L'Africaine
Encyclopedia
L'africaine is a grand opera
, the last work of the composer Giacomo Meyerbeer
. The French libretto was written by Eugène Scribe
. The opera is about fictitious events in the life of the real historical person Vasco da Gama
. (Meyerbeer's working title for the opera was Vasco da Gama.)
at the Salle Le Peletier on 28 April 1865 in a performing edition undertaken by François-Joseph Fétis
, as the composer had not prepared a final version at his death the previous year. It is Fétis who gave the work its present title; Meyerbeer had referred to it as Vasco da Gama. In fact it is clear from the text, with its references to Hinduism
, that the heroine Sélika hails not from Africa, but from a region of, or island nearby, India
- Madagascar
has been suggested as a compromise reconciliation. Gabriela Cruz has published a detailed analysis of the historical context of the events of the opera and the opera setting itself.
Meyerbeer was working on the score in c.1854-55, and had intended the role of Sélika for the soprano Sophie Cruvelli
: but Cruvelli's abrupt retirement from the public stage in January 1856 interrupted his plans.
The work was first performed at Covent Garden Theatre, London
, on 22 July 1865, and in New York
on 1 December 1865.
It also received its Italian premiere in 1865, in Bologna
, conducted by Angelo Mariani
.
The opera was enormously successful in the 19th century but is today rarely revived. Most modern performances and recordings are severely cut to give prominence to the parts of da Gama and Sélika, and therefore cannot give a full idea of the composer's conception - which in any case has been to some extent obscured by the version of Fétis.
The only part of the opera known to most opera lovers is the Act 4 tenor aria "O, paradis!", which has been recorded many times.
.
The beautiful Inèz is forced by her father, the Grand Admiral Don Diego, to marry Don Pédro instead of her true love, Vasco da Gama. Da Gama, who is thought to have died in the expedition of Bartolomeu Dias
, appears at the Grand Council saying he has discovered a new land, and displaying Sélika and Nélusko as examples of a newly-discovered race. His request for an expedition is refused, causing da Gama to attack the Grand Inquisitor, who anathema
tises him. Da Gama is then imprisoned.
Sélika, who is in fact queen of the undiscovered land, saves da Gama, whom she loves, from being murdered by Nélusko, a member of her entourage. Inès agrees to marry Don Pédro if da Gama is freed; da Gama, not realising that Inès has made this bargain, and noticing her envy of Sélika, gives her Sélika and Nélusko as slaves. Don Pédro announces he is to mount an expedition to the new lands that were da Gama's discovery. Nélusko offers his services as pilot.
Nélusko is navigating the ship, but is secretly planning to destroy the Europeans. He sings a ballad of the legend of Adamastor
, the destructive giant of the sea. Nélusko gives orders which will direct the ship into an oncoming storm. Da Gama has followed Don Pédro in another ship, and begs him to change course to avoid destruction. Don Pédro refuses, and orders him to be chained. The storm breaks out. Nélusko leads the local people to kill all the Europeans on the ships and only da Gama is spared.
Sélika is met with a grand celebration and swears to uphold the island's laws, which include the execution of all strangers. Da Gama is captured by priests, who intend to sacrifice him. He is amazed by the wonders of the island, and sings the most famous aria of the opera O Paradis! (O Paradise!). Sélika saves him by saying that he is her husband, forcing Nélusko to swear this is true. Da Gama resigns himself to this new life, but hearing the voice of Inès, who is being taken to her execution, he rushes to find her.
