The Ghosts of Versailles
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| Title: | The Ghosts of Versailles |
| Shape: | “Grand opera buffa ” in two acts |
| Original language: | English |
| Music: | John Corigliano |
| Libretto : | William M. Hoffman |
| Literary source: | Pierre Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais : La mère coupable |
| Premiere: | December 19, 1991 |
| Place of premiere: | Metropolitan Opera New York |
| Playing time: | approx. 2 ½ hours |
| Place and time of the action: | Paris and Versailles 1793, the spirit world in the present |
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Ghosts
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The Ghosts of Versailles is an opera (original name: "Grand opera buffa ") in two acts by John Corigliano (music) with a libretto by William M. Hoffman based on motifs from Pierre Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais ' La mère coupable . The world premiere took place on December 19, 1991 at the Metropolitan Opera New York.
action
first act
Prolog. Present; Marie Antoinette's private theater in the Petit Trianon in Versailles; almost empty stage with fragments of the theater; therein the residence of the Almavivas in Paris in autumn 1793
The ghosts of Marie Antoinette , her former husband Louis XVI. and their courtiers are bored with gossip. An elegant lady in an oversized dress and hat sings a song to words by Beaumarchais . Louis talks to a marquis about the fact that Beaumarchais has fallen in love with the queen. Louis doesn't seem to mind. Marie Antoinette has had enough of love, however. She just wants to forget her past (Arie Marie Antoinette: “They are always with me”). Beaumarchais presents his new opera Ein Figaro for Antonia to those present to lighten their spirits. He claps his hands, after which the residence of Count Almaviva becomes visible. Figaro enters, pursued by his wife Susanna, the count, creditors and former lover (Aria Figaro: “They wish they could kill me”). Beaumarchais closes the curtain on his little stage and the ghosts applaud. Marie Antoinette even cries with emotion. Beaumarchais then promises to bring her back to life. With the help of her collar he wants to change the past in such a way that the revolution never took place and she was not executed.
Scene 1. Paris in autumn 1793; Residence of the Almavivas
Beaumarchais explains the living conditions of his opera characters to the ghosts: Almaviva's wife Rosina has cheated on her husband with the page Cherubino and with him fathered their son Léon. Almaviva never forgave her for that. He therefore refuses to give his consent when Léon wants to marry his illegitimate daughter Florestine. Instead, she is supposed to marry his best friend Patrick Honoré Bégearss - the villain of the opera. Beaumarchais has in the meantime leaked the Marie Antoinette chain to Almaviva, who wants to sell it to the English ambassador at the Turkish embassy so that Marie Antoinette, who has already been imprisoned, can escape to America with the money. When Figaro and Susanna come in to clean, Almaviva quickly hides the necklace. But Susanna finds her immediately. She and Figaro ask the Count to approve the marriage of Léon and Florestine. They consider Bégearss to be a spy for the revolutionaries and have already caught his servant Wilhelm searching the rooms. Outraged by this interference in his affairs, Almaviva dismisses Figaro from his service and withdraws. Figaro and Susanna watch from hiding as Bégearss and Wilhelm talk about their devious plans. Bégearss takes every opportunity to beat Wilhelm up. He praises his cunning in an aria about the worm, whom he regards as the king of animals (Arie Bégearss: "Oh, the lion may roar").
Scene 2. The theater at Versailles
Marie Antoinette suffers with the young Florestine. She remembers her own loneliness and fears after arriving in Paris at the age of fourteen. Beaumarchais comforts her with the fact that she was lovingly received by the people back then. Out of jealousy, Louis takes up his sword, but Beaumarchais lets the opera continue.
Scene 3. Rosina's boudoir and an arbor in the garden of the Almaviva residence in Spain
Rosina begs Almaviva in vain to allow her children to marry. She remembers her love for Cherubino twenty years ago and sees herself playing tenderly with him in the garden of Aguas Frescas (duet Cherubino / Rosina: “Look at the green here in the glade”).
