A slew of questions about "The Bartered Bride"
Slrdsyj
in America? Also, whose idea was it to give different character names to the
characters - one set for the Czech version and another for the German version?
Is one version performed or recorded more often than the other?
Also, the Classic Arts Showcase showed two music videos from a Cascade Medien
video film of "Smetana / Grieg" (One was a music video of Libor Pesek & an
orchestra playing "Ma Vlast" [Moldau] featuring lovely Czech landscapes and
villagers drinking and dancing in the countryside. The other was a music
video of Libor Pesek & his orchestra playing "The Bartered Bride" overture,
featuring three attractive young women going out together one afternoon to a
theatre to see "Bartered Bride".) I'd like to purchase this DVD. I've
visited the Cascade Medien website, but it does not say if this DVD is
available on PAL or NTSC or both. Does anyone know or have an idea about this
DVD?
NBPalmer1
Very often indeed, in Europe...
NICK/London
Daniel Kessler
Atlantic. A story involving marriage brokering would seem to be one
that is not very politically correct these days. How can you infuse a
piece like this with contemporary relevance? Also, beyond its brilliant
overture, the work tends to go down hill afterwards, except for the
"Dance of the Comemedians" in Act III. Also, the stutterig Vasek,
Marenka's disappointed suitor, can be a bit of a bore.
Jeffrey Friedman
I saw it in Prague in September. A very good place to see it,
and I suspect you can see it there most any time.
Jeff
Trev(UK)
a new production. Covent Garden performed it a few years ago (it was also
televised when they were at Sadler`s Wells) in English.
"Slrdsyj" <slr...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20040118200506...@mb-m26.aol.com...
thierry morice
> Is "The Bartered Bride" still performed now anywhere? Is it performed much
> in America? Also, whose idea was it to give different character names to the
> characters - one set for the Czech version and another for the German version?
> Is one version performed or recorded more often than the other?
Well, the story is very Central European, thus familiar to German (at
least Bavarian) audiences as well. The characters with different names
just have "translated" names like Hans for Jenik, Marie for Marenka
and Wenzel for Vasek (a diminutive of Vaclav). Kecal isn't translated
(just the orthography is changed ao that Germans can pronounce it
correctly: Kezal), although it could have been: something like
"Schwätzer", since it comes from the verb "kecat", "to chatter".
The Geman version has been recorded at least twice, and the recording
under Kempe with Fritz Wunderlich and Pilar Lorengar is deservedly
famous.
The Czech version has been recorded many times, the older version
under Ostrcil (1935 IIRC), Ancerl (1947), Chalabala (1959) being
highly preferable to the more recent one under Kosler.
th.
Alan Watkins
Mr Smetana is musically alive and well throughout the Czech Republic,
not only Bartered Bride and Ma Vlast but also Libuse, The Devil's
Wall, Wallenstein's Camp,The Kiss, Two Widows, The Secret, Dalibor as
Dvorak is alive and well with the symphonic poems like the Water
Goblin and operas such as Rusalka, The Devil and Kate and Jacobin.
The Czech Republic is an immensely beautiful country. As Vienna do
the Strauss family for their "New Year" concerts we do Smetana and the
Dvorak Slavonic Dances for ours.
Over the years people have told me that Smetana operas would not
"travel" because they are too national. But Libuse has a wonderful
score and if someone had the enthusiasm (and the money) I am sure it
would travel as would Dvorak's The Devil and Kate (a genuinely "funny"
opera which is not at all national).
Many years ago when touring America we did a couple of encores from
The Devil and Kate and all I know is that they seemed to love them.
One night, as previously posted, we ran out of encores and simply
repeated Skocna from Bartered Bride and they all stood up again.
I wouldn't know about Mr Smetana or Mr Dvorak not travelling but I've
had any number of conversations with visitors to Prague from America
and England (and Germany and France) who loved what they heard.
There is currently a young man from Georgia and a girl from Minnesota
studying orchestral percussion in Prague and a girl from Washington
studying oboe.
Kind regards,
Alan M. Watkins
Mark D Lew
Watkins <alanwa...@aol.com> wrote:
> Over the years people have told me that Smetana operas would not
> "travel" because they are too national. But Libuse has a wonderful
> score and if someone had the enthusiasm (and the money) I am sure it
> would travel as would Dvorak's The Devil and Kate (a genuinely "funny"
> opera which is not at all national).
