Ivan IV (opera)
Encyclopedia
Ivan IV is an opera in five acts by Georges Bizet
, with a libretto
by Francois-Hippolyte Leroy and Henri Trianon
.
was offered to Charles Gounod
in January 1856 by the general administrator of the Paris Opera
, François Louis Crosnier. Gounod worked with enthusiasm and press announcements anticipated that rehearsals would begin that November. Although Gounod completed the work in 1857 or 1858, failure to have it performed at the Paris Opera led Gounod to use parts of the score in later works; the Soldiers’ Chorus in Faust
came from Ivan the Terrible. Gounod's score was auctioned in 1963 and destroyed shortly after.
Around 1862, with Gounod's encouragement, Bizet began work on the same libretto. In June 1865 the journal La France Musicale announced that the piece would appear at the Théâtre Lyrique
that winter. Delays in getting the piece accepted prompted Bizet to offer the score to the Paris Opera, but he had no reply. The following summer, at the bidding of Léon Carvalho, director of the Théâtre Lyrique, Bizet started work on La jolie fille de Perth
, and Ivan IV was forgotten.
Winton Dean floats a possible alternative chronology by suggesting that the surviving manuscript is an earlier abandoned version of Ivan, forgotten by the composer, not that which was being copied for performance in the autumn of 1865. This theory would mean that Bizet composed Ivan the Terrible in late 1862 and early 1863 for performance at the Baden
festival in 1863 (which he had visited with Hector Berlioz
, Gounod and Ernest Reyer
). Dean also argues for Ivan pre-dating Les pêcheurs de perles
on the basis of the more conspicuous weak passages in the score bearing witness to a less experienced stage composer; also several passages in Ivan are developed further in the 1863 work.
A manuscript score was found among the papers of Émile Straus (whom Bizet's widow had married) when he died in 1929, given to the Bibliothèque nationale
, and put on public display at the Bizet Centennial Exhibition in 1938. A first concert performance with piano accompaniment may have taken place in 1940, and another in the winter of 1943 at the Théâtre des Capucins. When Choudens asserted their right to publish to score in 1943, Henri Büsser
took over its preparation and, instead of following the almost complete manuscript, concocted his own 'performing version'.
, it was performed at the Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux
on 12 October 1951, the work then having performances in Cologne
in April 1952, and Berne
, Switzerland
in December 1952. In the 1970s Howard Williams prepared a more faithful edition; the opera was broadcast by the BBC in October 1975, with Bryden Thomson
conducting a mainly UK-based cast; this was issued on pirate records, but a subsequent French radio performance of March 2002 conducted by Michael Schønwandt
was issued by Naïve.
The libretto is typical of the Eugène Scribe
school, dealing with the manipulation of often improbable stock dramatic situations, rather than musical characterisation. The strongest musical influences are Meyerbeer
, Gounod and Verdi
.
Women are collecting water from a spring; a stranger who has lost his way asks for help. Marie, daughter of Temrouk offers to show him the path. A second stranger, Ivan in disguise, enters and leaves with the young stranger. Russian soldiers burst in and order Temrouk to surrender his daughter to them. The king refuses, but when an officer threatens to murder the children, Marie goes with them. Igor arrives as the Circassians lament their fate, and he vows to kill the enemy. Temrouk orders that the avenger must be chosen by lot; it is Igor.
Boyars celebrating the victory of Ivan over the Tartars. Condemned criminals pass by begging for mercy but in vain. Ivan congratulates Yorloff, who had uncovered the conspiracy, and commands the young Bulgarian to sing of his homeland. The tsar responds with a battle song. Ivan had sought the most beautiful girl in the land to be his wife. Yorloff is confident that his own daughter will be chosen, and a group of maidens enter the hall. Ivan commands them to remove their veils, but Marie refuses. Although she is forced to do this, she refuses to become his wife. Ivan’s sister Olga passes through in a religious procession and Marie puts herself under her protection.
People sing praises on the marriage of Ivan and Marie. The cortege approaches and Igor steals on. Temrouk also enters at this moment. Yorloff reveals to Igor that he too has a grievance against Ivan and the three of them prepare to assassinate Ivan that night.
Marie muses on her fate – she has fallen in love with Ivan. Ivan enters to lead her to the nuptial boat on the Volga. Yorloff tells the tsar that he will watch out for assassins, and when Ivan has left admits Igor. When Marie enters, brother and sister embrace and is horrified when Igor tells her he has come to kill the tsar. Igor is about to stab her when Marie reminds him that their mother had placed her under the protection of her brother. He forgives his sister and embraces her. Ivan and Yorloff enter and the latter denounces Igor. Ivan, heartbroken by Marie’s supposed treachery hesitates to condemn her. An officer enters to announce that the Kremlin is on fire and enemies are attacking the gates. Ivan condemns Igor and Marie then collapses.