Scene 4. Versailles
At the same time, Beaumarchais compares his own feelings for Maria Theresia with those of the young couple and openly tries to seduce them (quartet with Marie Antoinette / Beaumarchais: “My soul is closed to sweet pleasures”). Louis gets completely enraged and challenges Beaumarchais to a duel (duel song of the spirits: "He will cut you into pieces"). He pierces Beaumarchais with his sword. However, since both are already dead, there are no consequences. The other ghosts laugh and fight with each other too.
Scene 5. A gala reception at the Embassy of the Sublime Porte
Almaviva, Rosina and Susanna want to sell the collar to the British ambassador. While they wait, Suleyman Pasha entertains them with a divertissement. Florestine and Léon watch the scene from a hiding place. Then Bégearss appears with his servant and some revolutionary guards disguised as diplomats, whom he instructs not to strike until Almaviva takes out the chain. The ambassador finally arrives. Just as the sale is about to take place, the Suleyman calls in the main attraction: the dancer Samira (Cabaletta Samira: “Limatha hajartani?”). Dressed as a belly dancer, Figaro mixes with the dancers. While fruits are distributed after the performance, Almaviva and the ambassador try to finalize their deal. Figaro snatches the chain away from them. A wild chase begins, but Figaro escapes. The lady with the hat appears disguised as a valkyrie and exclaims: “This is not an opera! Wagner is opera! "
Second act
Scene 1. The theater in Versailles; Figaro's and Rosina's bedroom
After the break, the ghosts arrive only gradually, so that the continuation of the opera is delayed. Marie Antoinette is now longing to go back to her life. In the theater, Almaviva, Rosina and Florestine are impatiently waiting for Figaro to return. Beaumarchais explains to the spirits that he will return the collar and then, together with the count, save the queen from prison. However, Figaro does not stick to the script and refuses to give up the collar. For him, Marie Antoinette is an arrogant, decadent traitor. Better to use the money to flee to London yourself. He rushes out. Beaumarchais is outraged (Aria Beaumarchais: "I risk my soul for you, Antonia"). Louis and the lady in hat, on the other hand, consider this twist to be a brilliant theatrical coup. Despite Marie Antoinette's warning, Beaumarchais jumps on stage to personally intervene in the plot of the opera.
Scene 2. Figaro's and Rosina's bedroom
Almaviva threatens Susanna with dismissal if she doesn't find her husband. She and Rosina complain about the behavior of their husbands (duet: "As summer brings a wistfull bressze"). Rosina leaves Susanna after a kiss goodbye. Immediately afterwards Figaro re-enters to hide. Then Beaumarchais appears next to him out of nowhere and abducts him into the world of spirits. Susanna also disappears. She and Figaro look at their new surroundings with amazement.
Scene 3. The Temple of Love at Versailles and the Revolutionary Tribunal in the Palais de Justice
The ghost of Marie Antoinette tells Figaro that he is here to save her. But to do this he had to return the jewels. Since Figaro does not believe her, Beaumarchais shows him her trial before the tribunal, in which he himself plays the cruel prosecutor, while Marie Antoinette protests her innocence. Figaro is appalled at the injustice of this process. He apologizes to the queen.
Scene 4. A street in Paris
Goaded on by Bégearss, a group of revolutionary women demand the execution of Marie Antoinette.
Scene 5. The ball room in Almaviva's house
The nobles who have not yet been arrested gather one last time for a splendid ball. They can already be recognized as future victims by red ribbons around their necks. Three ghosts mingle with them, unseen. Rosina and Almaviva greet the guests while Florestine looks longingly for Léon. The dances begin. When Léon arrives, Almaviva gets angry. However, Rosina quickly manages to calm him down. Although Almaviva realizes that he is just as guilty as his wife, he cannot yet forgive her (quartet: “Remember the chestnut trees”). The celebration is suddenly interrupted by the arrival of the revolutionaries under Bégearss, who arrest all the guests. Figaro and Beaumarchais enter unobserved, and Figaro hands the collar to Bégearss. Almaviva asks Figaro for forgiveness for not believing him. When Bégearss threatens to kill everyone if Almaviva does not give him his daughter, Beaumarchais intervenes. His attempts to stop Bégearss with a magical gesture, however, remain ineffective. At least he and Figaro manage to escape while the others are led away.