A few years ago I was in a production of Two Widows, with Pocket Opera
in SF. Like all most Pocket productions, it was translated to English
by Mr Pippin. The story was charming and worked fine. If anything
"national" was lost in translation, nobody I know noticed the loss.
(But come to think of it, it did annoy me that "Anezhka" was pronounced
with the accent on the second syllable, which sounds jarring to me.)
mdl
Alan Watkins
The important thing is that Pocket Opera performed it and "it worked
fine."
You would not have lost anything national in translation nor would
they have done in The Devil and Kate. These are not works confined to
a particular country any more than West Side Story is "confined" to
America.
thierry morice
>
> You would not have lost anything national in translation nor would
> they have done in The Devil and Kate. These are not works confined to
> a particular country any more than West Side Story is "confined" to
> America.
>
Anyway, "the two widows" is taken from a French play, thus the essence
of the story isn't Czech-folkloristic, even if its "librettisation" it
got a Czech coloration which isn't essential, as Alan says.
Another Czech opera worth the international stages is Dvorak's
Jakobin.
Contrary to what the title may suggest it isn't a Czech version of
Andrea Chenier, but a delightful comedy.
As for Libuse, I still think it is very national (was also intended
so), but yes the music is beautiful, although it tends sometimes to
the oratorio. OTOH Dalibor, while also related to the national story,
can perfectly be understood without knowledge of it, and offers a
wealth of beautiful music and drama. It would be my first candidate
for a non-Bride Smetana in international theatres.
This year is the year of Czech music (Dvorak's 100th anniversary of
death, Janacek's 150th birthday, as well as Smetana's 180th birthday
and 120th anniversary of death), thus we could expect to see some of
those wonderful works
more frequently. Vanne speranze, I fear.
th.
Daniel Kessler
(beyond Janacek) is Martinu's "Julietta," which I saw in that wonderful Richard Jones production at the Palais
Garnier in November 2002. That was a revelation for me. Funny, but I couln't much warm to the work on the
recording but it is wonderful to see on the stage (provided you have a production like the Jones one). It is a
true "surrealistic" opera, a full-length one, rather than the shorter Poulenc "Les Mamelles." Both share the
characteristics of being a bit of an absurd carnival, sexy, amusing, and a piece that does not take itself too
seriously so that it becomes a bore.
Alan Watkins
Julietta is a great opera (or so I think). Sometimes called the Book
of Dreams or the Key to Dreams and I find all the comments very
interesting indeed. I am sure the comments about Libuse are probably
correct (it's just that I love the score so much that I would like it
to travel further) and Dalibor is a magnificent work.
I found the comment from the poster who found the live performance of
Julietta preferable to a recording quite significant. A lot of
Martinu opera is VISUAL and does not, for example, include what I
would call the "romantic streak" of Janacek. It's a funny thing that
while the Martinu symphonies are (I think) being played more than ever
all around the world, the operas have never made it and yet he wrote
far more operas than symphonies!
I've often thought of Martinu in the same concept as at least some of
Kurt Weill. When he wrote most of his eleven operas he was into the
Surrealists and the operas and the music reflect that. "Suburban
Theatre" is virtually music hall or vaudeville "knock about" stuff;
Comedy on the Bridge is a complete farce but probably does not work on
a recording. No doubt a modern audience would get that but probably
not from a recording. Outside of a live theatre, I would think that
at least some of the Martinu operas could sound pretty one dimensional
when you are not able to relate to what is going on in front of you.
One of the remarkable things about Julietta is how Martinu manages to
keep the music fresh on what is a pretty limited "plot" line. But
heard just listening and perhaps just reading the libretto must be
quite difficult: being a Surrealist work it doesn't really go anywhere
and you don't get any help with a "meaning". Being a Surrealist work
there probably is not any "meaning" except your own. Just my view.
But you might possibly be aided in forming your view by seeing it
visually.
My choice for Dvorak would still (personally) be Kate and the Devil on
the grounds that the world universally understands humour (humor)
situations and this is a genuinely FUNNY opera. "Chatterbox Lady
Drives Devil Mad" as the New York Times might say.
