of the DVD of the same production.

The book of the period: winter

On the dark stage, only the three illuminated faces of Marco, Polo and Rustichello can be made out, reminiscent of moons. After a brief introduction by Rustichello, who repeatedly addresses the audience as a narrator over the course of the opera, both sides of the traveler realize that they each reported only half of what they experienced. You want to make the trip again and take the “questioner” Rustichello with you.

piazza

The Italian piazza is both a symbol of Polo's homeland Venice and of the underworld. The third shadow describes the place like a tour guide in the form of Dante both as a city and a forest. Polo sings of the wind whistling from afar. Driven by Marco, the Polo choir is pushing for a new departure with the word “journey” sung in several languages. At the same time, the Mongol ruler waits outside the stage for his own departure on a "journey to himself [...], from the third to the first person, to become Kublai Khan". Marco tells Polo to take him with him. The water as a travel medium and shadows 1 and 2 follow. The departure corresponds to a birth.

The book of the period: Spring

In the dark by moonlight, Marco tries to describe his departure. He forgets to mention his father and uncle's interest in gold and silk, as well as the two monks who were initially traveling with them. Rustichello and Dante point out these mistakes.

sea

Marco's journey across the water begins. Polo describes his feelings as the sea moves more and more, while Dante describes the visible aspects in the form of the vanishing towers of the city. A storm breaks out. Polo calms the anxious Marco. Dante reminds the time the storm waned and waned to the overcoming of the local distance.

bazaar

In the chaos of the market, Rustichello recalls the failed attempts by Marco Polo's father to get gold. Two runners fill Polo's hands with tea and water. Marco and Polo are thirsty for the new and the unknown. Dante recognizes a danger in the jumble of the various paths in the bazaar. Despite the risk, Marco and Polo continue the journey.

The book of the period: summer

Rustichello, Marco and Polo enter the desert of speechlessness. Only Rustichello can speak here, while Marco and Polo limit themselves to imitating the sounds of sand and wind.

desert

The second shadow appears in the form of the Scheherazade . When she realizes that Marco has moved away from Polo, she conjures up a pantomime dance scene for the latter - a wordless love story with which she tries to seduce Polo so that he stays in the desert. The water tries to stop this in silence until Scheherazade puts a stop to it with the word "silence". Since this ends the general speechlessness, her dance pantomime also disappears. Scheherazade is powerless now. Marco returns to Polo and the water urges us to leave. But Scheherazade has not given up yet. The tension continues to rise until Kublai Khan steps in from outside the scene. Now that he has found himself, he speaks of himself in the first person. But he is still waiting, a stranger in a strange city.

Himalayas

The place is dominated by a ritual, magical atmosphere. Polo waits silently while Kublai Khan and the shadows Dante and Rustichello sing of the Himalayas. Once again, Marco is reminded of the business goals of his father and uncle. The water recognizes how ice and snow rule the land. A runner connects Marco and Polo with a silk scarf. Polo doesn't understand the point.

The wall

Gradually the mighty and impenetrable Great Wall of China becomes visible. She sings with the voice of the choir and the shadows. Polo is silent, but Marco tries to understand her words.

The book of the period: autumn

Suddenly darkness falls. The wall and the choir can no longer be seen. “Like survivors of a catastrophe”, soloists remained who realized that Marco and Polo were now one person. Rustichello and Dante ask Marco Polo if he had reported on the wall. Since the choir and orchestra answer this question with “no”, he has to defend the veracity of his report. He is questioned at the same time and instructed by the three shadows and the water when they discover further inconsistencies. Marco Polo's defense is that omissions are not lies. The shadows therefore ask themselves whether they only exist as "air in the wind", as dream figures. You take on the characters of the Chinese poet Li Po , the German composer Mahler and the English playwright Shakespeare .

The Wall (continued)

The wall appears again. Kublai Khan is now on target and completely himself. His task will be to rule over the world. But he still sings of the silence. The second shadow, now in the form of the Queen, tells Marco and Polo to stay. Polo is petrified. Marco, on the other hand, is silent - he wants to continue the journey. Kublai Khan agrees with the queen because he has not yet grasped the meaning of the encounter. Marco breaks away from Polo and approaches Dante, who is supposed to speak for him. Dante refers to death and an afterlife in the hereafter. All others assure that such a thing could not exist, since the Khan ruled the entire world like a "constant sun". Polo joins the singing as if in a trance. Marco, on the other hand, only does this against his own will. Finally, Polo breaks out of harmony and looks at Marco expectantly. Marco breaks through the wall.

layout

Instrumentation

The orchestral line-up for the opera includes the following instruments:

The “Tibetan” instruments can be obtained from the composer or the publisher as stated in the score.

music

The opera contains a pantomime by Scheherazade in the picture “Desert” and a dance scene at the end of the picture “Himalaya”.

In terms of music, Tan Dun combines Western compositional styles with Far Eastern traditions. In the opening scene he already uses Chinese percussion instruments and vocal lines inspired by the Peking Opera with glissandi and falsetto passages . But it is by no means a direct imitation of Chinese forms. Western string instruments also play a role in the Chinese sections, and linguistic and tonal elements of both traditions mix in the vocal parts. The western performers also often have to sing in the eastern style.

Tan Dun integrated many clearly recognizable elements from different musical epochs. The Gregorian chant (“Plaza” scene), parallels of fifths , a recorder solo or the Landino clause (at the beginning of the “sea” scene) are reminiscent of the music of the Middle Ages .