Scene 6. The Gothic vault of the Conciergerie Prison
The imprisoned aristocrats await their execution. Among them is an old princess with cocky manners and an extravagant hat who serves imaginary tea to imaginary guests. She is the living version of the lady in the hat. Most of the other prisoners try to sleep. Wilhelm and some guards take Almaviva and his relatives to the cell. When Wilhelm tries to approach Rosina immorally, there is a brief argument with Almaviva. Wilhelm gives in quickly because the guillotine is waiting for his opponent anyway. After he leaves, Almaviva and Rosina finally reconcile, and the Count also asks Léon for forgiveness (quartet: “O God of Love”). Marie Antoinette and the others say a prayer (Miserere). At dawn, two veiled figures enter the cell: Figaro and Beaumarchais make one last attempt at rescue. They were able to break into the dungeon with bribery and some violence, but Wilhelm has the key to the queen's cell. This is a job for Susanna and the other women. They lure Wilhelm into the cell and overwhelm him. But when Almaviva wants to free the queen, Bégearss appears with his people. He has his servant arrested, who failed, and repeats his ultimatum from the previous evening: the hand of Florestine or the death of the whole family. Figaro saves the situation by denouncing Bégearss in front of the guards and naming the collar as evidence that Bégearss wanted to keep to himself. Wilhelm searches his former master and finds the collar. While Bégearss is being taken away, the others can flee. Beaumarchais herself tries to free Marie Antoinette. But this insists on letting history take its course. She confesses her love to Beaumarchais (aria: "She must stay and ride the cart").
Final. Place de la Révolution
While the Almaviva family travels to the New World in a balloon, Marie Antoinette is led to the guillotine and executed to the chants of the crowd. She and Beaumarchais take their places again among the other spirits in Aguas Frescas. Beaumarchais puts the collar on Marie Antoinette and kisses her hand.
layout
In order to master the challenges of the complex libretto, the librettist William M. Hoffman oriented himself on various older works such as the operas of Claudio Monteverdi , Richard Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos or the plays by Beaumarchais himself.
Corigliano saw his work in the tradition of the opera buffa and explained that this form forced him to write beautiful ensemble movements from beginning to end. Since he also used the generous equipment of a great opera, he chose the generic name “Grand opera buffa”. Despite its comedic traits, Corigliano viewed The Ghosts of Versailles as a serious work on change and the different ways in which it is taking place: either through violence and revolution, or evolutionary by accepting the past, living in the present and the future look. The message of the entire opera is that all of this can happen without destruction. To implement these ideas, Corigliano resorted to the simultaneous representation of different levels. For example, in the garden scene (I: 3), the love story of Rosina and Cherubino, dating back twenty years, takes place simultaneously with Beaumarchai's attempt to seduce Marie Antoinette. The boundaries between the outside world and the theater are often blurred.
In order to give the historical elements of the opera the “scent” of the Figaro operas by Mozart and Rossini, Corigliano integrated musical material reminiscent of their style, which is accompanied on stage by a small buffo orchestra. As in the operas of the late 18th century, there are recitatives, arias and ensemble movements. The sound background for the ghost scenes is generated by a synthesizer that was used for the first time at the Metropolitan Opera at the premiere . There are also various allusions to other musical styles from Richard Strauss to Gilbert and Sullivan .
The good intelligibility of the text of the vocal parts is remarkable, which Corigliano achieved through comfortable voices for the singers and a thinned out orchestral accompaniment.
