Wuthering Heights (Herrmann)
| Opera dates | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Storm height |
| Original title: | Wuthering Heights |
| Shape: | Opera in four acts with prologue and epilogue |
| Original language: | English |
| Music: | Bernard Herrmann |
| Libretto : | Lucille Fletcher |
| Literary source: | Emily Brontë |
| Premiere: | November 6, 1982 (abridged) |
| Place of premiere: | Portland, Oregon |
| Playing time: | about 3 hours |
| Place and time of the action: | Yorkshire, around 1840 |
| people | |
Wuthering Heights (German: Sturmhöhe ) based on the novel of the same name by Emily Brontë is the only opera by the composer Bernard Herrmann, who is known for his film music . The libretto was written by the scriptwriter Lucille Fletcher , Hermann's first wife. It is based almost entirely on the text of the novel as well as poems by Emily Brontë.
History of origin
Herrmann got the idea for the opera in 1943 when he was working on the film music for Jane Eyre . But it was not until 1946, after a guest performance in England, during which he visited the birthplace of the Brontë siblings, that he began to work more intensively on the work. There are contradicting information about the conclusion: while the publisher and a biographer date the conclusion to 1950, the score is said to be dated June 13, 1951.
Musically, Herrmann built on the neo-romantic ideas of Frederick Delius , who also planned an operatic implementation of the material, but never completed it, and created motifs for his own film scores, such as B. Jane Eyre , Citizen Kane or The Ghost and Mrs. Muir . Apart from a few arias, Herrmann uses the stylistic device of the lyrical parlando, a more recitative spoken song. Herrmann uses parts of his composition in his later film scores, e.g. B. in Vertigo or Taxi Driver .
According to his biographer, opera would be the Magnus Opus and the highlight of his career for Herrmann . This also explains Herrmann's time commitment and great commitment to the work, which tragically cost him a few friendships and his first marriage.
content
The opera consists of a prologue, 4 acts and an epilogue. In terms of content, she only implements the first part of the novel and ends with Cathy's death. In contrast to the novel, neither Edgar and Cathy nor Heathcliff and Isabella have offspring.
The Wuthering Heights estate is located in the middle of the Yorkshire moor. In the prologue, the tenant Lockwood meets Heathcliff and the housekeeper Nelly around 20 years after the main plot. Lockwood accidentally finds Cathy's diary and hears her voice at night, which Heathcliff has been waiting for in vain.
In the first act, Heathcliff - the Earnshaw family's foster child and abused by his stepbrother Hindley - and his stepsister Cathy enjoy the beauty and solitude of nature. They affirm their love. But Hindley dislikes this connection. Ever since his father brought the orphan boy Heathcliff to Wuthering Heights and considered him like his own son, he has despised him. But after his father's death, Hindley is the master of the house. And he uses his power to separate the lovers and to assign his stepbrother a new role as a groom. When Hindley falls asleep drunk, Heathcliff and Cathy give in to their love.
A couple of weeks later. Cathy spent this time in idleness with siblings Edgar and Isabella Linton, who live as neighbors on the Thrushcross Grange estate. She comes back home for Christmas and is happy to see Heathcliff again. Nelly tries to dress up Heathcliff. But he is hurt because of Cathy's neglect and cannot return her affection. He becomes aggressive and pounces on Edgar in jealousy. Hindley intervenes and there is a harrowing scuffle on Christmas Eve. A Christmas choir sings in the background at the end of the first act.
Again some time has passed. Cathy is expecting Edgar to visit. Heathcliff gets angry when he hears this, which in turn enrags Cathy. Her anger discharges on Nelly and Edgar, she slaps him, but allows him to ask for her hand. Cathy is insecure and asks the housekeeper Nelly for advice. She expresses her thoughts freely, also that she thinks that she cannot marry Heathcliff because it would be a social decline for her. But she is convinced that he is the only person she can love because they are soul mates. Marriage to Edgar would not change her love for Heathcliff, she believes. Heathcliff partially overhears the dialogue. He is deeply hurt and angry. He escapes and disappears without a trace for three years.
