Pariah (opera)
| Work data | |
|---|---|
| Original title: | pariah |
Scene from the second act. Etching by F. Tegazzo |
|
| Shape: | Tragic opera |
| Original language: | Polish |
| Music: | Stanislaw Moniuszko |
| Libretto : | Jan Chęciński |
| Literary source: | based on the tragedy Le Paria by Casimir Delavigne |
| Premiere: | December 11, 1869 |
| Place of premiere: | Teatr Wielki (Warsaw) |
| Playing time: | approx. 120 minutes |
| Place and time of the action: | Benares around 1500 |
| people | |
Paria is a tragic opera in a prologue and three acts by Stanisław Moniuszko with a libretto by Jan Chęciński .
action
prolog
During a nocturnal prayer , Idamor, head of the Kshatriya caste, confides in his warrior Ratef and confesses his love for Neala, the daughter of the high priest Akabar, who is the head of the Brahmins . He is interrupted by an unexpected event: Idamor's soldiers are chasing after a disgusting pariah who entered the Sacred Grove and thereby defiled it. Idamor saves his life because he is very aware that he himself was originally one of the detested pariah caste. The overture follows.
first act
Neala is in the sacred grove with the priestesses. As a result of the conflict between her priestly duties and her earthly love, she informs her lover of the decision of her father to release her from her vows and to release her for marriage. But neither of them know who Akebar has chosen as their future husband. The Brahmins have gathered in the temple. Akebar criticizes the warrior caste (Kshatriya), whose influence threatens the power of the priests, and promises to defend the stronger position of the Brahmins. He calls on the gods and asks for protection, while Neala, who is also present, fears for Idamor's fate. Akebar summons Idamor and informs him that the gods have determined him to be the husband of his daughter Neala.
Second act
Idamor reveals the secret of his true origins to his lover. He's a pariah. Their love triumphs over feelings of horror and indignation. Neala comes to the priestess and surprises her with her new knowledge. Neala despairs in seclusion over the fate of Idamor; in the name of love she wants to share his fate and mystery. Ratef brings Neala the news of the arrival of a half-distraught old man who is looking for Idamor. She demands that this old man and Idamor be brought to her. It turns out that the mysterious old man is the Pariah Dżares, whose life Idamor saved in the Sacred Grove. Dżares recognizes his savior and urges him very much to return to his family.
Third act
The wedding ceremony begins on the Ganges . Akebar prays for the success of the newlyweds, the wedding dance begins (ballet). The disturbed Dżares spoils the cheerful mood by disrupting the ceremony and demanding death according to the law. Idamor throws himself at the feet of the high priest, begs for mercy for his father and offers his life in return. Dżares tries in vain to turn his lot around by claiming that he does not know the warrior. Idamor reveals he is a pariah and dies at the hand of the unforgiving Akebar. Neala faints at the sight of her fiancé's body. When she regains consciousness, she decides to disappear with old Dżares, to share his fate after Idamor's loss, cursed by all those close to Neala.
layout
music
For many years, Moniuszko's compositions have been viewed and presented in the national Polish context. His entire oeuvre, which is under the influence of the French opéra-comique of the 19th century (especially von Auber ), the numerous Italian influences and the prose literature of the German Romanticism, is dominated by folklore with a remarkable sound. It is not folklore as we know it today, but folklore that relates to the works of Szymanowski , Bartók or Stravinsky . This is a krakowiak-mazur-upperk abstraction that even his opera Paria (the opera takes place in India ) does not elude.
The opera offers large choral scenes (also behind the stage), special ballet scenes and attractive but legible vocal parts for four main soloists, an interesting orchestration (individual orchestras on the stage) and, above all, a clear and closed structure.
libretto
The libretto by Jan Chęciński with an enlightened and universal content is based on the tragedy Le Paria by the French poet Casimir Delavigne , which Moniuszko is said to have translated into Polish as a young adult and which Gaetano Donizetti used as a template for his opera Il paria .
history
Emergence
Eighteen-year-old Stanisław Moniuszko , who spoke five languages fluently, may have been unusually fascinated by Delavigne's French tragedy Le Paria (1821) when he met her as a translator. Work on the score for his opera Paria lasted ten years and ended with the world premiere at the Teatr Wielki (Warsaw) on December 11, 1869, after which an opera reviewer for the Warsaw Courier wrote: "The music of the opera Paria is worth listening to It is characterized by the intelligence of the composer and can therefore easily be enchanted and admire the work. If Moniuszko had created the said opera in the times when the sun of illusions shone with all its brightness and the traditional spirit did it preferred to live in his ideal world, she would have put Halka in the shade with her tragic force. "
reception
Despite the relatively positive criticism of the Warsaw courier at the world premiere, Paria was removed from the opera repertoire after six more performances. This was a very uncomfortable experience for Moniuszko. Until his death he wondered why Paria was not interested in his compatriots, although with its enlightened and universal libretto it offers fantastic performance opportunities and large choral scenes (also behind the stage), special ballet scenes and attractive but legible vocal parts for four main soloists, an interesting one Orchestration (individual orchestras on stage) and above all a clear and closed structure. The most plausible explanation for this is the excessive sophistication of the musical language and the lack of visible Polish patriotic elements.
The acquaintance with many personalities in the music industry such as Liszt , Rossini , Gounod , Smetana , Auber , Dargomyschski and the success of Halka abroad gave Moniuszko hope for more interest outside of Congress Poland . But he was disappointed: Although Paria and Halka resemble Verdi's opera Aida and the great choirs correspond to Verdi's achievements, Moniuszko's dream only came true in 1991 in Havana . There were unsuccessful new productions in Poland in 1917 (Warsaw), 1951 (Breslau), 1958 (Poznan), 1960 (Bytom), 1972 (Gdynia), 1980 (Warsaw), 1992 (Łódź) and 2005 (Szczecin).
Thanks to Fitelberg's redesign, the spectacular overture is regularly played in concert halls. It differs significantly from Moniuszko's original overture, especially in terms of the instrumentation and the main motif. In 2008, the Polish record company Dux Records presented the first complete recording of the opera score with the financial support of the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage (MKiDN) . Warcisław Kunc was the musical director .
Discography
- Warcisław Kunc (conductor): Paria with Skrla, Kuk, Hołysz, Lewandowski, Lampert, choir and orchestra of the Szczecin Palace Opera. Recording in the Szczecin Palace Opera September 2008, 2CDs DUX 0686/0687, 2008 (first complete recording of the opera)
literature
- Józef Kański: Przewodnik operowy (preface to the opera), Warszawa: Polskie Wydawnictwo Muzyczne, 1973, p. 325ff. (pl)
- Józef Kański: Przewodnik operowy (preface to the opera), Wyd. XI. Warszawa: Polskie Wydawnictwo Muzyczne, 2014, p. 374ff., ISBN 978-83-224-0962-6 (pl)
- Booklet by Warcisław Kunc for the 2CD set, 2008 Dux 0686/0687 (pl, en, it)
Web links
- Overture to Paria on YouTube
- Review of Paria by Robert Hugill on MusicWeb International (en)
- Review of Paria by Guy Rickards on Gramophone (en)
- Moniuszko: Overtures , The Guardian, January 29, 2014 (en)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Booklet, p. 17, 2CDs Paria , 2008 DUX 0686/0687