Orchestra of the original version from 1992
The orchestral line-up for the Metropolitan Opera version contains the following instruments:
- Woodwinds : three flutes (including piccolo ), three oboes (also cor anglais ), three clarinets (also clarinet and bass clarinet ), three bassoons (including contrabassoon )
- Brass : four horns , four trumpets , three trombones , tuba
- Timpani , drums (four players)
- harp
- Piano , synthesizer
- Strings
- Incidental music on stage (players from the main orchestra): flute, oboe, viola , drums
Orchestra of the standard version from 1995
In this version, the stage musicians play inside the orchestra pit. The smaller singing parts (except for the ten main actors) can be performed by choristers.
- Woodwinds: two flutes (1 also piccolo), two oboes (1 also English horn), two clarinets (also E-flat clarinet and bass clarinet), two bassoons (1 also contrabassoon)
- Brass: two horns, two trumpets, two trombones
- Timpani, percussion (two players)
- harp
- Piano (also celesta and synthesizer) or mandolin and guitar , synthesizer
- Strings
- Stage music in the pit (players from the main orchestra): flute, oboe, viola, drums
Reduced orchestral version
This version was created by the composer John David Earnest for a production at the Opera Theater of St. Louis in 2009.
- Woodwinds: two flutes (both also piccolo), two oboes (1 also English horn), two clarinets (also A clarinet , Eb clarinet and bass clarinet), two bassoons (1 also double bassoon)
- Brass: two horns, two trumpets, two trombones
- Timpani, drums (three players)
- harp
- Synthesizer, piano (celesta)
- Strings
Work history
John Corigliano received the commission for his opera The Ghosts of Versailles from the Metropolitan Opera New York on the occasion of its centenary. It was the Metropolitan Opera's first commission to compose a new opera in a quarter of a century. The first considerations go back to the composer's dinner with the musical director of the Metropolitan Opera, James Levine , and the soprano Renata Scotto in 1979. The libretto was written by his friend, poet William M. Hoffman. It is based on motifs from Pierre Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais ' La mère coupable , the third part of his Figaro trilogy, and is thus a continuation of Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia and Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro . Hoffman found the dramaturgy of this work to be weak, and Corigliano neither wanted to write a “ twelve-tone ” Figaro, nor to engage in a neoclassical style like Stravinsky in The Rake's Progress , from which he had already broken away at the age of 25. In addition, the work should also be more relevant to a modern audience than the domestic problems of eighteenth-century nobles and their servants. He envisioned a “world of smoke” through which one could travel into the past and back. The music should alternate between slightly distorted images of Mozart and Rossini and the abstract atonal and microtonal composition of his own film scores. Hoffman then proposed a dream world and a ghost world and tells Corigliano about Beaumarchais' character and the brutal period of the French Revolution , in which the template played. Corigliano saw in this a parallel to certain tendencies in new music , in which everything old was also rejected fanatically. Due to the occasion, the production provided for an unusually large cast.
The world premiere took place on December 19, 1991, eight years after the originally planned anniversary season, under the direction of James Levine in the Metropolitan Opera. The production was done by Colin Graham , the stage and costumes by John Conklin, the lighting design by Gil Weschler and the choreography by Debra Brown. The singers included Håkan Hagegård (Beaumarchais), Teresa Stratas (Marie Antoinette), James Courtney (Louis XVI.), Jane Shaulis (Lady with Hat), Gino Quilico (Figaro), Judith Christin (Susanna), Peter Kazaras (Count Almaviva ), Renée Fleming (Rosina), Neil Rosenshein (Léon), Tracy Dahl (Florestine), Graham Clark (Bégearss), Stella Zambalis (Cherubino), Marilyn Horne (Samira) and Ara Berberian (Suleyman Pasha).
The production was extremely successful and resulted in a number of new productions in other cities as well as a television recording. Corigliano received the International Classical Music Award for the opera .
