Masquerade
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| Title: | Masquerade |
Performance by the Danish Jyske Opera, 1954 |
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| Shape: | Opera in three acts |
| Original language: | Danish |
| Music: | Carl Nielsen |
| Libretto : | Vilhelm Andersen |
| Literary source: | Ludvig Holberg |
| Premiere: | November 11, 1906 |
| Place of premiere: | Copenhagen |
| Playing time: | approx. 2 ½ hours |
| Place and time of the action: | Copenhagen, 1723 |
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Maskarade is an opera in three acts by Carl Nielsen with a libretto by Vilhelm Andersen based on a comedy by Ludvig Holberg . It was premiered on November 11, 1906 at the Royal Danish Theater in Copenhagen under the direction of the composer.
This opera is considered the national opera of Denmark . The spirited overture and the ballet from the third act (the so-called "rooster dance") are also regularly played in concerts.
action
first act
The action takes place in Copenhagen in 1723 in the house of Jeronimus and Magdelone. After a masked ball the day before, their son Leander and his servant Henrik wake up hungover. It's already five in the afternoon. Nevertheless Leander still wants to go to the ball today to see the stranger with whom he fell in love yesterday and with whom he has already exchanged rings. Unfortunately, his father intends to marry him off to Leonard's daughter, whom he has never seen. Henrik plays him in a little theater parody how Jerominus, Leonard, his daughter and the marriage judge will react to Leander's rejection. Leander is not deterred, however, and Henrik is also eager for the ball and the beautiful women he will meet there.
Leander's mother Magdelone joins them. She would also like to go to the ball and asks Leander whether older people are allowed there. Since Leander doubts whether she can dance at all, she shows him her skills. Leander and Henrik are amused. The performance is interrupted when Jeronimus enters the room and rebukes his wife. He doesn't believe in masked balls, forbids them to go and sends Magdelone to her room. Then he takes on Leander and Henrik. While Leander is silent, Henrik reluctantly reveals that Leander fell in love while dancing. Angry, Jeronimus throws Henrik out and banishes Leander to his room.
Jeronimus curses the masquerade ball. He is expecting Leonard's visit and does not know how to explain the changed situation to him. However, he has the same problems, because his daughter also fell in love elsewhere at the ball. The two agree to force their children to be happy. Jeronimus therefore orders his servant Arv to keep watch so that no one can leave the house. Then he calls Leander and Henrik in to ask them about yesterday's ball. Henrik says that they were invited by an elderly man from Frankfurt am Main or on the Oder who spoke twenty languages: Danish, German, Finnish, Russian, Polish and Flamenco. Otherwise he was very educated and could play many instruments. In this dark and cold country you have to do everything you can to forget your worries, and the best way to do that is to dance at the masquerade ball. While Leonard shows understanding, Jeronimus doesn't want to hear about it. He forces his son and Henrik to apologize to Leonard. When Leander is supposed to promise to marry his daughter the next day, he refuses. Jeronimus then forbids them to go to the ball. In the final quintet of the first movement, Jeronimus, Leonard and Arv repeat the prohibition with ever stronger threats, while Leander and Henrik consistently contradict it.
Second act
It's eight o'clock in the evening. In front of the house, Arv is talking to the night watchman. After he leaves, Henrik steps out of the house disguised as a ghost. He frightens Arv and forces him to confess his sins. He admits that he stole some food from the pantry and seduced the cook. Henrik now has leverage. He reveals himself and asks Arv to leave the house undisturbed with Leander. Otherwise he will tell Jeronimus about his crimes.
One after the other, a group of students, some officers and some girls come by on the way to the theater and tease Arv. Then Leonard comes out of the house to secretly attend the ball. He tells Arv that he is on his way home. Next, Henrik and Leander sneak out. Henrik reminds Arv of the cook again to make sure he doesn't sound the alarm. Leonore arrives in a carriage. She wears a white veil - the agreed mark. Leander and Henrik greet her and her maid Pernille. Leander and Leonore as well as Henrik and Pernille enter the theater in pairs.
In the meantime Jeronimus has noticed that his son and Henrik have escaped. In search of them he leaves the house and is promptly stopped by the now careful Arv. Both go to the theater, where they are initially turned away by the porter because they are not wearing masks. While Jeronimus is buying two costumes, the masked Magdelone appears. She steps into the hall with Leonard. Arv disguises himself as Cupid and Jeronimus as Bacchus. So they are finally admitted. The second act ends with market shouts from the costume seller and the call of the night watchman who announces the ninth hour.
