Rachel Quand Du Seigneur Pdf
Lavonda Busing
Because of the story of an impossible love between a Christian man and a Jewish woman, the work has been seen by some as a plea for religious tolerance, in much the same spirit as Nathan the Wise, which premiered in 1779,[2][3] Giacomo Meyerbeer's Les Huguenots which premiered in 1836, a year after La Juive, as well as the 1819 novel Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott which deals with the same theme. At the time of composition, the July Monarchy had liberalised religious practices in France. Meyerbeer and Fromental Halvy were both Jewish, and storylines dealing with topics of tolerance were common in their operas. Reviews of the initial performances show that journalists of the period responded to the liberalism and to the perceived anti-clericalism of Scribe's text rather than to any specifically Jewish theme.[4]
Some believe that the libretto of La Juive was designed to provoke audiences to reassess the status of Jews in French society. Others believe that the clichd portrayal of the Jew Elazar as secretive, vengeful and materialistic does not bear out this interpretation.[5]
The opera's first, ornate production, costing 150,000 francs, was conducted by Franois Habeneck. The performances of the soprano Cornlie Falcon in the title role and the dramatic tenor Adolphe Nourrit as Elazar were particularly noted. Nourrit had significant influence on the opera: Elazar, originally conceived as a bass part, was rewritten for him, and it appears that it was largely his idea to end act 4 not with a traditional ensemble, but with the aria "Rachel, quand du seigneur" for which he may also have suggested the text. The production was notable for its lavishness, including the on-stage organ in Act I, the enormous supporting cast, and the unprecedentedly elaborate decor. Two teams of scenic artists took responsibility over the stage decorations, Charles Schan, Lon Feuchre, Jules Diterle and douard Desplechin designing Acts I, II, IV and V, and Ren-Humanit Philastre and Charles-Antoine Cambon providing the materials for Act III.[6]
La Juive enjoyed an international success comparable to that of Meyerbeer's popular grand operas. It made its American premiere at the Thtre d'Orlans on 13 February 1844. The work was also used for the inaugural performance at the newly constructed Palais Garnier in Paris on 5 January 1875 (the title role was sung by Gabrielle Krauss; the scenery was recreated after the original designs by Jean-Baptiste Lavastre and douard Desplechin, Chret, Charles-Antoine Cambon, and Auguste Alfred Rub and Philippe Chaperon). La Juive received its first performance at the Metropolitan Opera in New York on 16 January 1885 with Amalie Materna as Rachel.
Having last been performed at the Metropolitan Opera in 1890 with Lilli Lehmann as Rachel, La Juive was revived in 1919 as a vehicle for the Met's star tenor, Enrico Caruso. Elazar was the last role Caruso added to his repertoire, as well as the last he ever sang in performance, on 24 December 1920. After Caruso's death in August, 1921, Giovanni Martinelli succeeded him in the role at the Met and both he and Caruso recorded the opera's best known aria, "Rachel! Quand du seigneur".
When he was young, the Jew Elazar had lived in Italy near Rome and witnessed the condemnation and executions of his sons as heretics by Count Brogni. Elazar himself was banished and forced to flee to Switzerland.
During his journey, Elazar found a baby near death, abandoned inside a burnt-out house which turned out to be the home of the Count. Bandits had set fire to the house, attempting to kill the entire family of Brogni but unaware that the Count himself was in Rome at the time.
Elazar took the child, a girl, and raised her as his own daughter, naming her Rachel. Brogni discovered the ruins of his house and the bodies of his family upon his return. He subsequently became a priest and later a cardinal.
At the beginning of the opera, in 1414 Rachel (now a young woman) is living with her adopted father in the city of Constance. The forces of the Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund have defeated the Hussites, in battles where Prince Leopold has distinguished himself. The Council of Constance, convened by Antipope John XXIII, has been arranged to resolve Church matters. John XXIII is represented there by Cardinal Gian Francesco Brogni, who was a historical personage. His part in the story of the opera is, however, entirely fictional.
Elazar is a goldsmith. The crowd condemns him for working during a day dedicated to Church festivities. He is saved from a lynching by the arrival of Brogni, who in the process recognises Elazar as his old adversary.
Prince Lopold arrives in disguise as a young Jewish artist Samuel. Rachel is in love with Samuel and knows nothing of his true identity. Local laws reflect prejudice against the Jews: if a Jew and a Christian have sexual relations, the Christian is excommunicated and the Jew is killed. Lopold is thus taking a great risk in this affair, especially as he is already married to the Princess Eudoxie.The crowd returns to attack Elazar, but 'Samuel' secretly instructs his troops to calm things down. The act closes with a grand triumphal procession.
Rachel has invited 'Samuel' for the Passover celebration in Elazar's house. He is present while Elazar and the other Jews sing their Passover prayers. Rachel becomes anxious when she notices that 'Samuel' refuses to eat the piece of unleavened bread that she has given him. He reveals to her that he is a Christian, without telling her his true identity. Rachel is horrified and reminds him of the terrible consequences of such a relationship.
After Eudoxie leaves, Lopold promises to take Rachel away with him. She tries to resist, worrying about abandoning her father, but as she is about to succumb to his advances, they are confronted by Elazar, who curses Lopold before the latter runs off.
Rachel, who has followed 'Samuel' to the Palace, offers her services as a lady's maid to Princess Eudoxie. Elazar arrives at the palace to deliver the jewel. He and Rachel recognise Lopold as 'Samuel'.Rachel declares before the assembly that Lopold seduced her and she, Elazar and Lopold are arrested and placed in prison, on the instructions of Cardinal Brogni.
Princess Eudoxie asks to see Rachel in prison, and persuades her to withdraw her allegations. Rachel agrees; Cardinal Brogni agrees to commute Lopold's sentence, and to spare Rachel and Elazar if they convert. Elazar at first answers that he would rather die, but then makes plans to avenge himself. He reminds the Cardinal of the fire in his house near Rome many years before and tells the Cardinal that his infant daughter did not die. He says that she was saved by a Jew and that only he knows who he is. If he dies, his secret will die with him. Cardinal Brogni begs him to tell him where his daughter is, but in vain. Elazar sings of the vengeance that he will have in dying, but he suddenly remembers that he will be responsible for the death of Rachel. The only way to save her is to admit that the Cardinal is her father and that she is not Jewish but Christian. The act ends with the opera's most famous aria, Elazar's 'Rachel, quand du Seigneur'. He does not want to sacrifice Rachel to his hatred of Christians, and renounces his revenge. However, when he hears the cries from a pogrom in the streets, he decides that God wants him to bear witness in death with his daughter to the God of Israel.[2]
Elazar and Rachel are brought to the gallows where they will be thrown into a cauldron of boiling water. Rachel is terrified. Elazar explains that she can be saved if she converts to Christianity. She refuses and climbs to the gallows before him. As the people are singing various prayers, Cardinal Brogni asks Elazar if his own daughter is still alive. Elazar says that she is and when Cardinal Brogni asks where she can be found, Elazar points to the cauldron, saying "There she is!" He then climbs to his own death while the Cardinal falls on his knees. The opera ends with a chorus of monks, soldiers and the people singing "It is done and we are avenged on the Jews!"
Rachel, the Jewish prostitute in Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time, is nicknamed by the narrator "Rachel quand du Seigneur". As Halvy's Rachel is both Jewish and Christian, so Proust's Rachel is both sexual commodity and, in the eyes of her lover Robert de Saint-Loup, an idolised lady of great price.[10]
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