The reunion of da Gama and Inès is interrupted by Sélika, who feels betrayed. When she realises the strength of the lovers' affection, she allows them to return to Europe, telling Nélusko to escort them to da Gama's boat. She then commits suicide by inhaling the perfume of the poisonous blossoms of the Manchineel tree
. Nélusko follows her into death.
and Joseph-François-Désiré Thierry for Act III (Sea Scene and Shipwreck) and Act IV (Hindu Temple); Jean Baptiste Lavastre for Scene 1 of Act V (Queen's Garden, not shown); and Edouard-Désiré-Joseph Despléchin for Scene 2 of Act V (The Machineel Tree). Engravings depicting the amazing sets appeared in periodicals throughout Europe. The final scene designed by Despléchin received special praise for its originality. Possibly because of advance publicity and high expectations, the Shipwreck Scene of Act III, executed by numerous stagehands, was deemed by the press to be somewhat disappointing. However, Arthur Pougin writing in 1885 identified the scene as the epitome of the company's grand opera mise en scène.
Grand Opera
Grand opera is a genre of 19th-century opera generally in four or five acts, characterised by large-scale casts and orchestras, and lavish and spectacular design and stage effects, normally with plots based on or around dramatic historic events...
, the last work of the composer Giacomo 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...
. The French libretto was written by 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:...
. The opera is about fictitious events in the life of the real historical person Vasco da Gama
Vasco da Gama
Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira was a Portuguese explorer, one of the most successful in the Age of Discovery and the commander of the first ships to sail directly from Europe to India...
. (Meyerbeer's working title for the opera was Vasco da Gama.)
Performance history
The opera was premiered by the Paris OpéraParis 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...
at the Salle Le Peletier on 28 April 1865 in a performing edition undertaken by François-Joseph Fétis
François-Joseph Fétis
François-Joseph Fétis was a Belgian musicologist, composer, critic and teacher. He was one of the most influential music critics of the 19th century, and his enormous compilation of biographical data in the Biographie universelle des musiciens remains an important source of information today...
, as the composer had not prepared a final version at his death the previous year. It is Fétis who gave the work its present title; Meyerbeer had referred to it as Vasco da Gama. In fact it is clear from the text, with its references to Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
, that the heroine Sélika hails not from Africa, but from a region of, or island nearby, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
- Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
has been suggested as a compromise reconciliation. Gabriela Cruz has published a detailed analysis of the historical context of the events of the opera and the opera setting itself.
Meyerbeer was working on the score in c.1854-55, and had intended the role of Sélika for the soprano Sophie Cruvelli
Sophie Cruvelli
Sophie Johanne Charlotte Crüwell, vicountess Vigier, stage name Sophie Cruvelli was a German opera singer. She was a dramatic soprano who had a brief but stellar public career especially in London and Paris in the middle years of the 19th century. She was admired for her vocal powers and as a...
: but Cruvelli's abrupt retirement from the public stage in January 1856 interrupted his plans.
The work was first performed at Covent Garden Theatre, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, on 22 July 1865, and in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
on 1 December 1865.
It also received its Italian premiere in 1865, in Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
, conducted by Angelo Mariani
Angelo Mariani (conductor)
Angelo Mariani was an Italian opera conductor and composer. His work as a conductor drew praise from Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Meyerbeer, Gioachino Rossini and Richard Wagner, and he was a longtime personal friend of Verdi's, although they became estranged towards the end of Mariani's life...
.
The opera was enormously successful in the 19th century but is today rarely revived. Most modern performances and recordings are severely cut to give prominence to the parts of da Gama and Sélika, and therefore cannot give a full idea of the composer's conception - which in any case has been to some extent obscured by the version of Fétis.
