Kuningas Lear
Encyclopedia
Kuningas Lear is an opera
in three acts by Aulis Sallinen
, with a libretto
by the composer, based on the play
by William Shakespeare
and premiered in 2000; it was Sallinen’s sixth opera.
on 15 September 2000 at the Finnish National Opera House.
Sallinen has spoken of the major thought that went into recreating the dramaturgy of the piece, shortening sections and deleting characters from the cast. His aim was in general to remove as much as possible of the narrative elements and mainly concentrate on the "very strong poetical scenes". He also insisted that the work requires "big singing".
Sallinen was also particularly inspired by knowing the cast from the start, especially leading Finnish singers Matti Salminen and Jorma Hynninen. However one problem was the chorus, as in Shakespeare there are no lines for a chorus. The composer therefore used groups of singers for messengers and knights and an off-stage wordless chorus. Although the work follows closely the story of Shakespeare, the role of Kent does not appear.
The work was well-received at its first production in Helsinki.
The aged King Lear decides to divide his realm between his three daughters Goneril, Regan and Cordelia. He asks each them to say which of them loves him the most so as to give her the best portion. Goneril and Regan claim unbounded love for their father, but Cornelia, the youngest and favourite of her father, says that she cannot express her love, and anyway she will give half of it to her future husband. Lear, furious with the answer, repels Cordelia, and when the King of France arrives to propose marriage to Cordelia, he takes her despite her having been disinherited. Goneril and Regan are disturbed by their father's outburst and his folly in having a large retinue of knights and squires.
Scene 2 - Gloucester's castle
Edmund, bastard son of the Earl of Gloucester, determines to win the inheritance of Gloucester’s older son and legal heir Edgar. Edmund tricks the Earl into reading a forged letter in which Edgar is named in a conspiracy to murder the Earl. Gloucester, disbelieving, asks that Edmund learn more. Edmund however warns Edgar that his father is furious and urges Edgar to run away. Edmund next wounds himself, goes to Gloucester and says that Edgar injured him because he refused to kill his father. An order to capture Edgar, who has already fled, is made by Gloucester.
Scene 3 - a forest
Edgar has hidden in a tree-trunk to elude his pursuers; he now disguises himself as a beggar ‘Poor Tom’ to avoid capture.
Scene 4 - Cornwall's castle
Lear and his followers are aware of a coldness to them by Regan and her household. Regan eventually condemns the taunting of Lear’s Fool and the noise of Lear's knights and ask the king to cut back his retinue. Lear curses Regan; Goneril supports her sister, and they both finally insist that the King get rid of all his followers. Lear curses them both and rushes out into a storm.
At his castle, Gloucester, still loyal to the King, is bullied. He has received a secret message about the French army’s plans of attack. He passes the message to Edmund as he dares not hold on to it. Edmund thus sees his chance to get rid of his father and gives the Duke of Cornwall the letter.
Scene 6 - Forest
King Lear’s mind is failing and he wanders with the Fool in a forest. Edgar, still as the beggar Poor Tom joins them as Lear passes judgement over his daughters.
Scene 7 - Albany's castle
A secret affair is being carried on by Goneril and Edmund. She accuses the Duke of Albany, her husband, of lack of resolution against the French. Five knights report the Duke of Cornwall’s death, killed by his own servant after he and Regan had destroyed Gloucester’s eyes, as they considered him a traitor. Goneril is stricken by the situation with Regan a widow and Edmund with her.
Scene 8 - Forest
Gloucester has been blinded by Cornwall and Regan, and walks along a road where he encounters Edgar, still as Poor Tom. Gloucester cannot recognize his own son, and asks Poor Tom to take him to the edge of Dover cliffs; when there he will need no more help.
Lear appears, and the two men meet for the final time. Lear's knights enter to escort the king to Cordelia.
Scene 9 - a British army camp near Dover
The British and French are poised for battle while Goneril and Regan dispute over Edmund. He, however, is wondering which of them would aid him. Re-reading Goneril's letter he sees a plot to dispose of Albany when after a successful battle. The British are victors in battle.
