Miss Julie (Alwyn opera)
Miss Julie is a British opera in two acts by William Alwyn with a libretto by the composer. His second and final opera, premiered in 1977 as a radio broadcast, Alwyn based his opera on the 1888 play Miss Julie by Swedish playwright August Strindberg.
Performance history
The opera received its premiere as a BBC Radio 3 broadcast on 16 July 1977, from a studio recording made on 17 February 1977 in Brent Town Hall. Its first stage production was in 1992 at the Ballerup Theatre in Copenhagen, by Opera-Fabrikken. The first UK production was at the Norwich Triennial Festival in October 1997.[1] The BBC Symphony Orchestra performed the opera in a semi-staged concert performance at the Barbican Centre in October 2019.[2]
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere performance BBC broadcast, 16 July 1977 |
Stage premiere Ballerup Theater, Opera-Fabrikken 26 October 1992 |
UK stage premiere Theatre Royal, Norwich 15 October 1997 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miss Julie | soprano | Jill Gomez | Susanne Raber | Judith Howarth |
| Jean, manservant of the Count, Miss Julie's father | baritone | Benjamin Luxon | Jørn Pedersen | Karl Raymond |
| Kristin, the cook | mezzo-soprano | Della Jones | Annette Lindjerg Simonsen | Fiona Kimm |
| Ulrik, the gamekeeper | tenor | Anthony Rolfe Johnson | Ole Vadsten | Ian Caley |
| Orchestra | BBC Concert Orchestra | Lyngby-Taarbaek Symphony Orchestra | Britten Sinfonia | |
| Conductor | Vilem Tausky | Frans Rasmussen | Nicholas Cleobury |
Synopsis
The action is set on an estate of a Swedish count, during Midsommarafton (Midsummer's Eve). The count's daughter, Miss Julie, is attracted to her father's valet, Jean, in spite of the differences in their social stations. Jean is nominally involved romantically with the estate's cook, Kristin. The sexual tension between Miss Julie and Jean builds to the point where they consummate their relationship one evening. Miss Julie has dreams of her and Jean escaping from the estate to live their lives together, but the differences between their social classes are too much to overcome. At one point, Ulrik, the gamekeeper, shoots Miss Julie's dog. Jean eventually turns harshly on Miss Julie, to the point where he tells her to slit her wrists, as her mother had committed suicide prior. The opera ends as Miss Julie leaves the scene, presumably to take her own life.
Recording
Lyrita made the first commercial recording of the opera over the period of 23-26 January 1979, at Kingsway Hall, with Vilem Tausky conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra.[3][4][5][6][7] The cast consisted of the following singers:
- Jill Gomez (Miss Julie)
- Benjamin Luxon (Jean
- Della Jones (Kristin)
- John Mitchinson (Ulrik)
References
- ^ Dressler, John C., William Alwyn: A Research and Information Guide. Routledge (New York and London), ISBN 978-0-415-88605-5, pp 170-171.
- ^ Andrew Clements (4 October 2019). "Miss Julie review – Sakari Oramo's revival brims with colour and verve". The Guardian. Retrieved 2019-11-02.
- ^ Colin Clarke (April 2004). "Review - William Alwyn - Miss Julie". MusicWeb International. Retrieved 4 November 2010.
- ^ David Hurwitz. "Review - William Alwyn - Miss Julie". Classics Today. Retrieved 4 November 2010.
- ^
Miss Julie, opera in two acts (CD liner). William Alwyn. Lyrita. 1992. SRCD.2218.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Rickards, Guy (June 1993). Tempo (New Ser.), 185: pp. 47-48.
- ^ Raymond Ericson (23 September 1984). "Neglected British Operas Are Heard". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-09-08.