I love the point in the score where poor old Devil says the equivalent
of: "She's got to go back to Earth. I can't take any more of this!"
:):) Of course, it is probably wrong to suggest today that women
"chatter" or might be more avaricious than men but Dvorak didn't know
that.
I actually think Kate a better score than Rusalka across the entire
work because I think (a very personal opinion) that Dvorak loses the
plot a bit after Act One of Rusalka (although, again, it will work
better visually than on a recording) but it would be a very hard
hearted person who would not be grateful to him for writing "Silver
Moon".
Daniel Kessler
Alan Watkins wrote:Julietta is a great opera (or so I think). Sometimes called the Book
> of Dreams or the Key to Dreams and I find all the comments very
> interesting indeed.
> I found the comment from the poster who found the live performance of
> Julietta preferable to a recording quite significant.
I guess you've not seen it, which is a pity but let's hope that the Paris Garnier outing (the first by a major
company) will spread the word. Prior to that, there was that David Poutney Opera North one which I hear didn't work
all that well -- used real sets with houses with windows and doors -- a big mistake in terms of what the visuals
should be for this tricky piece of a surrealist bent. Jones set the opera with three different view of an accordian
for each act. There is that haunting accordian music in the score that is so full of nostalgia. Some people hear
the score and think it is "under composed" and I can see why they might say that -- but when you see the piece, it
doesn't come off that way. Everything is just perfect.
Martinu thought "Julietta" is best opera of the 14 that he wrote and having only seen a coupe of his poor one-acters
plus the "Greek Passion" -- I can agree on that. Juilliard School here in NYC is doing the "Mirandolina" opera
soon....which I hope to catch and Wexford did it a couple of seasons ago. It is completely different in style,
written in Martinu's "Neoclaslsical" style, unlike "Julietta."
By the way, of the 14 operas by Martinu, only 5 are full length ones. Whatever was he thinking? I mean, one-act
operas don't fare very well unless they can find a pairing, a la "Cav & Pag" I hear that is "Ariane" a 84-minute
piece is quite good, but we never get it because no one can figure out what would accompany it!!! Even he must have
realized the problem but I think many of the short ones were commissions -- paid for by people like NBC-TV who
specified a short work.
> I've often thought of Martinu in the same concept as at least some of
> Kurt Weill.
I guess you know the story about Martinu and Kurt Weill...the playwright of "Julietta" had more or less given the
right to make it an opera by Weill, but then when Martinu saw the play in Paris...he immediately went home and wrote
the first act of "Julietta," without realizing that he had not secured the rights. Realizing his mistake, he hunted
down the playwright in Paris who told Martinu that he had already made a deal with Weill. However, Martinu rushed to
the piano and showed him what he had done and the playwright managed to have his agent tell Weill "Sorry, I forgot
that I had made a commitment to Martinu."
> One of the remarkable things about Julietta is how Martinu manages to
> keep the music fresh on what is a pretty limited "plot" line. But
> heard just listening and perhaps just reading the libretto must be
> quite difficult: being a Surrealist work it doesn't really go anywhere
> and you don't get any help with a "meaning". Being a Surrealist work
> there probably is not any "meaning" except your own. Just my view.
> But you might possibly be aided in forming your view by seeing it
> visually.
Well,maybe you have the impression the plot doesn't go anywhere and I can understand that with someone listening to a
performance, when in actual performance, it makes a lot of sense and is quite beguiling, particularly that 2nd
act...which is truly magical. That sence in the forest in act II at the Garnier was bathed in the most intoxicating
blue light with cut-out trees with the border the "cut-out" sides of the concertina or accordian. A woman in a full
length elegant dress appeared seated at a piano and played the brief piano music, she and the piano were on a
treadmill that crossed from stage left to stage right. Then there was a man in formal attire who came out and played
the violin for a minute or so...and walked off the stage. It was so elegant and surrealistic.
REG
something else to explore.
"Daniel Kessler" <dkes...@pop.cybernex.net> wrote in message
news:40107329...@pop.cybernex.net...
Olaf
There is a new production at the Royal Opera i Stockholm. Updated to
the early 50's - the darkest early years of the Communist Regime.
