''Il prigioniero'' (''The Prisoner'') is an

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 ...

(originally a

radio opera Radio opera (German: 'Funkoper' or 'Radiooper') is a genre of opera. It refers to operas which were specifically composed to be performed on the radio and is not to be confused with broadcasts of operas which were originally written for the stage. ...

) in a prologue and one act, with music and libretto by

Luigi Dallapiccola Luigi Dallapiccola (February 3, 1904 – February 19, 1975) was an Italian composer known for his lyrical twelve-tone compositions. Biography Dallapiccola was born in Pisino d'Istria (at the time part of Austria-Hungary, current Pazin, Croa ...

. The opera was first broadcast by the Italian radio station

RAI RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many ter ...

on 1 December 1949. The work is based on the short story ''La torture par l'espérance'' ("Torture by Hope") from the collection ''Nouveaux contes cruels'' by the French writer Auguste Villiers de l'Isle-Adam and from ''La Légende d'Ulenspiegel et de Lamme Goedzak'' by

Charles De Coster Charles-Theodore-Henri De Coster (20 August 1827 – 7 May 1879) was a Belgian novelist whose efforts laid the basis for a native Belgian literature. Early life and education He was born in Munich; his father, Augustin De Coster, was a nati ...

. Some of the musical material is based on Dallapiccola's earlier choral work on a similar theme, ''

Canti di prigionia ''Canti di prigionia'' (''Songs of Imprisonment'') is a setting for chorus, two pianos, two harps and percussion by the Italian composer Luigi Dallapiccola. Dallapiccola sets three texts of imprisonment: a prayer of Mary Stuart, an extract from ...

'' (1938). Dallapiccola composed ''Il prigioniero'' in the period of 1944–1948. The work contains seven parts and lasts about 50 minutes. The musical idiom is serialism, and it is one of the first completed operas using that compositional method.

Performance history

The opera's first stage performance was at the

Teatro Comunale Florence The is an opera house in Florence, Italy. It was originally built as the open-air amphitheatre, the Politeama Fiorentino Vittorio Emanuele, which was inaugurated on 17 May 1862 with a production of Donizetti's ''Lucia di Lammermoor'' and which ...

on May 20, 1950. The performers were Magda Laszlo, Mario Binci,

Scipio Colombo Scipio Colombo (25 May 1910 – 13 April 2002) was an Italian dramatic baritone, and was known for his abilities as a musician and singing-actor. Born in Vicenza, Italy, Colombo first studied philosophy at the University of Padua, before tur ...

, with conductor

Hermann Scherchen Hermann Scherchen (21 June 1891 – 12 June 1966) was a German conductor. Life Scherchen was born in Berlin. Originally a violist, he played among the violas of the Bluthner Orchestra of Berlin while still in his teens. He conducted in Riga ...

. The professional American premiere took place on September 29, 1960, at the

New York City Center New York City Center (previously known as the Mecca Temple, City Center of Music and Drama,. The name "City Center for Music and Drama Inc." is the organizational parent of the New York City Ballet and, until 2011, the New York City Opera. and th ...

, where the cast included

Norman Treigle Norman Treigle (né Adanelle Wilfred Treigle (March 6, 1927February 16, 1975) was an American operatic bass-baritone, who was acclaimed for his great abilities as a singing-actor, and specialized in roles that evoked villainy and terror. Biograp ...

Richard Cassilly Richard Cassilly (December 14, 1927 – January 30, 1998) was an American operatic tenor who had a major international opera career between 1954–90. Cassilly "was a mainstay in the heldentenor repertory in opera houses around the world for 30 y ...

and

Anne McKnight Anne McKnight (24 July 1924 - 29 August 2012) was an operatic soprano. Life and career A native of Aurora, Illinois, she was a 1943 graduate of Shimer College. McKnight made her official debut in 1946, as Musetta in the NBC Symphony's Concert ...

;

Leopold Stokowski Leopold Anthony Stokowski (18 April 1882 – 13 September 1977) was a British conductor. One of the leading conductors of the early and mid-20th century, he is best known for his long association with the Philadelphia Orchestra and his appeara ...

conducted Christopher West's production. According to the publisher, the first dozen years after the première had over 186 performances of ''Il prigioniero'' on radio, concert platform, and stage.

Roles

Synopsis

:Place:

Saragossa Zaragoza, also known in English as Saragossa,''Encyclopædia Britannica'"Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)" is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributari ...

:Time: Second half of the sixteenth century

Prologue

As the Mother waits to visit her son in prison; she sings of a dream she has had multiple times that haunts her sleep. In it, a figure resembling King Philip II approaches her from the end of a cavern, but then changes imperceptibly into Death. The Mother's singing becomes hysterical, and the offstage chorus cuts her off, bringing the end of the prologue.

