opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...
by
Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith (; 16 November 189528 December 1963) was a German composer, music theorist, teacher, violist and conductor. He founded the Amar Quartet in 1921, touring extensively in Europe. As a composer, he became a major advocate of the ''Ne ...
in three acts and four scenes.
Ferdinand Lion
Ferdinand Lion (11 June 1883 – 21 January 1968) was a Swiss journalist and writer.
Life
Born in Mulhouse, Lion studied history and philosophy in Strasbourg, Munich and Heidelberg, got to know André Gide during a stay in Paris and worked as a ...
wrote the
libretto
A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...
based on characters from the short story ''
Das Fräulein von Scuderi
''Das Fräulein von Scuderi'' is an East German crime film directed by Eugen York. It was released in 1955.
Cast
* Henny Porten as Fräulein von Scuderi
* Willy A. Kleinau as Cardillac
* Anne Vernon as Madelon
* Roland Alexandre as Olivi ...
'' by
E. T. A. Hoffmann
Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann (born Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann; 24 January 1776 – 25 June 1822) was a German Romantic author of fantasy and Gothic horror, a jurist, composer, music critic and artist. Penrith Goff, "E.T.A. Hoffmann" in E ...
.
Performance history
The first performance was at the Staatsoper, Dresden, on 9 November 1926. It was promptly performed throughout Germany. The opera's Italian premiere took place in 1948 at the
Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale (; it, La Biennale di Venezia) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation. The biennale has been organised every year since 1895, which makes it the oldest of ...
as part of the
Venice Festival of Contemporary Music
The Venice Festival of Contemporary Music (Italian: ''Festival Internazionale di Musica Contemporanea della Biennale di Venezia'') was founded in 1930 as an adjunct of the older Venice Biennale festival. Some works by Prokofiev and Stravinsky wer ...
XI.
Although Britain had to wait until 1970 for a staged performance, a concert performance was presented at the Queen's Hall, London, on 18 December 1936, with the
BBC Symphony Orchestra
The BBC Symphony Orchestra (BBC SO) is a British orchestra based in London. Founded in 1930, it was the first permanent salaried orchestra in London, and is the only one of the city's five major symphony orchestras not to be self-governing. T ...
conducted by
Clarence Raybould
Robert Clarence Raybould (28 June 1886 – 27 March 1972) was an English conductor, pianist and composer who conducted works ranging from musical comedy and operetta, Gilbert and Sullivan to the standard classical repertoire. He also cham ...
, and starring
Miriam Licette
Miriam Licette (9 September 188511 August 1969) was an English operatic soprano whose career spanned 35 years, from the mid-1910s to after World War II. She was also a singing teacher, and created the Miriam Licette Scholarship.
Career
She was ...
as Cardillac's daughter.
Hindemith revised both the score and the text, for the reason that, according to Ian Kemp, the musical idiom "seemed crude and undisciplined". This second version was first performed at the Zurich Stadttheater on 20 June 1952. Hans-Ludwig Schilling has published a comparison of the two versions. After 1953, Hindemith sanctioned only the 1952 revised version for theatrical performances. However, after the composer's death in 1963, the original version became available again for production.
The American premiere took place at the
Santa Fe Opera
Santa Fe Opera (SFO) is an American opera company, located north of Santa Fe, New Mexico. After creating the ''Opera Association of New Mexico'' in 1956, its founding director, John Crosby (conductor), John Crosby, oversaw the building of the fir ...
in 1967 using a staging by director
Bodo Igesz Bodo Igesz (February 7, 1935 in Amsterdam – December 25, 2014 in New York City) was a Dutch stage director who had an active career staging operas around the world during the second half of the 20th century. He was particularly known for his work ...
. The
New Opera Company
The New Opera Company was a British opera company active during the period 1956 to 1984. It was mainly based at Sadler's Wells Theatre, London and later worked in co-ordination with English National Opera. The company was responsible for the premi ...
presented the first staged UK performances in March 1970 at
Sadler's Wells
Sadler's Wells Theatre is a performing arts venue in Clerkenwell, London, England located on Rosebery Avenue next to New River Head. The present-day theatre is the sixth on the site since 1683. It consists of two performance spaces: a 1,500-sea ...
.
Winton Dean
Winton Basil Dean (18 March 1916 – 19 December 2013) was an English musicologist of the 20th century, most famous for his research on the life and works—in particular the operas and oratorios—of George Frideric Handel, as detailed in his boo ...
, "Music in London: ''Cardillac''", ''
The Musical Times
''The Musical Times'' is an academic journal of classical music edited and produced in the United Kingdom and currently the oldest such journal still being published in the country.
It was originally created by Joseph Mainzer in 1842 as ''Mainze ...
