''Chatterton'' is a ''dramma lirico'' or
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 ...
in three acts (four acts in its original 1876 version) by
Ruggero Leoncavallo
Ruggero (or Ruggiero) Leoncavallo ( , , ; 23 April 18579 August 1919) was an Italian opera composer and librettist. Although he produced numerous operas and other songs throughout his career it is his opera '' Pagliacci'' (1892) that remained hi ...
. 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 ...
was written by the composer himself and is freely adapted from the life of the young English poet from
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
,
Thomas Chatterton
Thomas Chatterton (20 November 1752 – 24 August 1770) was an English poet whose precocious talents ended in suicide at age 17. He was an influence on Romantic artists of the period such as Shelley, Keats, Wordsworth and Coleridge.
Althoug ...
(1752–1770). Although composed in 1876, it premiered 20 years later on 10 March 1896, at the
Teatro Drammatico Nazionale in Rome.
Background and performance history
Considered by the romantics as the perfect archetype of the accursed poet, Chatterton became famous for his brilliant pastiches of medieval poetry, which he attributed to an imaginary 15th-century monk whom he called Thomas Rowley. At the age of 18, to escape his misery, he committed suicide in London by taking poison.
The plot of the opera is based on
Alfred de Vigny
Alfred Victor, Comte de Vigny (27 March 1797 – 17 September 1863) was a French poet and early French Romanticist. He also produced novels, plays, and translations of Shakespeare.
Biography
Vigny was born in Loches (a town to which he never re ...
's ''Chatterton'' (published in 1835)—a successful drama in three acts derived from the second of the trio of short stories contained in his
philosophical novel
Philosophical fiction refers to the class of works of fiction which devote a significant portion of their content to the sort of questions normally addressed in philosophy. These might explore any facet of the human condition, including the func ...
''Stello'' (1832).
''Chatterton'', composed in 1876, is the debut opera of a young Leoncavallo freshly graduated from the
Naples conservatory. However, the composer failed in his attempt to get his work performed because the promoter of the planned production disappeared with Leoncavallo's money shortly before the premiere. Leoncavallo would have to wait until after the financial success of his best known opera, 1892's ''
Pagliacci
''Pagliacci'' (; literal translation, "Clowns") is an Italian opera in a prologue and two acts, with music and libretto by Ruggero Leoncavallo. The opera tells the tale of Canio, actor and leader of a commedia dell'arte theatrical company, who m ...
'', to see ''Chatterton'' produced.
The opera finally premiered on 10 March 1896, at the
Teatro Drammatico Nazionale,
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
, in a revised version of the original four-act opera. The work was not successful even after another revision which was completed in 1905. Today, ''Chatterton'' is rarely performed.
Roles
Synopsis
Chatterton lives as a lodger in a wealthy home. Unable to live by his writing, he has to look for a job to support himself. Unfortunately, he can only get a job as a servant. The other aspect of the situation is his thwarted and concealed love for Jenny Clark (Kitty Bell in Vigny's play), the wife of the industrialist who is his landlord. Finally, faced with an impossible love and a menial job, a despairing Chatterton kills himself. He is followed immediately in death by Jenny.
Recordings
* ''Chatterton'' is notable for being one of the first complete operas ever recorded (in May 1908, by
HMV
Sunrise Records and Entertainment, trading as HMV (for His Master's Voice), is a British music and entertainment retailer, currently operating exclusively in the United Kingdom.
The first HMV-branded store was opened by the Gramophone Company ...
's predecessor the
Gramophone Company
The Gramophone Company Limited (The Gramophone Co. Ltd.), based in the United Kingdom and founded by Emil Berliner, was one of the early recording companies, the parent organisation for the ''His Master's Voice (HMV)'' label, and the European ...
on multiple 78-rpm discs). The fact that this recording was conducted by the composer himself makes it an outstandingly valuable acoustic document.
[Clarke (2004)] It has been skilfully restored by the American audio engineer
Ward Marston
Henry Ward Marston IV (born 22 May 1952) is an American audio transfer engineer and producer, known for the conservation and reissue of historical recordings.
Early life
Henry Ward Marston IV, was born in Philadelphia. Blind from birth he began ...
and distributed on CD by his label,
Marston Records
Marston Records is an independent American record label. The label specializes in the remastering and reissuing of very early and rare recordings. It was founded in 1997 by Ward Marston and Scott Kessler.
Releases on Marston Records
Collecti ...
(52016-2). The orchestral playing under Leoncavallo's direction is unpolished and the quality of the cast of singers uneven, with by far the best contribution coming from a renowned
La Scala
La Scala (, , ; abbreviation in Italian of the official name ) is a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the ' (New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala). The premiere performan ...
dramatic tenor
A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is wid ...
of the era, Francesco Signorini, who delivers his allotted music (he shares the title role with another tenor, Francisco Granados) with a fine voice and real dramatic conviction. (The 1908 ''Chatterton'' is coupled on the Marston reissue with a 1907 recording of ''
Pagliacci
''Pagliacci'' (; literal translation, "Clowns") is an Italian opera in a prologue and two acts, with music and libretto by Ruggero Leoncavallo. The opera tells the tale of Canio, actor and leader of a commedia dell'arte theatrical company, who m ...
'' in its entirety, featuring a mostly different cast.)
* Another complete recording of the work exists, released by the label Bongiovanni with the following cast: Renato Zuin, Tiziana Scaciga della Silva, Maurizio Zanchetti, Enrica Bassano, Fabrizio Neri – Orchestra dell’Opera Ucraina di Dniepropetrovsk, Coro Filarmonico di Pesaro – Silvano Frontalini
References
Notes
Sources
*Boyden, Matthew, ''The Rough Guide to Opera'', 4th Revised edition, Rough Guides, 2007, P. 358-359
*
*Clarke, Stephen R.
Liner notes: ''The Leoncavallo Recordings (1907–1908)'' Marston Records, 2004. Accessed 16 January 2010
*Kaminski, Piotr, ''1001 opéras'', Fayard, 2003, P. 779-780 (in French)
External links
on Marston Records
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chatterton (Opera)
Operas by Ruggero Leoncavallo
1876 operas
Italian-language operas
Operas
Operas set in England
Operas set in London
Operas based on plays