The only part of the opera known to most opera lovers is the Act 4 tenor aria "O, paradis!", which has been recorded many times.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 28 April 1865 (Conductor: George-François Hainl) |
|---|---|---|
| Sélika, a slave | 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... |
Marie Sasse Marie Sasse Marie Constance Sasse [Sax, Saxe, Sass] was a Belgian operatic soprano. "Her voice was powerful, flexible, and appealing", and she was one of the leading sopranos at the Paris Opéra from 1860 to 1870... |
| Vasco da Gama, a naval officer | 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... |
Emilio Naudin |
| Inès, daughter of Don Diego | soprano | Marie Battu |
| Nélusko, a slave | 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... |
Jean-Baptiste Faure Jean-Baptiste Faure Jean-Baptiste Faure was a celebrated French operatic baritone and an art collector of great significance. He also composed a number of classical songs.-Singing career:Faure was born in Moulins... |
| Don Pédro, president of the Royal Council | bass | Belval (Jules-Bernard Gaffiot) |
| Don Diégo, an admiral | bass | Armand Castelmary |
| Anna, Inès's confidante | 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... |
Leonia Levielly |
| Don Alvar, council member | tenor | Victor Warot Victor Warot Victor Alexandre Warot was a Belgian opera singer. He began his career as a lyric tenor but later grew into a fine dramatic singer. He was particularly known for his portrayal of Wagner and Meyerbeer heroes.-Biography:... |
| Grand Inquisitor of Lisbon | bass | Joseph David |
| High Priest of Brahma | bass | Louis-Henri Obin |
| Councillors, naval officers, bishops, Brahmins, Indians, soldiers, sailors | ||
Synopsis
The opera depicts fictional events in the life of the explorer Vasco da GamaVasco da Gama
Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira was a Portuguese explorer, one of the most successful in the Age of Discovery and the commander of the first ships to sail directly from Europe to India...
.
- Place: LisbonLisbonLisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, at sea, and in an exotic new land. - Time: late 15th century
Act 1
The council chamber, LisbonThe beautiful Inèz is forced by her father, the Grand Admiral Don Diego, to marry Don Pédro instead of her true love, Vasco da Gama. Da Gama, who is thought to have died in the expedition of Bartolomeu Dias
Bartolomeu Dias
Bartolomeu Dias , a nobleman of the Portuguese royal household, was a Portuguese explorer who sailed around the southernmost tip of Africa in 1488, the first European known to have done so.-Purposes of the Dias expedition:...
, appears at the Grand Council saying he has discovered a new land, and displaying Sélika and Nélusko as examples of a newly-discovered race. His request for an expedition is refused, causing da Gama to attack the Grand Inquisitor, who anathema
Anathema
Anathema originally meant something lifted up as an offering to the gods; it later evolved to mean:...
tises him. Da Gama is then imprisoned.
Act 2
The prisonSélika, who is in fact queen of the undiscovered land, saves da Gama, whom she loves, from being murdered by Nélusko, a member of her entourage. Inès agrees to marry Don Pédro if da Gama is freed; da Gama, not realising that Inès has made this bargain, and noticing her envy of Sélika, gives her Sélika and Nélusko as slaves. Don Pédro announces he is to mount an expedition to the new lands that were da Gama's discovery. Nélusko offers his services as pilot.
Act 3
On Don Pedro's shipNélusko is navigating the ship, but is secretly planning to destroy the Europeans. He sings a ballad of the legend of Adamastor
Adamastor
Adamastor is a Greek-type mythological character famed by the Portuguese poet Luís de Camões in his epic poem Os Lusíadas , as a symbol of the forces of nature Portuguese navigators had to overcome during their discoveries...
, the destructive giant of the sea. Nélusko gives orders which will direct the ship into an oncoming storm. Da Gama has followed Don Pédro in another ship, and begs him to change course to avoid destruction. Don Pédro refuses, and orders him to be chained. The storm breaks out. Nélusko leads the local people to kill all the Europeans on the ships and only da Gama is spared.
Act 4
Sélika's islandSélika is met with a grand celebration and swears to uphold the island's laws, which include the execution of all strangers. Da Gama is captured by priests, who intend to sacrifice him. He is amazed by the wonders of the island, and sings the most famous aria of the opera O Paradis! (O Paradise!). Sélika saves him by saying that he is her husband, forcing Nélusko to swear this is true. Da Gama resigns himself to this new life, but hearing the voice of Inès, who is being taken to her execution, he rushes to find her.