'', pp. 514–515 (1970)
Roles
Synopsis
The setting is Paris in the 17th century.
Act 1
''Scene 1''
The crowd is agitated about a series of recent mysterious murders. The police calm the crowd. The goldsmith Cardillac enters the scene and the atmosphere becomes hushed. The Lady asks the Cavalier about the goldsmith Cardillac, and the Cavalier tells of the goldsmith and his priceless jewelry. The Lady promises the Cavalier a tryst that evening if he can bring her Cardillac's most beautiful work.
''Scene 2''
The Lady and the Cavalier enjoy their tryst and the Cavalier delivers one of Cardillac's belts. A masked figure steals into the bedroom and fatally stabs the Cavalier. The Lady faints and the mysterious figure leaves with the belt.
Act 2
The Gold Merchant mentions to Cardillac the latest murder that involved the theft of a recent work of Cardillac. The Gold Merchant has his suspicions about the identity of the murderer. Cardillac orders his daughter to watch over his work. She does so and awaits her lover, the Officer. Cardillac returns, and it becomes clear that he values the articles he has crafted more than he does his daughter. He then meets the King and offers to create his greatest work of art for him. The Officer enters to ask Cardillac for his daughter's hand in marriage, and Cardillac consents. Though the Officer realizes how much Cardillac values his creations over his own daughter, he offers money for one of the goldsmith's chains. After the Officer leaves, Cardillac indicates that he himself is the murderer.
Act 3
In a tavern, the Officer wears the chain, presenting himself as a target for the murderer. Cardillac enters and wounds the Officer, but the Officer beats back the attack and holds on to the chain. He advises Cardillac to flee. The Gold Merchant then brings on a crowd and accuses Cardillac of the murders. Cardillac is brought in, followed by his daughter. The Officer defends Cardillac, rebuts the Gold Merchant's accusation, and accuses the Gold Merchant of being the murderer's accomplice. In the ensuing ensemble, Cardillac's daughter realizes her father is the murderer. The crowd sings Cardillac's praises, but as they continue, his words make them wonder about the identity of the murderer. Finally, Cardillac reveals to the crowd that he is the murderer. They demand he repent his crimes, but he makes no such gesture. The crowd then lynches Cardillac. With his final gesture before dying, he reaches out for the chain around the Officer's neck, not his daughter. The Officer and Cardillac's daughter swear mutual devotion.
Recordings
*
Joseph Keilberth
Joseph Keilberth (19 April 1908 – 20 July 1968) was a German conductor who specialised in opera.
Career
He started his career in the State Theatre of his native city, Karlsruhe. In 1940 he became director of the German Philharmonic Orches ...
, conductor;
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (28 May 1925 – 18 May 2012) was a German lyric baritone and conductor of classical music, one of the most famous Lieder (art song) performers of the post-war period, best known as a singer of Franz Schubert's Lieder, ...
,
Leonore Kirschstein
Leonore Kirschstein (29 March 1933 – 26 February 2017) ,
,
Donald Grobe
Donald Roth Grobe (16 December 1929 – 1 April 1986) was an American tenor, lyric tenor who sang at the ''Deutsche Oper Berlin'' during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.
He made his début in Chicago, in 1952, as Borsa in ''Rigoletto''. He sang at his ...
,
Karl-Christian Kohn
Karl-Christian Kohn (21 May 1928 in Losheim am See – 20 January 2006) was a German opera singer ( bass).
Life
After his education at the Hochschule für Musik Saar from 1949 to 1952 Kohn made his debut at the Stadttheater Saarbrücken (today ...
, Eberhard Katz,
Elisabeth Söderström
Anna Elisabeth Söderström (married name Olow; 7 May 192720 November 2009) was a Swedish soprano who performed both opera and song, and was known as a leading interpreter of the works of Janáček, Rachmaninoff and Sibelius.Elizabeth Sleeman, ' ...
, Willi Nett; Cologne Radio Choir;
Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra
The Westdeutscher Rundfunk, WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne (German: WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln) is a German radio orchestra based in Cologne, where the orchestra mainly performs at two concert halls: the WDR Funkhaus Wallrafplatz and the Kölne ...
; (
Deutsche Grammophon
Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family of ...
). This recording is of the original 1926 version.
*
Gerd Albrecht
Gerd Albrecht (19 July 1935 – 2 February 2014) was a German conductor.
Biography
Albrecht was born in Essen, the son of the musicologist Hans Albrecht (1902–1961). He studied music in Kiel and in Hamburg, where his teachers included Wilhel ...
, conductor;
Siegmund Nimsgern
Siegmund Nimsgern (born 14 January 1940) is a German bass-baritone, born in Sankt Wendel, Saarland, Germany.