A revised version with a reduced cast, referred to by Corigliano on his website as the "Standard Version", premiered on October 14, 1995 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago . Leonard Slatkin conducted here . Colin Graham and John Conklin again directed, stage and costumes. It sang u. a. Håkan Hagegård (Beaumarchais), Sheri Greenawald (Marie Antoinette), Dwayne Croft (Figaro), Wendy White (Susanna), Richard Drews (Count Almaviva), Sylvia McNair (Rosina), Gary Lehman (Léon), Sunny Joy Langton (Florestine) , Graham Clark (Bégearss), Charlotte Hellekant (Cherubino) and Della Jones (Samira). This version was also played in 1999 by the Hanover State Opera in a new production by Jerome Sirlin under the musical direction of Andreas Delfs .
At the Metropolitan Opera there was a resumption with a reduced cast in the 1990s. Another resumption planned there was abandoned during the aftermath of the Great Recession .
Another revised version with a reduced cast was created by the composer John David Earnest for a production at the Opera Theater of St. Louis in 2009. It was then shown at the Irish Wexford Festival and several other music festivals.
The recording of a 2015 Los Angeles Opera production under the direction of James Conlon , released on CD by Pentatone , received the Grammy Award 2017 for " Best Opera Recording ".
A production by Jaylesenger was shown at the Glimmerglass Festival and the Royal Opera Versailles in 2019 . Arte Concert made a video recording available on the Internet.
Recordings
- Jan. 4, 1992 - James Levine (Conductor), Orchestra and Choir of the Metropolitan Opera New York.
Håkan Hagegård (Beaumarchais), Teresa Stratas (Marie Antoinette), James Courtney (Louis XVI.), Jane Shaulis (Lady with a Hat), Gino Quilico (Figaro), Judith Cristin (Susanna), Peter Kazaras (Count Almaviva), Renée Fleming (Rosina), Neil Rosenshein (Léon), Tracy Dahl (Florestine), Graham Clark (Bégearss), Wilbur Pauley (Wilhelm), Stella Zambalis (Cherubino), Ara Berberian (Suleyman Pasha), Philip Cokorinos (English ambassador), Marilyn Horne (Samira).
Live from New York. - Jan. 10, 1992 - James Levine (Conductor), Colin Graham (Staging), Orchestra and Choir of the Metropolitan Opera New York.
Cast as on January 4, 1992.
Video; live from New York.
DG VI: 072 430 3. - Apr. 15, 1992 - James Levine (Conductor), Orchestra and Choir of the Metropolitan Opera New York.
Hector Vasquez (Beaumarchais), Teresa Stratas (Marie Antoinette), James Courtney (Louis XVI.), Jane Shaulis (Lady with Hat), Gino Quilico (Figaro), Judith Cristin (Susanna), Kurt Streit (Count Almaviva), Hei- Kyung Hong (Rosina), Paul Groves (Léon), Tracy Dahl (Florestine), Allan Glassman (Bégearss), Bradley Garvin (Wilhelm), Wendy White (Cherubino), Ara Berberian (Suleyman Pasha), Peter Van Derick (English Ambassador) , Marilyn Horne (Samira).
Live from New York. - October 1995 - Leonard Slatkin (Conductor), Orchestra and Choir of the Chicago Lyric Opera .
Håkan Hagegård (Beaumarchais), Sheri Greenawald (Marie Antoinette), James Courtney (Louis XVI.), Jane Shaulis (Lady with Hat), Dwayne Croft (Figaro), Wendy White (Susanna), Richard Drews (Count Almaviva), Sylvia McNair (Rosina), Gary Lehman (Léon), Sunny Joy Langton (Florestine), Graham Clark (Bégearss), Wilbur Pauley (Wilhelm), Charlotte Hellekant (Cherubino), Stefan Szafarowsky (Suleyman Pasha), Bruce Hall (English ambassador), Della Jones (Samira).
Live from Chicago. - February / March 2015 - James Conlon (Conductor), LA Opera Orchestra and Choir.