Act 5
The islandThe reunion of da Gama and Inès is interrupted by Sélika, who feels betrayed. When she realises the strength of the lovers' affection, she allows them to return to Europe, telling Nélusko to escort them to da Gama's boat. She then commits suicide by inhaling the perfume of the poisonous blossoms of the Manchineel tree
Manchineel tree
The Manchineel tree, Hippomane mancinella, is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family , native to Florida in the United States, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, Central America, and northern South America...
. Nélusko follows her into death.
Set designs for the premiere
The stage designs for the original production at the Paris Opera were created by Auguste-Alfred Rubé and Philippe Chaperon for Act I (Council Scene) and Act II (Dungeon Scene); Charles-Antoine CambonCharles-Antoine Cambon
Charles-Antoine Cambon, a French scene-painter, was born in Paris in 1802. He was a pupil of Ciceri, and acquired much celebrity by his theatrical decorations, many of which were real masterpieces. He died in Paris in 1875.-References:...
and Joseph-François-Désiré Thierry for Act III (Sea Scene and Shipwreck) and Act IV (Hindu Temple); Jean Baptiste Lavastre for Scene 1 of Act V (Queen's Garden, not shown); and Edouard-Désiré-Joseph Despléchin for Scene 2 of Act V (The Machineel Tree). Engravings depicting the amazing sets appeared in periodicals throughout Europe. The final scene designed by Despléchin received special praise for its originality. Possibly because of advance publicity and high expectations, the Shipwreck Scene of Act III, executed by numerous stagehands, was deemed by the press to be somewhat disappointing. However, Arthur Pougin writing in 1885 identified the scene as the epitome of the company's grand opera mise en scène.
Recordings
| Year | Cast (Vasco da Gama, Inès, Sélika, Nélusko, Grand Inquisitor, High Priest) |
Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra |
Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Plácido Domingo Plácido Domingo Plácido Domingo KBE , born José Plácido Domingo Embil, is a Spanish tenor and conductor known for his versatile and strong voice, possessing a ringing and dramatic tone throughout its range... , Ruth Ann Swenson Ruth Ann Swenson Ruth Ann Swenson is an American soprano who is renowned for her brilliance in coloratura roles.Born in Bronxville, New York and raised in Commack, New York on Long Island, Swenson studied at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia and briefly at Hartt College of Music in West Hartford, Connecticut... , Shirley Verrett Shirley Verrett Shirley Verrett was an African-American operatic mezzo-soprano who successfully transitioned into soprano roles i.e. soprano sfogato... , Justino Díaz Justino Díaz Justino Díaz is an internationally renowned bass-baritone opera singer. In 1963, Díaz won an annual contest held at the Metropolitan Opera of New York, becoming the "first" Puerto Rican to obtain such an honor and as a consequence, made his Metropolitan debut on October 1963 in Verdi's Rigoletto... , Joseph Rouleau Joseph Rouleau Joseph A. Rouleau, is a French-Canadian bass opera singer, particularly associated with the Italian and French repertories.... , Mark Delavan Mark Delavan Mark Delavan is an American operatic bass-baritone. He made his professional debut in 1986 at the San Francisco Opera in a small role in Giuseppe Verdi's Don Carlos. He spent the next three years performing in numerous comprimario roles with the company... |
Maurizio Arena Maurizio Arena Maurizio Arena was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 78 films between 1952 and 1978.-Selected filmography:* It Happened in the Park * Siamo tutti inquilini * The Sign of Venus... , San Francisco Opera Chorus and Orchestra San Francisco Opera San Francisco Opera is an American opera company, based in San Francisco, California.It was founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola and is the second largest opera company in North America... |
DVD: ArtHaus Musik Cat: 100 217 |
External links
- http://music.download.com/johnkersey/3600-8277-100613536.html?tag=quickurlEugene KettererEugène KettererEugène Ketterer was a French composer and pianist.In early youth he was a student at the Paris Conservatoire, where he won Second Prize for solfege in 1847 and a premier accessit in 1852, under Antoine François Marmontel...
's piano "Fantaisie on Meyerbeer's "L'Africaine" played by John Kersey (mp3)]