Third act
The third act takes place in the great hall of the Comedy Theater on Grønnegade. The turbulent ball is in full swing. A master of ceremonies announces the various dances. Henrik is teasingly received by three girls until he finally escapes. Leander (as shepherd) and Leonore (as goddess of flowers) testify to their love and finally identify each other by name. Henrik approaches Pernille again, and they too give each other their names. The two couples continue to flirt with each other. Leonard dances with Magdelone, who rejects his advances. Then the completely drunk Jeronimus approaches in search of a dancer. The two are frightened, but Jeronimus does not recognize them. Finally he finds the dancer he is looking for and tries to approach her. However, he is rebuked and mocked by her, the jealous dance master and some students. The master of ceremonies appears as "Corporal Mors" with two hussars carrying a large urn and announces the end of the charade . The masks are put down and thrown into the urn. Those present recognize each other. Jeronimus is amazed to see Magdelone and Leonard at the ball. In addition, it turns out that Leonore is Leonard's daughter and thus Leander's intended fiancée by his father. Everyone is reconciled. The opera ends with a happy “sweep” from all those present.
Performance history
The cast of the premiere on November 11, 1906 in Copenhagen sang Karl Mantzius (Jeronimus), Johanna Neijendam (Magdelone), Hans Kjerulf (Leander), Lars Knudsen (Arv), Peter Jerndorf (Leonard), Emilie Ulrich / Ingeborg Norregaard-Hansen ( Leonora), Ida Møller / Margrethe Lindrop (Pernille) and Albert Petersen (master of ceremonies).
Discography
- 1954: Live recording of a concert performance in Copenhagen with the Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra and Chorus under the direction of Launy Grøndahl . Singers: Holger Byrding (Jeronimus), Ingeborg Steffensen (Magdelone), Thyge Thygesen (Leander), Einar Nørby (Henrik), Marius Jacobsen (Arv), Poul Wiedemann (Leonard), Ruth Guldbaek (Leonora), Eileen Margarethe Edlers (Pernille) .
- 1977: Studio recording with the Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra and Chorus under the direction of John Frandsen. Singers: Ib Hansen (Jeronimus), Gurli Plesner (Magdelone), Tonny Landy (Leander), Mogens Schmidt Johanson (Henrik), Christian Sörensen (Arv), Gert Bastian (Leonard), Edith Broderson (Leonora), Tove Hyldgaard (Pernille) .
- 1996: Studio recording with the Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra and Chorus under the direction of Ulf Schirmer . Singers: Aage Haughland (Jeronimus), Susanne Resmark (Magdelone), Gert Henning-Jensen (Leander), Bo Skovhus (Henrik), Mikael Kristénsen (Arv), Kurt Ravn (Leonard), Henriette Bonde-Hansen (Leonora), Marianne Rørholm (Pernille).
- 2005: Live recording of a German version from Bregenz (DVD) with the Wiener Symphoniker and the Moscow Chamber Chorus under the direction of Ulf Schirmer in a production by David Pountney . Singers: Günter Missenhardt (Jeronimus), Julia Juon (Magdelone), Daniel Kirch (Leander), Markus Brück (Henrik), Adrian Thompson (Arv), Ernst-Dieter Suttheimer (Leonard), Barbara Havemann (Leonora), Katharina Peetz (Pernille ).
- 2007: Recording (CD and DVD) with the Royal Danisch Orchestra and Opera Choir under the direction of Michael Schønwandt . Singers: Stephen Milling, Susanne Resmark, Niels Jørgen Riis, Johan Reuter, Mogens Gert Hansen, Poul Elming, Gisela Stille, Hanne Fischer.
Web links
- Maskarade, FS 39 (Nielsen, Carl) : Sheet music and audio files in the International Music Score Library Project
- Full text libretto at kareol.es (Danish and Spanish)
- Table of contents on musirony.de.tl
- Work information on dacapo-records.dk
Individual evidence
- ↑ Carl Nielsen. In: Andreas Ommer: Directory of all opera complete recordings. Zeno.org , Volume 20, p. 11960.
- ↑ Carl Nielsen. In: Andreas Ommer: Directory of all opera complete recordings. Zeno.org , Volume 20, p. 11961.
- ↑ Carl Nielsen. In: Andreas Ommer: Directory of all opera complete recordings. Zeno.org , Volume 20, p. 11963.
- ↑ Carl Nielsen. In: Andreas Ommer: Directory of all opera complete recordings. Zeno.org , Volume 20, p. 11964.
- ^ Carl Nielsen: Maskarade [DVD Video] - Michael Schønwandt at Allmusic (English). Retrieved June 18, 2015.