''The Violins of Saint-Jacques'' is an opera in three acts by

Malcolm Williamson Malcolm Benjamin Graham Christopher Williamson, (21 November 19312 March 2003) was an Australian composer. He was the Master of the Queen's Music from 1975 until his death. Biography Williamson was born in Sydney in 1931; his father was an A ...

to an English

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 ...

by William Chappell after the 1953 novel by

Patrick Leigh Fermor Sir Patrick Michael Leigh Fermor (11 February 1915 – 10 June 2011) was an English writer, scholar, soldier and polyglot. He played a prominent role in the Cretan resistance during the Second World War, and was widely seen as Britain's greates ...

.Covell, R. The Violins of Saint-Jacques. In: ''

The New Grove Dictionary of Opera ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' is an encyclopedia of opera, considered to be one of the best general reference sources on the subject. It is the largest work on opera in English, and in its printed form, amounts to 5,448 pages in four volu ...

''. Macmillan, London & New York, 1997. It was first performed at

Sadler's Wells Theatre 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-seat ...

in London on 29 November 1966 by

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in a production by Chappell and was revived there and at the

London Coliseum The London Coliseum (also known as the Coliseum Theatre) is a theatre in St Martin's Lane, Westminster, built as one of London's largest and most luxurious "family" variety theatres. Opened on 24 December 1904 as the London Coliseum Theatre ...

in the years immediately following.Webber, C. Guilty Pleasures?

Christopher Webber Christopher Webber (born 27 May 1953) is an English musicologist, dramatist, actor, theatre director and writer. Biography Webber was born in Bowdon, Cheshire (now Greater Manchester) and educated at The Manchester Grammar School and the Univ ...

makes the case for Malcolm Williamson. ''

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 ...

'', August 2013, 988-991. Although the opera depicts spectacular scenes on the ocean, a creole carnival and an exploding volcano, the plot is essentially "an intimate romantic drama about young people in love, all the more poignant because of its pointlessness". Musical highlights include the Quartet 'I have another world to show you' and Berthe's aria 'Each afternoon when the swooning breezes cool and die' (recorded by

Cheryl Barker Cheryl Ruth Barker (born 22 April 1960, Sydney) is an Australian operatic soprano who has had an active international career since the late 1980s. She has sung on several complete opera recordings with Chandos Records, including the title ro ...

), in Act 1; Josephine's 'Let me one day return', the love duet for Sosthène and Berthe 'We'll meet at Beauséjour' and the waltzes of the Mardi gras party in Act 2; and Agenor's aria 'I love this hour' in Act 3. The libretto provides an opposition of two groups of characters: a quartet of serious lovers (Berthe, Sosthène, Josephine, Marcel) and another comic group (Agenor, Mathilde, Joubert), which gives Williamson ample scope for musical portraiture.Walsh, S. ''A Memory of Violins''. ''

'', 1966, p851-855. The opera was commissioned in association with the

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Performance history

The work, the fifth opera by the composer, was successful during its opening Sadler's Wells production and a revival at the London Coliseum and national UK tour. A BBC radio relay was broadcast on 8 December 1966 and a performance of December 1968 was broadcast on 5 June 1969. The critical reception was mixed. ''Opera'' magazine commented that the opera "seems to have split critical opinion more sharply than any modern work in the past few years". ''The Spectator'' defended the composer against those who criticised him for writing in part tunes in a "

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Puccini Giacomo Puccini (Lucca, 22 December 1858Bruxelles, 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he was descended from a long lin ...

idiom", also praising Williamson's character music, the dances and for having "an accent and palmprint of his own".Reid, Charles. Opera - Tune Spotting. ''

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'', 9 Dec 1966, p18. The ''Musical Times'' expressed disappointment and likened its "romantic panache" to ''

The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. Se ...

'', and criticised the authors for aiming too low. Grove dubs the work Williamson's "most impressive operatic achievement". Stephen Walsh believed that the second act was the best, because the composer had succeeded well in integrating the set numbers within his "dynamic overall design". Alternatively, others preferred the opening act: "the whole act is a seamless, symphonic outpouring as memorable as anything in English opera". An Australian Opera production was broadcast by the

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in 1974 which included an appearance by

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. Peter Rice's costume designs are now held at the

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in London.

Roles

Instrumentation

3 flutes (2 double piccolo), 2 oboes and cor anglais, 2 clarinet and bass-clarinet, 2 bassoons and contra-bassoon, 4 horns, 4 trumpets, 3 trombones, 1 tuba, timpani, percussion, organ, 2 harps, strings
Stage Music: flute, clarinet, two horns, four trumpets, three violins, one double bassJosef Weinberger Ltd website

Synopsis

:Time: Present (Prologue) and Mardi Gras, 1902 (rest of the opera) :Place: Caribbean

Prologue and Act 1

In the Prologue, set in the present day, a band of fishermen in the Caribbean casting their nets hear the sound of violins in the distance. The old fisherman tells the others of the legend of the submerged island which rises from the sea to the ghostly sounds of carnival violins on Shrove Tuesday, the day on which it was destroyed by a volcano. The fishermen row away. The scene changes to the jungle on the island and the rest of the opera depicts events on that fateful day. Sosthène, son of the Count de Serindan, is recently returned from France, and expresses his joy to be back on the island and especially his passion to see again his cousin Berthe; she however still looks on him as a child. Sosthène's sister Josephine and the governor's son, Marcel Sciocca, who are having a secret love affair, meet. Sosthène is angry with his sister's choice of lover, while Berthe is torn by her own love for Josephine.

Act 2

The second act is set during the carnival of Mardi Gras, at a ball given by the Count at his colonial villa. He and his wife are awaiting their guests. These include the fop Captain Joubert, two brothers, François and Gontran de Chambines (both drunk), and Governor Sciocca and his wife and son. The evening's entertainment is provided not only by a troupe of masked dancers, but also by the flashing volcano in the distance, which is saluted by the party. The gypsy woman Maman Zélie predicts disaster before the night is over. Josephine and Marcel are by now intending to leave the island together for Paris, and slip out from the party. However, Sosthène has found out that Marcel is married already; and he notes their absence, he persuades Berthe to leave the villa determined to find the lovers and stop them eloping. The next scene is at the harbourside. Revellers sing for Maman Zélie to cast some spells. When Josephine and Marcel enter, their carefree mood has changed to regret but Marcel is impatient that they go ahead with their plan and he drags her away. Sosthène and Berthe arrive, she worrying about the danger from the volcano. Sosthène tells her to row out to a ship moored off shore in case the fleeing lovers are planning to head for there; meanwhile he will seek them by horse, and that way they can prevent Josephine from leaving the island. When he once more declares his love, Berthe begins to feel love awakening for the man she has so far spurned.

Act 3

Sosthène has managed to get the elopers recaptured and the three of them return to the villa still alive with revelry. Marcel's existing marriage is revealed, and he is forbidden to see Josephine again. Sosthène consoles his sister, and the others hope that things will work out well. The volcano then erupts and everyone panics. Berthe, who as planned had rowed out into the harbour to intercept the two runaways is now the only person alive, and in the final scene at dawn she remembers Saint-Jacques and laments all those she loved.