Temrouk is agonised by events: his children have been condemned to death. Ivan has regained his senses and enters, and when the bell announcing death of a tsar tolls, they both rush off to the palace.
Scene 2 – a hall in the Kremlin
Yorloff proclaims himself regent, as the tsar had lost his reason. The courtiers call for the death of Igor and Marie. Ivan bursts in and reveals Yorloff’s plots and condemns him to die. Courtiers sing praises to Ivan and Marie.
Georges Bizet
Georges Bizet formally Alexandre César Léopold Bizet, was a French composer, mainly of operas. In a career cut short by his early death, he achieved few successes before his final work, Carmen, became one of the most popular and frequently performed works in the entire opera repertory.During a...
, with 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 Francois-Hippolyte Leroy and Henri Trianon
Henri Trianon
Henri Trianon was a French critic, translator and librettist.He was an artistic and literary critic in Paris also becoming a teacher. In 1842 he became under-librarian of Sainte Geneviève, and librarian there in 1849...
.
Composition history
A libretto on the subject of Ivan the TerribleIvan IV of Russia
Ivan IV Vasilyevich , known in English as Ivan the Terrible , was Grand Prince of Moscow from 1533 until his death. His long reign saw the conquest of the Khanates of Kazan, Astrakhan, and Siberia, transforming Russia into a multiethnic and multiconfessional state spanning almost one billion acres,...
was offered to Charles Gounod
Charles Gounod
Charles-François Gounod was a French composer, known for his Ave Maria as well as his operas Faust and Roméo et Juliette.-Biography:...
in January 1856 by the general administrator of the Paris Opera
Paris Opera
The Paris Opera is the primary opera company of Paris, France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the Académie d'Opéra and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and renamed the Académie Royale de Musique...
, François Louis Crosnier. Gounod worked with enthusiasm and press announcements anticipated that rehearsals would begin that November. Although Gounod completed the work in 1857 or 1858, failure to have it performed at the Paris Opera led Gounod to use parts of the score in later works; the Soldiers’ Chorus in Faust
Faust (opera)
Faust is a drame lyrique in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré from Carré's play Faust et Marguerite, in turn loosely based on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust, Part 1...
came from Ivan the Terrible. Gounod's score was auctioned in 1963 and destroyed shortly after.
Around 1862, with Gounod's encouragement, Bizet began work on the same libretto. In June 1865 the journal La France Musicale announced that the piece would appear at the Théâtre Lyrique
Théâtre Lyrique
The Théâtre Lyrique was one of four opera companies performing in Paris during the middle of the 19th century . The company was founded in 1847 as the Opéra-National by the French composer Adolphe Adam and renamed Théâtre Lyrique in 1852...
that winter. Delays in getting the piece accepted prompted Bizet to offer the score to the Paris Opera, but he had no reply. The following summer, at the bidding of Léon Carvalho, director of the Théâtre Lyrique, Bizet started work on La jolie fille de Perth
La jolie fille de Perth
La jolie fille de Perth is an opera in four acts by Georges Bizet , from a libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Jules Adenis, after the novel by Sir Walter Scott...
, and Ivan IV was forgotten.
Winton Dean floats a possible alternative chronology by suggesting that the surviving manuscript is an earlier abandoned version of Ivan, forgotten by the composer, not that which was being copied for performance in the autumn of 1865. This theory would mean that Bizet composed Ivan the Terrible in late 1862 and early 1863 for performance at the Baden
Baden
Baden is a historical state on the east bank of the Rhine in the southwest of Germany, now the western part of the Baden-Württemberg of Germany....
festival in 1863 (which he had visited with Hector Berlioz
Hector Berlioz
Hector Berlioz was a French Romantic composer, best known for his compositions Symphonie fantastique and Grande messe des morts . Berlioz made significant contributions to the modern orchestra with his Treatise on Instrumentation. He specified huge orchestral forces for some of his works; as a...
, Gounod and Ernest Reyer
Ernest Reyer
Ernest Reyer, the adopted name of Louis Étienne Ernest Rey, was a French opera composer and music critic .- Biography :...
). Dean also argues for Ivan pre-dating Les pêcheurs de perles
Les pêcheurs de perles
Les pêcheurs de perles is an opera in three acts by the French composer Georges Bizet, to a libretto by Eugène Cormon and Michel Carré. It was first performed on 30 September 1863 at the Théâtre Lyrique in Paris, and was given 18 performances in its initial run...
on the basis of the more conspicuous weak passages in the score bearing witness to a less experienced stage composer; also several passages in Ivan are developed further in the 1863 work.