The instruments and style of singing are often linked to the geographic location of the scene in question. In the Indian “desert” scene, for example, sitar and tabla play together with the prepared piano, while the vocal lines of Scheherazade and Wasser are based on the gypsy scale. The "Himalaya" scene contains the murmur of the bass reminiscent of Tibetan monks' chants and uses Tibetan instruments. In the Mongolian "Wall" scene you can hear the men singing overtones , and in the Chinese one a pipa.

In the “Autumn” scene there is a quote from Gustav Mahler's Song of the Earth , whose text “Der Trunkene im Frühling” is based on a poem by Li Po .

libretto

Even the credibility of Marco Polo's historical account of his trip to China is controversial. He had not published the text himself, but rather described his experiences during a Genoese prisoner-of-war captivity to his fellow prisoner Rustichello da Pisa , who, with his permission, used it to create the famous book. Paul Griffiths ' libretto accordingly regards the original as an interpretable myth. The individual scenes of the opera are put together according to Asian theater traditions and have a ritual and symbolic effect. The language of the text is also metaphorically puzzling. It contains both eastern and western elements. For example, the beginning of Dante's Divine Comedy in the “Bazaar” scene or a poem by the Chinese poet Li Po in the “Autumn” scene (the Mahler quote) is quoted. In some places the text changes to other languages ​​such as Italian, Chinese or German.

Costumes

Tan Dun gave specific instructions for the costumes. Accordingly, only the “essence” figures Marco and Kublai Khan should wear historical-realistic costumes that emphasize the contrast between the Western Middle Ages and China. Polo, Dante and Rustichello should be dressed “neutrally” without reference to time, age or historical context. Dante always wears a mask that doesn't cover his mouth. Rustichello's face should be painted like the singers of the Peking Opera. The natural shape of the water should also be emphasized by light effects or the like. The second shadow initially appears as the storyteller Scheherazade . Her transformation into Mahler only happens through a western jacket. For her third figure as queen, only suitable headgear needs to be added.

Work history

Marco Polo is Tan Dun's first opera. He wrote it between 1992 and 1996 for the Edinburgh Festival .

The world premiere took place on May 7, 1996 as part of the Munich Biennale in the Muffathalle Munich. Thomas Young (Polo), Alexandra Montano (Marco), Dong-Jian Gong (Kublai Khan), Susan Botti (water), Shi-Zheng Chen (shadow 1), Nina Warren (shadow 2), Stephen Bryant (shadow 3 ). The composer himself directed the Netherlands Radio Kamerorkest. Directed by Martha Clarke.

Shortly thereafter, the production was also released at the Holland Festival in Amsterdam (an audio recording of this was released on CD) and at the Hong Kong Arts Festival. In 1997 there was an American premiere at the New York City Opera . Further performances took place in 1998 at Suntory Hall in Tokyo, at the Settembre Musica Festival in Turin, at the Huddersfield Festival and at the Barbican Center in London. The Neue Oper Wien played the work in 1999 (conductor: Walter Kobéra , scene: Erwin Piplits and Ulrike Kaufmann , Marco: Gisela Theisen, polo: Robert Hillebrand, shadow 1: Alexander Kaimbacher ). In 2001 the opera was performed in the Croatian National Theater in Zagreb and in 2005 in the Manhattan School of Music in New York (conductor: Steve Osgood). In 2008 there was a new production by the Nederlandse Opera in Amsterdam (conductors: Tan Dun and Steve Osgood, staging: Pierre Audi ), of which a DVD recording was published. Another production was performed in 2013 in the Grieghalle in Bergen, Norway (conductor: Baldur Bronniman, director: Netia Jones).

From the British magazine Opera was Marco Polo elected 1996 "Opera of the Year". In 1998 Tan Dun received the "Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition" for this.

Recordings

  • June 20, 1996 - Tan Dun (conductor), Cappella Amsterdam, Netherlands Chamber Orchestra.
    Thomas Young (Polo), Alexandra Montano (Marco), Dong-Jian Gong (Kublai Khan), Susan Botti (water), Shi-Zheng Chen (shadow 1), Nina Warren (shadow 2), Stephen Bryant (shadow 3).
    Live from Amsterdam.
    Sony CD: S2K 62912 (2 CD); Nomination for the Grammy Award 2010 in the category "Best Opera Recording".
  • November 2008 - Tan Dun (conductor), Cappella Amsterdam, Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, Pierre Audi (staging).
    Charles Workman (Polo), Sarah Castle (Marco), Stephen Richardson (Kublai Khan), Nancy Allen Lundy (Water), Zhang Jun (Shadow 1), Tania Kross (Shadow 2), Stephen Bryant (Shadow 3).
    Video; live from Het Muziektheater Amsterdam.
    Opus Arte OA 1010 D (DVD).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Reiner E. Moritz : Work information in the supplement to the DVD from 2008.
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Robert Maschka: Marco Polo. In: Rudolf Kloiber , Wulf Konold , Robert Maschka: Handbuch der Oper. 9th, expanded, revised edition 2002. Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag / Bärenreiter, ISBN 3-423-32526-7 , pp. 738–743.
  3. ↑ a b work information on musicsalesclassical.com, accessed on April 9, 2017.
  4. ↑ Information in the score, p. 4.
  5. ↑ a b c work information on tandun.com, accessed on April 9, 2017.
  6. ↑ May 7, 1996: “Marco Polo”. In: L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia ..
  7. ↑ Tan Dun. In: Andreas Ommer: Directory of all complete opera recordings (= Zeno.org . Volume 20). Directmedia, Berlin 2005, p. 4417.