Olaf
Alan Watkins
I have performed Julietta on quite a number of occasions and most (not
all) of his other operas and most (not all) of his ballet music and
that is the reason I think Julietta such a great work. It is a
wonderful score, possibly his operatic masterpiece although others
might possibly promote The Miracle of Our Lady (another wonderful
score) or The Greek Passion.
The point you make better than I (but the one that I was trying to
make) is that you have to SEE Julietta to get the "whole bit". Of
course, you can appreciate the wonderful music at home but I think it
hard to convey in a recording with only libretto the composers own
description of his work: "Through a whole network of unforeseen
situations and illogical conclusions runs a thread of human
memory...." and, if I understand the work correctly, is set in a
country in which the ownership of human memory is admired by others.
The people going to this country all seem to be pursuing Julietta
while the people living in this country deny that she exists!!! I
have known more understandable "plots":):)
I did not know the story concerning Kurt Weill and found it
fascinating for which I thank you for the information. I do not know
whether it is well known or not but there is also a very great
personal significance to the score of Julietta, a significance which
takes it out far out of the realm of surrealism and into the very real
world of human passion.
At the time he was rehearsing Julietta, Martinu (a married man) took
on a composition pupil called Vitezslava Kapralova, an exceptional
student by any standards (she briefly studied conducting with Charles
Munch as well). They met when he was 47 and she was 22 (what is it
about old chaps and young girls, see also Janacek:):) and fell in
love. They had a passionate affair and Martinu planned to take her to
America with him in 1939 and desert his wife but the idea fell through
and she married someone else, dying the same year (1940) aged 25.
Despite her marriage to someone else, Martinu and Kapralova
corresponded regularly right up to her death. Miss Kapralova's family
originally came from Moravia and there is in Julietta a particular
Moravian folk cadence which is quoted time and time again. I ought to
add that at the time of his death in 1959 Martinu was still working on
"revisions" to the score and so, I think, it mattered to him quite a
lot.
He quotes this Moravian cadence in many other works and Czech
musicologists have suggested that it was deliberately to keep her
"alive". What was once described memorably as the "Ghost of Julietta"
(but possibly Miss Kapralova?) can be found in Symphonies 1/3/4/6, La
Jolla, Greek Passion (Act III), the second Violin Concerto (that's ALL
Julietta) and probably other works that I do not know.
The score of Greek Passion (in my view) is not as great as Julietta
but I think The Miracle of Our Lady challenges Julietta and is
wonderful music. You may have been taken with the sound of the
accordion (the national instrument of the Czech Republic, as all
visitors to restaurants will know, and he's usually added to the bill)
but in one part of Miracle, Martinu asks for something I think is
unique: timpani on stage!
All the beauty of Julietta can be found in Symphony No 6 (where he
treats the orchestra as in Sibelius 6 as a chamber group) and you can
hear "her" clearly in the slow movement of Symphony 4. Whether it is
"her" or Miss Kapralova, only the musicologists can say I think the
Concerto for Double String Orchestra, Piano and Timpani another
masterpiece.
Kytice: A Bouquet of Flowers, written around the same time as
Julietta, also has some enchanting music. Jazz includes singers who
seem to have preceded Les Swingles!
For those interested there is a Kapralova Society and a wonderful
Supraphon disc which includes some of her songs and her very special
"Military Sinfonietta".
Either way, I have had immense enjoyment playing Martinu and love him
dearly and think he has something to say. To borrow what might be an
American saying: "Boy, could he modulate". If you able to hear
Kapralova's April Preludes (written for Firkuskny): "Boy, could SHE
modulate."
I wonder where she learned it from? What a couple!
thierry morice
>
> For those interested there is a Kapralova Society and a wonderful
> Supraphon disc which includes some of her songs and her very special
> "Military Sinfonietta".
>
And then there is the book written by Kapralova's husband, Jiri Mucha
(son of the famous painter Alfons Mucha). There were married for a
very short time, as she was already sick.
The book of memories is called "Podivne Lasky" (strange loves) and is
mainly about the Czech community living in Paris at the time,
including Martinu, Firkusny, etc...
Very interesting and a pleasure to read.
th.
