' (''The Death of Abel'') is an

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

by the French composer Rodolphe Kreutzer. The

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) 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 th ...

, by François-Benoît Hoffman, deals with the Biblical story of

Cain and Abel In the biblical Book of Genesis, Cain and Abel are the first two sons of Adam and Eve. Cain, the firstborn, was a farmer, and his brother Abel was a shepherd. The brothers made sacrifices, each from his own fields, to God. God had regard for Ab ...

. It was first performed in a three-act version at the Salle Montansier by the Académie Impériale de Musique (the Paris Opéra) on 23 March 1810 under the title ''Abel''. A revival at the

Salle Le Peletier The Salle Le Peletier or Lepeletier (sometimes referred to as the Salle de la rue Le Peletier or the Opéra Le Peletier) was the home of the Paris Opera from 1821 until the building was destroyed by fire in 1873. The theatre was designed and con ...

in 1823, in which the second act was cut, impressed the young

Hector Berlioz Louis-Hector Berlioz (11 December 1803 – 8 March 1869) was a French Romantic music, Romantic composer and conductor. His output includes orchestral works such as the ''Symphonie fantastique'' and ''Harold en Italie, Harold in Italy'' ...

Background

' was one of a number of French operas and oratorios on Biblical themes to appear in the first decades of the 19th century. This fashion was inspired by a performance of Haydn's '' The Creation'' at the Paris Opéra in 1800. Examples of the genre include Kalkbrenner's staged oratorios ''Saul'' and ', Lesueur's ' and, most famously, Méhul's ''

Joseph Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic count ...

'' (1807). Alexandre Dratwicki in the book accompanying the Van Waas recording, p. 62 The French Emperor

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

did not share the enthusiasm for putting Bible stories on stage, regarding any potential offence to religious sensibilities as a threat to the understanding he had reached with the Catholic Church. The only reason he allowed the premiere of ' to go ahead was because so much money had already been spent on rehearsals. However, he warned the superintendent of the Opéra, "Henceforth, no opera shall be given without my order." Hoffman based his libretto on the play ' (1758) by the Swiss poet

Salomon Gessner Salomon Gessner (1 April 1730 – 2 March 1788) was a Swiss painter, graphic artist, government official, newspaper publisher, and poet, best known in the latter instance for his ''Idylls''. He was a co-founder of the Helvetic Society and the fir ...

, but added elements derived from the Hell scenes of Milton's ''

Paradise Lost ''Paradise Lost'' is an Epic poetry, epic poem in blank verse by the English poet John Milton (1608–1674). The poem concerns the Bible, biblical story of the fall of man: the temptation of Adam and Eve by the fallen angel Satan and their ex ...

''.

Performance history and reception

' first appeared at the Paris Opéra in a three-act version on 23 March 1810. Its success was overshadowed by the immense contemporary popularity of two works by

Gaspare Spontini Gaspare Luigi Pacifico Spontini (14 November 177424 January 1851) was an Italian opera composer and conductor from the classical era. During the first two decades of the 19th century, Spontini was an important figure in French ''opera'', and ...

, '' La vestale'' (1807) and '' Fernand Cortez'' (1809). Hoffman, the librettist, also blamed the muted audience response on underhanded behaviour by the authors of a rival Biblical opera, ', which had appeared the previous year. Hoffman claimed that he had submitted the libretto for ' to the management of the Théâtre Feydeau in 1794. A few years later, he had shown the unpublished text to his fellow composer Jean-François Lesueur. Lesueur and his librettist Nicolas-François Guillard had then added elements from it to their own opera ' (including Abel and the demons). Hoffman was particularly unhappy that they had borrowed the idea of the "

apotheosis Apotheosis (, ), also called divinization or deification (), is the glorification of a subject to divine levels and, commonly, the treatment of a human being, any other living thing, or an abstract idea in the likeness of a deity. The origina ...

", when the heavens open in the finale. Hoffman had intended this to be a spectacular ''

coup de théâtre Coup de Theatre may refer to: * ''Coup de théâtre'', a literary term for an unexpected event in a play or a theatrical trick * ''Coup de Theatre'' (album), by Haiku d'Etat, 2004 * "Coup de théâtre", a 2015 TV episode of '' Les Mystères de ...