A manuscript score was found among the papers of Émile Straus (whom Bizet's widow had married) when he died in 1929, given to the Bibliothèque nationale
Bibliothèque nationale de France
The is the National Library of France, located in Paris. It is intended to be the repository of all that is published in France. The current president of the library is Bruno Racine.-History:...
, and put on public display at the Bizet Centennial Exhibition in 1938. A first concert performance with piano accompaniment may have taken place in 1940, and another in the winter of 1943 at the Théâtre des Capucins. When Choudens asserted their right to publish to score in 1943, Henri Büsser
Henri Büsser
Henri Büsser was a French classical composer, organist, and conductor.- Biography :Paul-Henri Büsser was born in Toulouse, of partly Teutonic ancestry. He entered the Conservatoire in Paris in 1889; there he studied organ with César Franck and composition with Ernest Guiraud...
took over its preparation and, instead of following the almost complete manuscript, concocted his own 'performing version'.
Performance History
Following a private performance of this revised score, at Mühringen Castle near TübingenTübingen
Tübingen is a traditional university town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, on a ridge between the Neckar and Ammer rivers.-Geography:...
, it was performed at the Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux
Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux
Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux, is a Theatre in Bordeaux, France, first inaugurated on 17 April 1780. It was in this theatre that the ballet La Fille Mal Gardée premiered in 1789, and where a young Marius Petipa staged some of his first ballets....
on 12 October 1951, the work then having performances in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
in April 1952, and Berne
Berne
The city of Bern or Berne is the Bundesstadt of Switzerland, and, with a population of , the fourth most populous city in Switzerland. The Bern agglomeration, which includes 43 municipalities, has a population of 349,000. The metropolitan area had a population of 660,000 in 2000...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
in December 1952. In the 1970s Howard Williams prepared a more faithful edition; the opera was broadcast by the BBC in October 1975, with Bryden Thomson
Bryden Thomson
Bryden Thomson was a Scottish conductor.Bryden Thomson was born in Ayr. He led several British orchestras, including the BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Welsh Symphony Orchestra and the Ulster Orchestra from 1977 to 1985...
conducting a mainly UK-based cast; this was issued on pirate records, but a subsequent French radio performance of March 2002 conducted by Michael Schønwandt
Michael Schønwandt
Michael Schønwandt is a Danish conductor. In Denmark, he studied piano, theory, and composition, and later continued musical studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London....
was issued by Naïve.
The libretto is typical of the Eugène Scribe
Eugène Scribe
Augustin Eugène Scribe , was a French dramatist and librettist. He is best known for the perfection of the so-called "well-made play" . This dramatic formula was a mainstay of popular theater for over 100 years.-Biography:...
school, dealing with the manipulation of often improbable stock dramatic situations, rather than musical characterisation. The strongest musical influences are Meyerbeer
Giacomo Meyerbeer
Giacomo Meyerbeer was a noted German opera composer, and the first great exponent of "grand opera." At his peak in the 1830s and 1840s, he was the most famous and successful composer of opera in Europe, yet he is rarely performed today.-Early years:He was born to a Jewish family in Tasdorf , near...
, Gounod and Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Cast, 12 October 1951 (Conductor: Adolphe Lebot) |
|---|---|---|
| Ivan IV, Tsar of Russia | bass | Pierre Nougaro |
| Marie, daughter of Temrouk | 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... |
Georgette Camart |
| Igor, brother of Marie | 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... |
Miro Skala |
| Temrouk, Prince of Circassia Circassia Circassia was an independent mountainous country located in the Caucasus region of Eurasia and was the largest and most important country in the Caucasus. Circassia was located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea... |
bass | Michel Taverne |
| Yorloff, a boyar | bass-baritone Bass-baritone A bass-baritone is a high-lying bass or low-lying "classical" baritone voice type which shares certain qualities with the true baritone voice. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing three Wagnerian roles: the Dutchman in Der fliegende... |
Charles Soix |
| A young Bulgarian | 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... |
René Coulon |
| Olga, sister of Ivan | soprano | Marthe Couste |
| A Russian officer | tenor | Paul Grosjean |
| A Circassian | bass | Raymond Romanin |
Act 1
In the CaucasusCaucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
Women are collecting water from a spring; a stranger who has lost his way asks for help. Marie, daughter of Temrouk offers to show him the path. A second stranger, Ivan in disguise, enters and leaves with the young stranger. Russian soldiers burst in and order Temrouk to surrender his daughter to them. The king refuses, but when an officer threatens to murder the children, Marie goes with them. Igor arrives as the Circassians lament their fate, and he vows to kill the enemy. Temrouk orders that the avenger must be chosen by lot; it is Igor.
