Feramors
Encyclopedia
Feramors is an opera
in two acts by Anton Rubinstein
to a libretto
by Julius Rodenberg
. The story is based on Lalla Rookh by the Irish
poet Thomas Moore
. The opera was composed in 1862.
in Dresden
on 24 February 1863, and had subsequent stagings in Vienna
(1872), Milan
(1874), Berlin
(1879), and Danzig (1880). Its first production in Russia
was an amateur performance in St. Petersburg in 1884. The first professional production there was on 18 August 1898 at the Mariinsky Theatre
, conducted by Felix Blumenfeld
.
The reason for its late appearance on the Russian stage was competition from an opéra-comique
on the same subject by Félicien David. Peter Tchaikovsky, who heard the opera at the Berlin 1879 staging, liked the opera and wrote to Nadezhda von Meck
that ‘it comes from the period in which Rubinstein did all his best work, that is 20 years ago’.
s', both written in the composer's style of exotic orientalism.
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
in two acts by Anton Rubinstein
Anton Rubinstein
Anton Grigorevich Rubinstein was a Russian-Jewish pianist, composer and conductor. As a pianist he was regarded as a rival of Franz Liszt, and he ranks amongst the great keyboard virtuosos...
to a libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
by Julius Rodenberg
Julius Rodenberg
Julius Rodenberg was a German Jewish poet and author.He studied law at the universities of Heidelberg, Göttingen, Berlin, and Marburg, but soon abandoned jurisprudence for literature. In 1851 his first poem, "Dornröschen", appeared in Bremen. This poem was soon followed by many others...
. The story is based on Lalla Rookh by the Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
poet Thomas Moore
Thomas Moore
Thomas Moore was an Irish poet, singer, songwriter, and entertainer, now best remembered for the lyrics of The Minstrel Boy and The Last Rose of Summer. He was responsible, with John Murray, for burning Lord Byron's memoirs after his death...
. The opera was composed in 1862.
Performance history
The opera was premiered at the SemperoperSemperoper
The Semperoper is the opera house of the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden and the concert hall of the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden . It is located near the Elbe River in the historic center of Dresden, Germany.The opera house was originally built by the architect Gottfried Semper in 1841...
in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
on 24 February 1863, and had subsequent stagings in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
(1872), Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
(1874), Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
(1879), and Danzig (1880). Its first production in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
was an amateur performance in St. Petersburg in 1884. The first professional production there was on 18 August 1898 at the Mariinsky Theatre
Mariinsky Theatre
The Mariinsky Theatre is a historic theatre of opera and ballet in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Opened in 1860, it became the preeminent music theatre of late 19th century Russia, where many of the stage masterpieces of Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov received their premieres. The...
, conducted by Felix Blumenfeld
Felix Blumenfeld
Felix Mikhailovich Blumenfeld was a Russian composer, conductor, pianist and teacher.He was born in Kovalevka, Kherson Governorate, Russian Empire , the son of Austrian Mikhail Frantsevich Blumenfeld and the Polish Marie Szymanowska, and studied composition at the St...
.
The reason for its late appearance on the Russian stage was competition from an opéra-comique
Opéra-Comique
The Opéra-Comique is a Parisian opera company, which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with, and for a time took the name of its chief rival the Comédie-Italienne at the Hôtel de Bourgogne, and was also called the...
on the same subject by Félicien David. Peter Tchaikovsky, who heard the opera at the Berlin 1879 staging, liked the opera and wrote to Nadezhda von Meck
Nadezhda von Meck
Nadezhda Filaretovna von Meck was a Russian businesswoman, who is best known today for her artistic relationship with Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. She supported him financially for 13 years, enabling him to devote himself full-time to composition, but she stipulated that they were never to meet. ...
that ‘it comes from the period in which Rubinstein did all his best work, that is 20 years ago’.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast 24 February 1863 (Conductor: ) |
|---|---|---|
| Lalla Roukh, princess of Hindustan Hindustan Hindustan or Indostan, literal translation "Land of River Sindhu ", is one of the popular names of South Asia. It can also mean "the land of the Hindus"... |
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... |
|
| Hafisa, her friend | contralto Contralto Contralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above... |
|
| Feramors, a minstrel | 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... |
|
| Fadladin, ruler (Grossvezier) of Hindustan | 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... |
|
| Chosru, ambassador of the king of Bokhara | 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... |
|
| A muezzin Muezzin A muezzin , or muzim, is the chosen person at a mosque who leads the call to prayer at Friday services and the five daily times for prayer from one of the mosque's minarets; in most modern mosques, electronic amplification aids the muezzin in his task.The professional muezzin is chosen for his... |
tenor | |
| A messenger | tenor |
Synopsis
Lalla, the princess of Hindustan, is engaged to marry the King of Bokhara, but falls in love with the minstrel Feramors, who turns out to be the King in disguise.Recordings
There are a number of recordings of the ballet music from the opera, which includes a 'Torch Dance' and a 'Dance of BayadereBayadere
Bayadere may refer to:* Die Bajadere, an operetta by Emmerich Kalman* Die Bajadere, a polka by Johann Strauss II* La Bayadère, by Master Marius Petipa to the music of Ludwig Minkus...
s', both written in the composer's style of exotic orientalism.
Sources
- Richard Taruskin,Feramors Oxford Music Online (subscribers only). Consulted online 17 April 2010