''. Because ' had reached the stage a year before ', the novelty was lost and it now looked as though Hoffman and Kreutzer were the plagiarists rather than Guillard and Lesueur. Reviewers of the premiere praised the music of acts 1 and 3, but criticised act 2, set entirely in Hell. They blamed the librettist for a lack of internal variety in this act, comparing it unfavourably with the depiction of the underworld in Gluck's '' Orfeo ed Euridice''. The Opéra revived ' on 17 March 1823, this time in a version which omitted the heavily criticised second act. The revival received little critical notice in newspapers and journals, but it provoked the young

to write an exceptionally enthusiastic letter to Kreutzer, beginning, "O genius! I succumb! I die! Tears choke me!"Alexandre Dratwicki in the book accompanying the Van Waas recording, pp. 63–4

Roles

Synopsis (revised version)

Act 1

Scene: ''A pleasant picturesque site'' After a long overture depicting night and dawn, the curtain opens on Adam, lamenting the quarrel between his sons Cain and Abel (Aria: ''"Charmant séjour, lieux solitaires"''). No matter how hard he tries, he cannot reconcile the jealous Cain to his brother. Abel arrives and joins Adam in a prayer hoping that Cain will soon change his mind (Duet: ''"Unissons-nous pour le rendre sensible"''). Eve is also worried about her son, who has taken to spending his days alone in the forest (Aria: ''"Insensible aux tourments"''). Cain's wife Méala is concerned about their children (Aria: ''"J'attendais que l'aurore en ramenant le jour"''). Cain enters and accuses Adam of favouring his brother (Aria: ''"Quoi! toujours ton image est offerte à mes yeux"''). But the united pleas of his family finally persuade him to accept reconciliation with his brother (Sextet with chorus: ''"Ô moment plein de charmes"''). However, even as the two brothers swear friendship, a voice is heard crying "Never!" It is the demon Anamalech, jealous of the happiness of the humans. To avert the curse, the brothers decide to sacrifice to God on their altars. Abel's sacrifice receives a favourable omen, but Anamalech overthrows Cain's altar. Feeling his brother has been accepted and he has been rejected, Cain curses everyone and runs off to the wilderness.

Act 2

Scene: ''A wild, arid spot'' In despair, Cain prays for the gift of sleep (Aria: ''"Ô doux sommeil"''). Anamalech gives the sleeping Cain a vision of the future in which Abel's children will be happy and Cain's will suffer (Scene: ''"Tu dors, Caïn, tu dors"''). He leaves Cain with an iron club, forged in Hell (the club is introduced with blows on an untuned anvil in the orchestra). Cain wakes, full of rage (Aria: ''"Tremble, indigne frère"''). Abel arrives and tries to persuade his brother to return to his family. Cain, struggling with conflicting feelings, urges his brother to leave (Duet: ''"Cède à l'amitié d'un frère"''). A violent storm arises and Cain strikes Abel dead with the club, before running off. Adam and the others enter and find Abel's body (Scene: ''"Nous approchons de lui''"). Initially, they think he is sleeping but Adam realises this is the first death in the world. Cain re-enters, racked with guilt, and admits the crime. He is driven to madness and flees to the mountains, followed by his wife and children. A chorus of angels appear and carry Abel off to Heaven (Chorus: ''"Viens dans le sein de l'inno-cence"'').

Recording

*''La mort d'Abel'' (1823 version), Sébastien Droy (Abel), Jean-Sébastien Bou (Caïn), Pierre-Yves Pruvot (Adam), Alain Buet (Anamalech), Jennifer Borghi (Ėve), Katia Velletaz (Méala), Yumiko Tanimura (Tirsa), Choeur de chambre de Namur, Les Agrémens, conducted by Guy Van Waas (Ediciones Speciales, 2 CDs, 2012)

References

Sources

*Book accompanying the Guy Van Waas recording, containing essays by Alexandre Dratwicki, Benoît Dratwicki, Étienne Jardin and David Chaillou *David Cairns ''Berlioz: The Making of an Artist, 1803–1832 '' (Cardinal, 1989) *Spire Pitou ''The Paris Opera: 1715-1815: Rococo and Romantic: An Encyclopedia of Operas, Ballets, Composers and Performers'' (Greenwood, 1985)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mort d'Abel, La 1810 operas French-language operas Opera world premieres at the Paris Opera Operas Operas based on the Bible Cultural depictions of Adam and Eve