Christopher Maltman (Beaumarchais), Patricia Racette (Marie Antoinette), Kristinn Sigmundsson (Louis XVI.), Victoria Livengood (Lady with Hat), Lucas Meachem (Figaro), Lucy Schaufer (Susanna), Joshua Guerrero (Count Almaviva), Guanqun Yu (Rosina), Brenton Ryan (Léon), Stacey Tappan (Florestine), Robert Brubaker (Bégearss), Joel Sorensen (Wilhelm), Renée Rapier (Cherubino), Philip Cokorinos (Suleyman Pasha), Museop Kim (English Ambassador), Patti LuPone (Samira).
Live from the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion at the Los Angeles Music Center ; Grammy Award 2017 for " Best Opera Recording ".
Pentatone PT6538 (2 CDs). - December 7, 2019 - Joseph Colaneri (conductor), Jaylesenger (staging), Orchestra of the Royal Versailles Opera .
Jonathan Bryan (Beaumarchais), Teresa Perrotta (Marie Antoinette), Peter Morgan (Louis XVI.), Ben Schaefer (Figaro), Kayla Siembieda (Susanna), Brian Wallin (Count Almaviva), Joanna Latini (Rosina), Spencer Britten (Léon ), Emily Misch (Florestine), Christian Sanders (Bégearss).
Video; live from the Royal Opera of Versailles.
Video broadcast from Arte Concert .
Web links
- "Les Fantômes de Versailles" by John Corigliano - At the Royal Opera of Versailles. at Arte Concert . Video available until February 14, 2021
Remarks
- ↑ The list of roles corresponds to the information in the supplement to the CD Pentatone PT6538 and in the opera brochure 2017. The individual persons are listed in more detail in the CD supplement, but the voices in the brochure. In the latter, the roles of the lady in hat, the marquis, the three gossips and Suleyman Pasha are missing.
- ↑ The actor who played Wilhelm also plays a few other auxiliary roles.
- ↑ The actress of Cherubino also plays a few other supporting roles.
- ↑ The actress who plays Samira also plays a few other supporting roles.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Supplement to CD Pentatone PT6538 (PDF) , accessed on May 17, 2020.
- ↑ John Corigliano - opera brochure 2017: The Ghosts of Versailles on ISSUU, accessed May 18, 2020.
- ↑ a b c d e f g Thomas May: Love Save the Queen: The Ghosts of Versailles Haunts a New Century. In: Supplement to CD Pentatone PT6538 (PDF) , pp. 26–33, accessed on May 17, 2020.
- ↑ a b c d Donald Jay Grout, Hermine Weigel Williams: A Short History of Opera. Fourth Edition. Columbia University Press, New York 2003, ISBN 0-231-11958-5 , pp. 776-778.
- ↑ Peter Dickinson : "The Ghosts of Versailles". In: Amanda Holden (Ed.): The Viking Opera Guide. Viking, London / New York 1993, ISBN 0-670-81292-7 , p. 227.
- ↑ a b c d The Ghosts of Versailles - Metropolitan Opera Version (1991) on johncorigliano.com, accessed May 17, 2020.
- ↑ a b c The Ghosts of Versailles - Standard Version (1995) on johncorigliano.com, accessed May 17, 2020.
- ↑ a b The Ghosts of Versailles - Reduced Version on johncorigliano.com, accessed on May 17, 2020.
- ↑ a b c Cameron Kelsall: Glimmerglass resurrects The Ghosts of Versailles on the eve of Bastille Day. In: Bachtrack, July 14, 2019, accessed on May 20, 2020.
- ↑ a b About The Ghosts of Versailles on usopera.com, accessed May 20, 2020.
- ↑ Martin Bernheimer: MUSIC REVIEW: At Last, Corigliano's 1st. In: Los Angeles Times , January 9, 1993, accessed May 20, 2020.
- ^ A b "Les Fantômes de Versailles" by John Corigliano - At the Royal Opera of Versailles. at Arte Concert , accessed on May 18, 2020.
- ↑ a b c d John Corigliano. In: Andreas Ommer: Directory of all complete opera recordings (= Zeno.org . Volume 20). Directmedia, Berlin 2005.