Scene 10 - British Camp
Lear and Cordelia have been taken prisoner. They are brought in and become reconciled to a happy future in prison. A furious row between Goneril and Regan ends with the latter going off ill.
A knight arrives; he challenges Edmund to a duel taunting him as a traitor. Edmund loses and the knight reveals himself as Edgar. The brothers try to reconcile themselves, but Goneril takes Edmund’s side, saying that he was betrayed. Albany then reads the letter that Edmund just passed to him, showing his wife's treachery. Goneril goes. Edgar announces that Gloucester is dead; knights come in to report that Goneril has killed herself after confessing to giving Regan poison.
Edmund then orders men to go quickly to the castle to kill the King and Cordelia. But the King now enters carrying the corpse of Cordelia. He dies by her, a broken man.
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 three acts by Aulis Sallinen
Aulis Sallinen
Aulis Sallinen is a Finnish contemporary classical music composer. He writes in a modern, though tonal and not experimental music style. He studied at the Sibelius Academy, where his teachers included Joonas Kokkonen...
, 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 the composer, based on the play
King Lear
King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological...
by William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
and premiered in 2000; it was Sallinen’s sixth opera.
Background
Kuningas Lear was commissioned by and first performed by Finnish National OperaFinnish National Opera
The Finnish National Opera in Helsinki is the leading opera company in Finland. Its home base is the Opera House on Töölönlahti bay in Töölö which opened in 1993, and is state-owned through Senate Properties...
on 15 September 2000 at the Finnish National Opera House.
Sallinen has spoken of the major thought that went into recreating the dramaturgy of the piece, shortening sections and deleting characters from the cast. His aim was in general to remove as much as possible of the narrative elements and mainly concentrate on the "very strong poetical scenes". He also insisted that the work requires "big singing".
Sallinen was also particularly inspired by knowing the cast from the start, especially leading Finnish singers Matti Salminen and Jorma Hynninen. However one problem was the chorus, as in Shakespeare there are no lines for a chorus. The composer therefore used groups of singers for messengers and knights and an off-stage wordless chorus. Although the work follows closely the story of Shakespeare, the role of Kent does not appear.
The work was well-received at its first production in Helsinki.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 15 September 2000 (Conductor: Okko Kamu Okko Kamu Okko Kamu is a Finnish orchestral conductor.Kamu was born into a family of musicians. His father played double bass in the Helsinki Philharmonic. He began violin studies at age two and entered the Sibelius Academy at age six. He formed his own string quartet, the Suhonen, in 1964 where he played... ) |
|---|---|---|
| King Lear | 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... |
Matti Salminen Matti Salminen Matti Salminen is a Finnish operatic bass singer, who has sung at all of the most important opera houses of the world, including the Metropolitan and Bayreuth Festival.... |
| Cordelia | 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... |
Lilli Paasikivi Lilli Paasikivi The Finnish mezzo-soprano Lilli Paasikivi is principal soloist of the Finnish National Opera.Her roles have included Marguerite and Octavian . She has also performed as Fricka in Das Rheingold with the Berlin Philharmonic under Sir Simon Rattle... |
| Gloucester | 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... |
Jorma Hynninen Jorma Hynninen Jorma Kalervo Hynninen is a Finnish baritone who performs regularly with the world's major opera companies. He has also worked in opera administration.... |
| Edmund | 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... |
Jorma Silvasti |
| Goneril | 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... |
Taina Piira |
| Regan | soprano | Kirsi Tiihonen |
| Edgar | baritone | Sauli Tilikainen |
| King of France | bass-baritone | Hannu Forsberg |
| Duke of Albany | baritone | Petri Lindroos |
| Cornwall | tenor | Kai Pitkänen |
| Fool | tenor | Aki Alamikkotervo |
| Knights, messengers, off-stage voices | ||
Act I
Scene 1The aged King Lear decides to divide his realm between his three daughters Goneril, Regan and Cordelia. He asks each them to say which of them loves him the most so as to give her the best portion. Goneril and Regan claim unbounded love for their father, but Cornelia, the youngest and favourite of her father, says that she cannot express her love, and anyway she will give half of it to her future husband. Lear, furious with the answer, repels Cordelia, and when the King of France arrives to propose marriage to Cordelia, he takes her despite her having been disinherited. Goneril and Regan are disturbed by their father's outburst and his folly in having a large retinue of knights and squires.