Act 2
A banquet in the KremlinMoscow Kremlin
The Moscow Kremlin , sometimes referred to as simply The Kremlin, is a historic fortified complex at the heart of Moscow, overlooking the Moskva River , Saint Basil's Cathedral and Red Square and the Alexander Garden...
Boyars celebrating the victory of Ivan over the Tartars. Condemned criminals pass by begging for mercy but in vain. Ivan congratulates Yorloff, who had uncovered the conspiracy, and commands the young Bulgarian to sing of his homeland. The tsar responds with a battle song. Ivan had sought the most beautiful girl in the land to be his wife. Yorloff is confident that his own daughter will be chosen, and a group of maidens enter the hall. Ivan commands them to remove their veils, but Marie refuses. Although she is forced to do this, she refuses to become his wife. Ivan’s sister Olga passes through in a religious procession and Marie puts herself under her protection.
Act 3
Kremlin courtyardPeople sing praises on the marriage of Ivan and Marie. The cortege approaches and Igor steals on. Temrouk also enters at this moment. Yorloff reveals to Igor that he too has a grievance against Ivan and the three of them prepare to assassinate Ivan that night.
Act 4
A room outside the nuptial chamberMarie muses on her fate – she has fallen in love with Ivan. Ivan enters to lead her to the nuptial boat on the Volga. Yorloff tells the tsar that he will watch out for assassins, and when Ivan has left admits Igor. When Marie enters, brother and sister embrace and is horrified when Igor tells her he has come to kill the tsar. Igor is about to stab her when Marie reminds him that their mother had placed her under the protection of her brother. He forgives his sister and embraces her. Ivan and Yorloff enter and the latter denounces Igor. Ivan, heartbroken by Marie’s supposed treachery hesitates to condemn her. An officer enters to announce that the Kremlin is on fire and enemies are attacking the gates. Ivan condemns Igor and Marie then collapses.
Act 5
Scene 1 – the walls of the KremlinTemrouk is agonised by events: his children have been condemned to death. Ivan has regained his senses and enters, and when the bell announcing death of a tsar tolls, they both rush off to the palace.
Scene 2 – a hall in the Kremlin
Yorloff proclaims himself regent, as the tsar had lost his reason. The courtiers call for the death of Igor and Marie. Ivan bursts in and reveals Yorloff’s plots and condemns him to die. Courtiers sing praises to Ivan and Marie.
Borrowings
Bizet re-used some music from earlier pieces and also in later works:- Act 1. Duet for Young Bulgarian and Marie - used as the second part of the prelude to La jolie fille de Perth
- Act 1. Temrouk "Ah! Laisse-moi ma fille" - used in Bizet's completion of Fromental HalévyFromental HalévyJacques-François-Fromental-Élie Halévy, usually known as Fromental Halévy , was a French composer. He is known today largely for his opera La Juive.-Early career:...
's opera NoéNoé (opera)Noé was the last opera of the composer Fromental Halévy.The opera's libretto is by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges, who had written the book for the composer's first opera to reach performance, L'artisan... - Act 2. Young Bulgarian "Ouvre ton coeur" is taken from Vasco da Gama
- Act 4. Duet for Marie and Igor - Noé
- Act 5, Scene 1. Duet for sentry and officer - Jeux d'enfantsJeux d'enfants (Bizet)Jeux d'enfants Op. 22, is a set of twelve miniatures composed by Georges Bizet for piano duet in 1871. The entire piece has a duration of about 23 minutes...
: Trompette et Tambour.
Recordings
- 1957 (excerpts) – Michel Roux, Janine Micheau, Henri Legay, Louis Noguera; French Radio National Chorus, French National Radio Orchestra, conductor Georges TzipineGeorges TzipineGeorges Samuel Tzipine was a French violinist, conductor and composer. He was of Russian origin.He was trained as a violinist at the National Conservatory of Music in Paris, winning a first prize in 1926, but moved to conducting in 1931 after support from Reynaldo Hahn...
- 2002 (complete) - Ludovic Tézier, Inva MulaInva MulaInva Mula is an Albanian opera soprano and actress. She began her soprano career at a very early age. Her father and mother were also opera singers. -Life and Career:...
, Julian GavinJulian GavinJulian Gavin is an Australian-born operatic tenor who has sung leading roles both in the United Kingdom and internationally. His full-length opera recordings include Don José in Carmen and the title roles in Ernani and Don Carlos for Chandos Records.-Biography:Julian Gavin was born in Melbourne to...
, Paul Gay; Chorus and Orchestre National de France, conductor Michael SchønwandtMichael SchønwandtMichael Schønwandt is a Danish conductor. In Denmark, he studied piano, theory, and composition, and later continued musical studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London....