Donna Diana
Encyclopedia
Donna Diana is a comic opera
in three acts by Emil von Reznicek
. The libretto, written by the composer, is based on a German translation by Carl August West (Joseph Schreyvogel) titled Donna Diana oder Stolz und Liebe of the Spanish comedy El desdén con el desdén by Agustín Moreto y Cavana
.
. The opera was successful in its day, with productions in several German theatres, but currently is rarely performed; its overture, however, has often been recorded and is sometimes heard in the concert hall.
The next scene opens on a brilliant crowd, welcoming Count Sovereign of Barcelona and his daughter Donna Diana. The Count greets them graciously, and making sign to the three gallant Princes, Don Cesar of Urgel, Don Louis of Bearne and Gaston Count de Foie, they advance to receive their laurels on bended knee from the Princess, who crowns Cesar with a golden wreath, while the two other princes each win a silver prize. When the ceremony is over, Don Diego turns to his daughter, asking her to choose a husband and give an heir to the country, but Diana declares that love seems like poison to her, and marriage death. Gaston and Louis, nothing daunted, determine to try their luck, and while the father prays to God to soften his daughter's heart, Cesar's courage sinks ever lower. Donna Diana alone is cool and calm, inwardly resolved to keep her hand and heart free. She is envied by her two cousins Fenisa and Laura, who would gladly choose one of the gallant warriors. Perrin now advises the Princes to try their wit and gallantry on the Princess. Gaston begins to plead his cause, declaring, that he will not leave Barcelona without a bride and Louis follows his example; both are greatly admired and applauded by the assistants, but Diana finds their compliments ridiculous and their wit shallow. Cesar without a word retires to the background, and when asked by the Princess why he does not compete with his rivals, answers "Because I will not love, nor ever wish to be loved; I only woo you, to show you my regard." Greatly mortified, Diana resolves to punish his pride.
Furious at being so easily duped she bids him leave her, and when alone resolves to have revenge. She calls Perrin to fetch her cousins, and charges him to let Cesar know that he can hear her sing in the gardens. Adorned with beautiful garments and surrounded by her attendants, she plays and sings sweetly as soon as she hears Don Cesar's steps. But he wanders in the grounds, admiring the plants, to all appearance deaf to beauty and song. Impatiently Diana signals to Floretta to let Cesar know, that he is in the presence of his Princess, at which, as awaking from a dream, Cesar bows to the Princess and excuses himself, leaving Diana in despair.
Diana sees Cesar approaching and determines to try again to in order to humble his pride. She explains that she has resolved to yield to her father, and give her hand to Prince Louis. For a moment Cesar stands petrified, but Perrin whispers not to believe in women's wiles. So he controls himself once more, congratulates her, wishing the same courtesy from the Princess, because, as he calmly adds, he has become betrothed to Donna Laura.
That is the last straw for Diana. Her reserve vanishes when her secret love for the hero, which she has not even admitted to herself, is in danger. She breaks down, and is found by her father, who enters, loudly acknowledging Don Louis as his son-in-law, and sanctioning Don Cesar's choice of Donna Laura. But Cesar begs to receive his bride from Diana's own hands, at which the latter rising slowly, asks her father, if he is still willing to leave to her alone the selection of a husband. Don Diego granting this, she answers: "Then I choose him who conquered pride through pride." "And who may this happy mortal be?" says Cesar. "You ask? It's you, my tyrant," she replies, and sinks into her lover’s arms.
released a recording made during a run of performances in May 2003 at the Kiel Opera House
, with Ulrich Windfuhr conducting the Kiel Philharmonic Orchestra.
(1947–1955) series Challenge of the Yukon
, which later migrated to the TV series (1955–1958) Sergeant Preston of the Yukon. It was used in the 1950s on the BBC's
Children's Hour
by Stephen King-Hall
for his talks on current affairs.
Comic opera
Comic opera denotes a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending.Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a new operatic genre, opera buffa, emerged as an alternative to opera seria...
in three acts by Emil von Reznicek
Emil von Reznicek
Emil Nikolaus Freiherr von Reznicek was an Austrian late Romantic composer of Czech ancestry.-Life:...