Scene 2 - Gloucester's castle
Edmund, bastard son of the Earl of Gloucester, determines to win the inheritance of Gloucester’s older son and legal heir Edgar. Edmund tricks the Earl into reading a forged letter in which Edgar is named in a conspiracy to murder the Earl. Gloucester, disbelieving, asks that Edmund learn more. Edmund however warns Edgar that his father is furious and urges Edgar to run away. Edmund next wounds himself, goes to Gloucester and says that Edgar injured him because he refused to kill his father. An order to capture Edgar, who has already fled, is made by Gloucester.
Scene 3 - a forest
Edgar has hidden in a tree-trunk to elude his pursuers; he now disguises himself as a beggar ‘Poor Tom’ to avoid capture.
Scene 4 - Cornwall's castle
Lear and his followers are aware of a coldness to them by Regan and her household. Regan eventually condemns the taunting of Lear’s Fool and the noise of Lear's knights and ask the king to cut back his retinue. Lear curses Regan; Goneril supports her sister, and they both finally insist that the King get rid of all his followers. Lear curses them both and rushes out into a storm.
Act II
Scene 5 - Gloucester's castleAt his castle, Gloucester, still loyal to the King, is bullied. He has received a secret message about the French army’s plans of attack. He passes the message to Edmund as he dares not hold on to it. Edmund thus sees his chance to get rid of his father and gives the Duke of Cornwall the letter.
Scene 6 - Forest
King Lear’s mind is failing and he wanders with the Fool in a forest. Edgar, still as the beggar Poor Tom joins them as Lear passes judgement over his daughters.
Scene 7 - Albany's castle
A secret affair is being carried on by Goneril and Edmund. She accuses the Duke of Albany, her husband, of lack of resolution against the French. Five knights report the Duke of Cornwall’s death, killed by his own servant after he and Regan had destroyed Gloucester’s eyes, as they considered him a traitor. Goneril is stricken by the situation with Regan a widow and Edmund with her.
Scene 8 - Forest
Gloucester has been blinded by Cornwall and Regan, and walks along a road where he encounters Edgar, still as Poor Tom. Gloucester cannot recognize his own son, and asks Poor Tom to take him to the edge of Dover cliffs; when there he will need no more help.
Lear appears, and the two men meet for the final time. Lear's knights enter to escort the king to Cordelia.
Scene 9 - a British army camp near Dover
The British and French are poised for battle while Goneril and Regan dispute over Edmund. He, however, is wondering which of them would aid him. Re-reading Goneril's letter he sees a plot to dispose of Albany when after a successful battle. The British are victors in battle.
Scene 10 - British Camp
Lear and Cordelia have been taken prisoner. They are brought in and become reconciled to a happy future in prison. A furious row between Goneril and Regan ends with the latter going off ill.
A knight arrives; he challenges Edmund to a duel taunting him as a traitor. Edmund loses and the knight reveals himself as Edgar. The brothers try to reconcile themselves, but Goneril takes Edmund’s side, saying that he was betrayed. Albany then reads the letter that Edmund just passed to him, showing his wife's treachery. Goneril goes. Edgar announces that Gloucester is dead; knights come in to report that Goneril has killed herself after confessing to giving Regan poison.
Edmund then orders men to go quickly to the castle to kill the King and Cordelia. But the King now enters carrying the corpse of Cordelia. He dies by her, a broken man.