At the beginning of Act 3, Cathy and Edgar are married. They live with their sister-in-law Isabella on Thrushcross Grange. The three years missing Heathcliff is surprisingly reported as a visit. He comes back as a wealthy man, and Cathy is both dismayed and happy to see him again. However, Heathcliff despises her and turns to Isabella. Cathy is beside herself. When it becomes apparent that Heathcliff is trying to seduce Isabella, the situation escalates and everyone blames each other. Feeling betrayed, Cathy finally pushes Edgar back and decides to break Heathcliff's heart by breaking her own.
Heathcliff marries Isabella, but a short time later, Heathcliff's brutal and loveless character shows. Hindley has since lost the gambling estate to Heathcliff and fails to kill him. Heathcliff only uses Isabella to get revenge on Cathy. When she tries to get him to at least respect her, he reveals to her that he has never loved her. Isabella then commits suicide.
In the fourth act, Cathy is dying. Heathcliff takes care of her and does not leave her side. They accuse each other of deliberately hurting each other, they ask for forgiveness, they forgive each other, they swear their love to each other. When she dies, Heathcliff curses her and wants nothing more than to be haunted by her ghost forever.
The epilogue is an instrumental repetition of the prologue and has not been played in previous performances.
Performance history
Wuthering Heights was never performed during Herrmann's lifetime, although there were negotiations with numerous opera houses. The sources give different reasons for this, but seem to have been partly due to the length of the piece, which the publisher gives as three hours, and Herrmann's refusal to agree to cuts. However, there was a performance of the opera of the same name by the American composer Carlisle Floyd in 1958 , but this has no connection with Herrmann's work.
Herrmann himself financed and conducted a record recording in 1966, which, despite a positive reception from critics, did not lead to a performance.
It was not until November 6, 1982, that it was staged for the premiere at the Portland Opera , albeit with a cut of about 40 minutes and an optimistic ending. The performance was received with restrained criticism.
In July 2010, the opera was performed in full for the first time in Montpellier and was published in 2011. After the recording won several prizes, interest perked up again. In April 2011, it was staged for the first time in its original full-length staging by the Minnesota Opera. A planned release of the performance on DVD was never realized.
On April 11, 2015, the European premiere took place at the Braunschweig State Theater , with the original ending, but also with a shortened version of around 20 minutes, relocated to the present and without a prologue . It was broadcast live on Deutschlandradio Kultur .
Sound carrier
- Wuthering Heights (The complete opera) , Pro Arte Orchestra, conducted by Bernard Herrmann, Pye Records 1966 (4LP), Unicorn-Kanchana, 1993 (3CD)
- Bernard Herrmann: Les Hauts de Hurlevent (Wuthering Heights) , Orchester National de Montpellier, conducted by Alain Altinoglu , Accord, 2011 (3CD)
Web links
- Frank Kinkaid: Bernard Herrmann - Wuthering Heights (1950). Work information and performance history on Music Sales Classical (English). Retrieved June 15, 2015.
Individual evidence
- ^ A b c d Steven C. Smith: A Heart at Fire's Center, The Life and Music of Bernard Herrmann , University of California Press, 2002 Excerpt , Music Web website, accessed June 14, 2015
- ^ A b c Frank Kinkaid: Program Note, 1982, on the website of the publisher Novello & Co. , accessed June 14, 2015
- ^ A b Edward Johnson: Bernard Herrmann: Hollywood's Music-Dramatist , Triad Press, 1977, excerpt from the Bernard Herrmann Society website , accessed June 14, 2015
- ↑ a b Marc Vignal: Bernard Herrmann: Les Gebäude de Hurlevent , booklet accompanying the CD, Accord, 2011
- ↑ a b c Sturmhöhe , program booklet, Staatstheater Braunschweig, 2015
- ↑ Fletcher, L .: Wuthering Heights , Libretto for the Opera, 1950
- ^ Record review website All Music, accessed June 14, 2015
- ↑ Review , Minnesota Post website, accessed June 14, 2015
- ↑ Storm height . Website of the State Theater Braunschweig. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
- ^ Wuthering Heights by Bernhard Herrmann from Braunschweig. Deutschlandradio Kultur website . Retrieved May 15, 2015.