. The libretto, written by the composer, is based on a German translation by Carl August West (Joseph Schreyvogel) titled Donna Diana oder Stolz und Liebe of the Spanish comedy El desdén con el desdén by Agustín Moreto y Cavana
Agustín Moreto y Cavana
Agustín Moreto y Cavana , was a Spanish Catholic priest, dramatist and playwright.He was of Italian descent. His exact date of birth is unknown, but he was baptized at Madrid on 9 April 1618. He attended the University of Alcalá de Henares between 1634 and 1637, studying logic and physics and...
.
Performance history
It was first performed on 16 December 1894 at the Neues Deutsches Theater in PraguePrague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
. The opera was successful in its day, with productions in several German theatres, but currently is rarely performed; its overture, however, has often been recorded and is sometimes heard in the concert hall.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast 16 December 1894 (Conductor: Rudolf Krzyzanowski) |
|---|---|---|
| Don Diego, sovereign count of Barcelona | bass Bass (voice type) A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C... |
Moritz Frauscher |
| Donna Diana, hereditary princess, his daughter | soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody... |
Leonore Better |
| Donna Laura, his niece | soprano | Sarolta von Rettich-Pirk |
| Donna Fenisa, his niece | mezzo-soprano Mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above... |
Gisela von Ruttersheim |
| Don Cesar, prince of Urgel | tenor Tenor The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2... |
Gustav Seidel |
| Don Louis, prince of Bearne | tenor | Adolf Perluss |
| Don Gaston, count of Foix | bass | Georg Sieglitz |
| Perin, court jester | baritone Baritone Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or... |
Max Dawison |
| Floretta, foster sister and confidante of the princess | mezzo-soprano | Lina Carmasini |
| Three sounders of fanfares, a herald, knights, court servants, citizens, people | ||
Act 1
Don Cesar, Prince of Urgel is resting in Diego's Hall after having won the first prize in a tournament. He muses sadly on Donna Diana's coldness, which all his victories fail to overcome. Perrin the clown takes pity on him, and gives him the advice to return coldness for coldness. Don Cesar promises to try this, though it seems hard to hide his deep love. Floretta, Donna Diana's foster-sister enters to announce the result of the tournament. She flirts with Perrin, to whom she is attached, but he turns a cold shoulder to her and she departs in a rage, though he is head over heels in love with her.The next scene opens on a brilliant crowd, welcoming Count Sovereign of Barcelona and his daughter Donna Diana. The Count greets them graciously, and making sign to the three gallant Princes, Don Cesar of Urgel, Don Louis of Bearne and Gaston Count de Foie, they advance to receive their laurels on bended knee from the Princess, who crowns Cesar with a golden wreath, while the two other princes each win a silver prize. When the ceremony is over, Don Diego turns to his daughter, asking her to choose a husband and give an heir to the country, but Diana declares that love seems like poison to her, and marriage death. Gaston and Louis, nothing daunted, determine to try their luck, and while the father prays to God to soften his daughter's heart, Cesar's courage sinks ever lower. Donna Diana alone is cool and calm, inwardly resolved to keep her hand and heart free. She is envied by her two cousins Fenisa and Laura, who would gladly choose one of the gallant warriors. Perrin now advises the Princes to try their wit and gallantry on the Princess. Gaston begins to plead his cause, declaring, that he will not leave Barcelona without a bride and Louis follows his example; both are greatly admired and applauded by the assistants, but Diana finds their compliments ridiculous and their wit shallow. Cesar without a word retires to the background, and when asked by the Princess why he does not compete with his rivals, answers "Because I will not love, nor ever wish to be loved; I only woo you, to show you my regard." Greatly mortified, Diana resolves to punish his pride.
