Julietta
| Operas by Bohuslav Martinů |
|---|
Comedy on the Bridge (1937) |
Julietta is an opera by Bohuslav Martinů, who also wrote the libretto, in French, based on the play Juliette, ou La clé des songes (Juliette, or The Key of Dreams) by the French author Georges Neveux. A libretto in Czech was later prepared. There are two principal roles: Julietta (soprano) and Michel (tenor).
The opera received its first performance at the National Theatre, Prague on 16 March 1938, with Ota Horaková in the title role and Václav Talich conducting. The UK premiere was in April 1978 in London by the New Opera Company, in an English translation.[1] A production by the Bielefeld Opera in Germany conducted by Geoffrey Moull received eight performances in 1992. James Helmes Sutcliffe remarked in Opera News on "Martinů's beautiful score" and on his "lyrical, atmospheric music".[2]
Hindle and Godsil have published a psychoanalytical study of the opera and analysed the work in the context of Martinů's life.[3]
Contents |
[edit] Orchestral Suite
Martinů began to prepare a concert work from the opera, "Three Fragments from Julietta", with changes to the original vocal lines, after the opera's premiere, after his return to Paris. However, the outbreak of World War II interrupted his work, and his own labours on this composition continued until his death in 1959. The score was lost after Martinů's death, until 2002, when Aleš Březina discovered the piano reduction of the score among a private collection of papers. After Březina returned to Prague to have this adapted into a full orchestral score, the Czech publishing firm DILIA revealed that a full score already existed in their archives.[4] Sir Charles Mackerras conducted the world premiere of the "Three Fragments from Julietta" with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra in December 2008.
[edit] Roles
The two principal roles are: Julietta (soprano) and Michel (tenor).
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 16 March 1938 (Conductor: Václav Talich) |
|---|---|---|
| Julietta | soprano | Ota Horáková |
| Michel | tenor | Jaroslav Gleich |
| Small Arab | mezzo-soprano | Marie Podvalová |
| Old Arab | bass | Ludek Mandaus |
| Woman selling poultry | mezzo-soprano | Marie Podvalová |
| Man in fur cap | bass | Ludek Mandaus |
| Man in helmet | baritone | Jan Konstantin |
| Police officer | tenor | |
| Old man | bass | |
| Grandfather | bass | Ludek Mandaus |
| Grandmother | contralto | |
| Fortune teller | contralto | |
| Seller of memories | bass-baritone | Jan Konstantin |
| First gentleman | soprano | |
| Second gentleman | soprano | Marie Podvalová |
| Third gentleman | soprano |
[edit] Synopsis
Michel is a traveling salesman who stumbles across a seaside city where none of the residents remember their past. Michel is trying to find a woman whose voice he once heard in the wilderness. After his arrival in the town, he is elected to lead the town. He eventually does find the woman, named Julietta. However, it is not clear whether she is real or a product of his imagination. Eventually, Michel is provoked into shooting Julietta, but because of the ambiguity of the situation, it is not certain if she is dead. Later, at the "Central Office of Dreams", Michel is warned that if he does not wake up to escape the dream, he will be imprisoned in the dream-world forever. At the end of the opera, where the residents again go about their business oblivious to immediate past events, Michel remains in the dream-world.
[edit] Recordings
- Le Chant du Monde (1962, live in Paris): Bruck/Esposito/Giraudeau
- Supraphon (1964) SU 3626-2 612: Antonín Zlesák, Zdeněk Otava, Ivo Žídek, Maria Tauberová; Orchestra and Chorus of the Prague National Theatre; Jaroslav Krombholc, conductor
- ORF (2002, live at Bregenz): Bernet/Westbroek/Chum
[edit] References
- ^ Crichton, Ronald, "First Performances: Julietta" (June 1978). Tempo (New Ser.), 125: pp. 26-27.
- ^ http://www.metoperafamily.org/operanews/_archive/693/Reviews.693.html
- ^ Debbie Hindle, Susie Godsil; Godsil, Susie (2006). "The song of the siren: Some thoughts on idealization and creativity in Martinů's Julietta". International Journal of Psychoanalysis 87 (4): 1087–1102. doi:10.1516/BB2H-BQXY-GEWW-88YW. http://ijpa.metapress.com/app/home/contribution.asp?referrer=parent&backto=issue,11,15;journal,8,41;linkingpublicationresults,1:101926,1;. Retrieved 2007-11-29.
- ^ Frank Kuznik (2008-12-11). "A historic start for the Martinů year". The Prague Post. http://www.praguepost.com/night-and-day/stage/29-a-historic-start-for-the-martinu-year.html. Retrieved 2009-03-06.
[edit] Source
- Viking Opera Guide ed. Holden (Viking, 1993)