After leaving school in 1960 he studied singing and musical education at the Hochschule für Musik Saar with Sibylle Fuchs, Jakob St ...
, Verena Schweizer,
Robert Schunk
Robert Schunk (born 5 January 1948) is a German operatic tenor who appeared in leading roles such as Florestan in ''Fidelio'', Siegmund in Wagner's ''Die Walküre'' and the Emperor in ''Die Frau ohne Schatten'' by Richard Strauss, at international ...
,
Harald Stamm
Harald Stamm (born 29 April 1938) is a German opera singer (Bass (voice type), bass) and voice teacher.
Life and career
Born in Frankfurt, Stamm grew up in Bingen am Rhein. After the Abitur at the local Stefan-George-Gymnasium and subsequent s ...
,
Josef Protschka
Josef Protschka (born 5 February 1944) is a German operatic tenor who also sang lieder and oratorio and made many recordings. A long-term member of the Cologne Opera, he appeared at international opera houses and festivals, with a focus on Mozart ...
,
Gabriele Schnaut
Gabriele Schnaut (born 24 February 1951) is a German classical singer who started her operatic career as a mezzo-soprano in 1976 and changed to dramatic soprano in 1985. She has appeared internationally and performed at the Bayreuth Festival from ...
RIAS Chamber Choir
The RIAS Kammerchor (RIAS Chamber Choir) is a German choir based in Berlin, Germany. It receives support from the Rundfunk Orchester und Chöre GmbH Berlin ("Berlin Radio Orchestra and Choirs"), a limited-liability company owned by the public bro ...
;
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra
The Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra (''Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin'') is a German symphony orchestra based in Berlin. In Berlin, the orchestra gives concerts at the Konzerthaus Berlin and at the Berliner Philharmonie. The orchestra has also ...
; (
Wergo
WERGO is a German record label focusing on contemporary classical music. It was founded in 1962 by German art historian and music publisher (1903–1975) and the musicologist Helmut Kirchmeyer. Their first release, filed under "WER 60001", was S ...
, (1988)). This recording is of the original 1926 version.
*
Kent Nagano
Kent George Nagano GOQ, MSM (born November 22, 1951) is an American conductor and opera administrator. Since 2015, he has been Music Director of the Hamburg State Opera and was Music Director of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra from 2006 to 20 ...
, conductor; Alan Held,
Angela Denoke
Angela Denoke (born 27 November 1961) is a German opera singer (soprano).
Born in Stade, she studied at the University of Music and Drama of Hamburg. Her first contract was at the Theater Ulm (1992–1996), where she sang Fiordiligi ('' Cos ...
,
Christopher Ventris
Christopher Ventris, born 1965, in London, is a British tenor. He is particularly known for his role as Parsifal which he has performed over 100 times including performances at the Bayreuth Festival during the 2008, 2009, and 2010 Festival seaso ...
, Hannah Esther Minutillo, Charles Workman; orchestra and chorus of the
Opera National de Paris
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libretti ...
; Bel Air Classiques, (2007). This recording is of the original 1926 version.
*
Wolfgang Sawallisch
Wolfgang Sawallisch (26 August 1923 – 22 February 2013) was a German conductor and pianist.
Biography
Wolfgang Sawallisch was born in Munich, the son of Maria and Wilhelm Sawallisch. His father was director of the Hamburg-Bremer-Feuerversich ...
, conductor;
Donald McIntyre
Sir Donald Conroy McIntyre (born 22 October 1934 in Auckland) is an operatic bass-baritone from New Zealand.
Operatic career
McIntyre made his formal debut as Zaccaria in ''Nabucco'', at the Welsh National Opera, in 1959. In 1964 he created ...
Bavarian State Opera
The Bayerische Staatsoper is a German opera company based in Munich. Its main venue is the Nationaltheater München, and its orchestra the Bayerische Staatsorchester.
History
The parent ensemble of the company was founded in 1653, under Ele ...
,
Bavarian State Orchestra
The Bavarian State Orchestra (german: Bayerisches Staatsorchester, italic=no) is the orchestra of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, Germany. It has given its own series of concerts, the , since 1811.
Profile
On 9 December 2011, this ensemble c ...
; Staged and designed by
Jean-Pierre Ponnelle
Jean-Pierre Ponnelle (19 February 1932 – 11 August 1988) was a French opera director, set and costume designer.
Biography
Ponnelle was born in Paris. He studied philosophy, art, and history there and, in 1952, began his career in Germany as a ...
; DVD (2008). This recording is of the original 1926 version.
References
Further reading
* Holden, Amanda (Ed.), ''The New Penguin Opera Guide'', New York: Penguin Putnam, 2001.