Act 2
A ball is going on in the Prince's gardens. Each of the ladies has a bunch of different coloured ribbons, and decides to get the man she loves for her own. Diana explains that each knight is to choose a colour, which entitles him to own the lady wearing that colour, as long as the masquerade lasts. Don Louis choosing green gets Donna Laura, Don Gaston wearing red is chosen by Fenisa; Perrin loudly asserting that, abhorring love he chooses the obscure colour black, wins Floretta, and Don Cesar choosing white, finds himself Donna Diana's champion. She takes his arm, and her beauty so arouses him, that forgetting himself, he confesses his love. Triumphant but mocking, she turns from him. In a bantering tone he asks her, if she really believed, that his entreaties were real?Furious at being so easily duped she bids him leave her, and when alone resolves to have revenge. She calls Perrin to fetch her cousins, and charges him to let Cesar know that he can hear her sing in the gardens. Adorned with beautiful garments and surrounded by her attendants, she plays and sings sweetly as soon as she hears Don Cesar's steps. But he wanders in the grounds, admiring the plants, to all appearance deaf to beauty and song. Impatiently Diana signals to Floretta to let Cesar know, that he is in the presence of his Princess, at which, as awaking from a dream, Cesar bows to the Princess and excuses himself, leaving Diana in despair.
Act 3
Perrin gives vent to his feelings of love for Floretta, and about the Princess, whose state of mind he guesses. He is delighted to see his scheme successful, and sings a merry air, overheard by Diana. Offstage Don Louis is heard, serenading Donna Laura, while Don Gaston sings Fenisa's praise, so that poor Diana is surrounded by loving couples, who shamelessly carry on their courting before her very eyes, and then retire casting mischievous glances at their disgusted mistress.Diana sees Cesar approaching and determines to try again to in order to humble his pride. She explains that she has resolved to yield to her father, and give her hand to Prince Louis. For a moment Cesar stands petrified, but Perrin whispers not to believe in women's wiles. So he controls himself once more, congratulates her, wishing the same courtesy from the Princess, because, as he calmly adds, he has become betrothed to Donna Laura.
That is the last straw for Diana. Her reserve vanishes when her secret love for the hero, which she has not even admitted to herself, is in danger. She breaks down, and is found by her father, who enters, loudly acknowledging Don Louis as his son-in-law, and sanctioning Don Cesar's choice of Donna Laura. But Cesar begs to receive his bride from Diana's own hands, at which the latter rising slowly, asks her father, if he is still willing to leave to her alone the selection of a husband. Don Diego granting this, she answers: "Then I choose him who conquered pride through pride." "And who may this happy mortal be?" says Cesar. "You ask? It's you, my tyrant," she replies, and sinks into her lover’s arms.
Recordings
In 2004 cpoClassic Produktion Osnabrück
Classic Produktion Osnabrück is a record label founded in 1986 by Georg Ortmann and several others. Its declared mission is to fill niches in the recorded classical repertory, with an emphasis on romantic, late romantic and 20th-century music...
released a recording made during a run of performances in May 2003 at the Kiel Opera House
Kiel Opera House
The Peabody Opera House is a civic performing arts building in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded as the Kiel Opera House, it opened it 1934 and operated until 1991, when it and the adjacent Kiel Auditorium were closed so the auditorium could be demolished and replaced by the Scottrade Center...
, with Ulrich Windfuhr conducting the Kiel Philharmonic Orchestra.
Trivia
The overture served as the theme for the American radioOld-time radio
Old-Time Radio and the Golden Age of Radio refer to a period of radio programming in the United States lasting from the proliferation of radio broadcasting in the early 1920s until television's replacement of radio as the primary home entertainment medium in the 1950s...
(1947–1955) series Challenge of the Yukon
Challenge of the Yukon
Challenge of the Yukon was a radio series that began on Detroit's station WXYZ , and an example of a Northern genre story. The series was first heard on February 3, 1938...
, which later migrated to the TV series (1955–1958) Sergeant Preston of the Yukon. It was used in the 1950s on the BBC's
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Children's Hour
Children's Hour
Children's Hour—at first: "The Children's Hour", from a verse by Longfellow—was the name of the BBC's principal recreational service for children during the period when radio dominated broadcasting....
by Stephen King-Hall
Stephen King-Hall
Sir William Stephen Richard King-Hall, Baron King-Hall of Headley was a British naval officer, writer, politician and playwright. -Life:...
for his talks on current affairs.
Sources
- Leonard, James, [ Donna Diana, opera], Allmusic Guide.
- Synopsis adapted from: Annesley, Charles. The standard opera glass : containing the detailed plots of one hundred and thirty celebrated operas. Sampson Low, Marston, London, Lemcke & Buechner, New York, 1901.