Act 1

The first scene opens inside a cell in the Inquisitor's Prison with the Prisoner and his Mother speaking. The Prisoner speaks of his torture and suffering, and also of how the Gaoler has brought back his hope and faith, and has made him wish to return to prayer as he did as a child. The Gaoler then interrupts the conversation with news that Flanders is in revolt and that the bell of Roelandt could soon ring out again, trying to bring new hope to the Prisoner. As the Gaoler leaves with the words "There is one who watches over you ... Have faith, brother. Sleep now ... and hope," he also does not close the cell door completely. Upon noticing this, the Prisoner rushes out. The action moves out of the cell and follows the Prisoner on his attempt at escape through the underground passages of the prison. While trying to escape, the Prisoner sees but is not seen by a torturer and is passed unnoticed by two monks too deep in theological discussion to take notice of him. The Prisoner finally believes he can smell fresh air, and when he hears a bell he believes to be that of Roelandt, he opens a door to what he hopes is freedom. The final scene finds the Prisoner in a garden at night. He is exuberant at having escaped, and moves towards a great cedar tree that is in the foreground. He makes as if to hug the tree, only to be embraced by the words and sight of the Grand Inquisitor, who is seemingly a part of the tree. The Grand Inquisitor asks the Prisoner, "Why do you want to leave us now, on the very eve of your salvation?" At this point, the Prisoner comes around to the thought that perhaps his ultimate salvation is to be gained from the stake. The opera concludes with the Prisoner's enigmatic whisper of "Freedom?"

Recordings

* CBS 61344 (Italian issue, from radio performance): Liliana Poli, Eberhard Wächter, Gerald English,

Werner Krenn Werner Krenn (born 21 September 1943 in Vienna) is an Austrian tenor. Krenn received his first musical training as a member of the boys' choir Wiener Sängerknaben. He later studied bassoon and was principal bassoonist of the Wiener Symphoniker fr ...

Christian Boesch Christian Boesch (born 27 July 1941) is an Austrian operatic baritone. He is the son of the soprano Ruthilde Boesch, and studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, from 1959 to 1964. He was the pupil of Alfred Jerger, and made ...

; Austrian Radio Choir and Orchestra;

Carl Melles Carl Melles (born Melles Károly; 15 July 1926 – 25 April 2004) was an Austrian orchestral conductor of Hungarian descent. Personal life He married Hungarian noblewoman Judith von Rohonczy (1929–2001), daughter of an actress, Ila Lóth. Th ...

, conductorDonat, Misha, "Recordings – Dallapiccola: ''Il Prigioniero''" (March 1974). ''

Tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

'' (New Ser.), 108: pp. 35–36. * Decca/London OSA-1166 (LP issue – first studio recording): Maurizio Mazzieri, Giulia Barrera, Romano Emili,

Gabor Carelli Gabor Carelli (born as ''Krausz'', Gábor Pál) (1915 – 22 January 1999) was a Hungarian classical tenor who had an important career in operas and concerts in North America during the mid-20th century. He was notably committed to the Metropolit ...

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

Chorus;

National Symphony Orchestra The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1930, its principal performing venue is the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. It also performs for the annual National Mem ...

;

Antal Doráti Antal Doráti (, , ; 9 April 1906 – 13 November 1988) was a Hungarian-born conductor and composer who became a naturalized American citizen in 1943. Biography Antal Doráti was born in Budapest, where his father Alexander Doráti was a vi ...

, conductor * Sony Classical SK 68 323:

Jorma Hynninen Jorma Kalervo Hynninen (born 3 April 1941) is a Finnish baritone who performs regularly with the world's major opera companies. He has also worked in opera administration. Hynninen was born on 3 April 1941 in Leppävirta, Finland. He studied fro ...

, Phyllis Bryn-Julson, Howard Haskin, Sven-Erik Alexandersson, Lage Wedin; Swedish Radio Choir;

Eric Ericson Eric Gustaf Ericson (26 October 1918 – 16 February 2013) was a Swedish choral conductor and influential choral teacher. Life and career He graduated from the Royal College of Music (''Kungl. Musikhögskolan'') in Stockholm in 1943 and w ...

Chamber Choir;

Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra The Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra ( sv, Sveriges Radios Symfoniorkester) is a Swedish radio orchestra based in Stockholm, affiliated with Sveriges Radio (Sweden's Radio). Its principal performing venue is the Berwaldhallen (Berwald Hall). The o ...

;

Esa-Pekka Salonen Esa-Pekka Salonen (; born 30 June 1958) is a Finnish orchestral conductor and composer. He is principal conductor and artistic advisor of the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, conductor laureate of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and music di ...

, conductor * Chandos CHAN 5276: Anna Maria Chiuri, Michael Nagy, Stephan Rügamer, Adam Riis, Steffen Bruun; Danish National Concert Choir, Danish National Symphony Orchestra;

Gianandrea Noseda Gianandrea Noseda (born 23 April 1964, Sesto San Giovanni, Italy) is an Italian conductor. Biography Noseda studied piano and composition in Milan. He began conducting studies at age 27. He furthered his conducting studies with Donato Renzett ...

, conductor