Merlin (opera)
Encyclopedia
Merlin is the last of the opera
s of Isaac Albéniz
. It is in three acts and the libretto was written in English by Francis Money-Coutts, 5th Baron Latymer
(Clements 2003; Woolf [n.d.]).
The opera was written between 1897 and 1902, the first of a projected trilogy of Arthurian
operas commissioned by the librettist. After completing Merlin, Albéniz worked on the second part of the trilogy, Lancelot, in 1902–03, but broke off work and did not complete it before his death in 1909. He did not even begin the final part, Guinevere (Barulich 2001).
, 12 piano "impressions" published in four books of three pieces each (1906, 1907, 1907, and 1908), which incorporate Spanish folk idioms into highly virtuosic piano playing reminiscent of the style of his hero Franz Liszt
, with a turn in the last two books to the influence of the pianist Joaquín Malats (Barulich 2001). At the turn of the century, he tried very hard to establish himself as an opera composer. Living in London, he composed three operas in collaboration with Money-Coutts (heir to a banking fortune, and Albéniz's sole patron from July 1894 onward), of which Merlin was the most ambitious. It was intended as the first part of a huge trilogy of Arthurian legends, loosely based on Thomas Malory
's Le Morte d'Arthur
(Barulich 2001).
It has some Wagnerian influence, with several orchestral and choral interludes, and two long preludes. Some critics claim that the libretto is mediocre and the story lacks drama, but whether a masterpiece or not, Albéniz's Merlin is a rare work, pervaded by mystery, which is worth listening to. In the second act we can hear the Albéniz familiar from his best known masterpiece, the four books of Iberia for piano. Money-Coutts as the librettist, under the spell of Richard Wagner
, produced prose that prompted one critic, reviewing the staged premiere in 2003, to observe:
on 18 December 1950. The complete opera with the original English libretto was premiered in concert form at the Auditorio Nacional in Madrid on 20 June 1998 (Barulich 2001), and a studio recording with Plácido Domingo
singing the part of King Arthur
was made in 2000. The success of the recording led to the first staging in its entirety in 2003, 101 years after its completion (Clements 2003). It was premiered in Madrid's Teatro Real
, with magnificent sets and scenography, conducted by José de Eusebio and directed by John Dew. Depending upon which critic is quoted, the production is either achingly archaic and amateurish or a rave.
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...
s of Isaac Albéniz
Isaac Albéniz
Isaac Manuel Francisco Albéniz y Pascual was a Spanish Catalan pianist and composer best known for his piano works based on folk music idioms .-Life:Born in Camprodon, province of Girona, to Ángel Albéniz and his wife Dolors Pascual, Albéniz...
. It is in three acts and the libretto was written in English by Francis Money-Coutts, 5th Baron Latymer
Francis Money-Coutts, 5th Baron Latymer
Francis Burdett Thomas Nevill Money-Coutts, 5th Baron Latymer was a London solicitor, poet, librettist, and wealthy heir to the fortune of the Coutts banking family. He is now remembered chiefly as a patron and collaborator of the Spanish composer Isaac Albéniz.-Family history:His father was the...
(Clements 2003; Woolf [n.d.]).
The opera was written between 1897 and 1902, the first of a projected trilogy of Arthurian
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
operas commissioned by the librettist. After completing Merlin, Albéniz worked on the second part of the trilogy, Lancelot, in 1902–03, but broke off work and did not complete it before his death in 1909. He did not even begin the final part, Guinevere (Barulich 2001).
Background
Albéniz is best known for his piano works, and especially for the collection IberiaIberia (Albéniz)
Iberia is a suite for piano composed between 1905 and 1909 by the Spanish composer Isaac Albéniz. It comprises four books of three pieces each; a complete performance lasts about an hour and a half....
, 12 piano "impressions" published in four books of three pieces each (1906, 1907, 1907, and 1908), which incorporate Spanish folk idioms into highly virtuosic piano playing reminiscent of the style of his hero Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
, with a turn in the last two books to the influence of the pianist Joaquín Malats (Barulich 2001). At the turn of the century, he tried very hard to establish himself as an opera composer. Living in London, he composed three operas in collaboration with Money-Coutts (heir to a banking fortune, and Albéniz's sole patron from July 1894 onward), of which Merlin was the most ambitious. It was intended as the first part of a huge trilogy of Arthurian legends, loosely based on Thomas Malory
Thomas Malory
Sir Thomas Malory was an English writer, the author or compiler of Le Morte d'Arthur. The antiquary John Leland as well as John Bale believed him to be Welsh, but most modern scholars, beginning with G. L...
's Le Morte d'Arthur
Le Morte d'Arthur
Le Morte d'Arthur is a compilation by Sir Thomas Malory of Romance tales about the legendary King Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, and the Knights of the Round Table...
(Barulich 2001).
It has some Wagnerian influence, with several orchestral and choral interludes, and two long preludes. Some critics claim that the libretto is mediocre and the story lacks drama, but whether a masterpiece or not, Albéniz's Merlin is a rare work, pervaded by mystery, which is worth listening to. In the second act we can hear the Albéniz familiar from his best known masterpiece, the four books of Iberia for piano. Money-Coutts as the librettist, under the spell of Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
, produced prose that prompted one critic, reviewing the staged premiere in 2003, to observe:
Money-Coutts's text would take pride of place in any collection of the world's worst opera librettos: it is couched in an achingly archaic Olde Englishe and relentlessly rhymed. It must be hard to sing lines like "When flow'rets of the marigold and daisy are enfolden, and wingless glowmoth stars of love englimmer all the glades" with anything approaching a straight face. (Clements 2003)
Performance history
The only portion of Merlin that Albéniz heard performed with full orchestra during his life was the opening prelude. The opera was performed by vocalists with piano accompaniment in 1905, but the full score languished until a truncated version with the text translated into Spanish was staged at the Tívoli Theatre in BarcelonaBarcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
on 18 December 1950. The complete opera with the original English libretto was premiered in concert form at the Auditorio Nacional in Madrid on 20 June 1998 (Barulich 2001), and a studio recording with 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...
singing the part of King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
was made in 2000. The success of the recording led to the first staging in its entirety in 2003, 101 years after its completion (Clements 2003). It was premiered in Madrid's Teatro Real
Teatro Real
The Teatro Real or simply El Real , is a major opera house located in Madrid, Spain.-History:...
, with magnificent sets and scenography, conducted by José de Eusebio and directed by John Dew. Depending upon which critic is quoted, the production is either achingly archaic and amateurish or a rave.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, May 28, 2003, (Conductor: José de Eusebio) |
|---|---|---|
| Merlin | 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... |
David Wilson-Johnson |
| Morgan le Fay | 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... |
Éva Marton Éva Marton Éva Marton is a Hungarian dramatic soprano, particularly known for her operatic portrayals of Puccini's Turandot and Tosca, and Wagnerian roles.- Vocal training and early years :... |
| King Arthur | 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... |
Stuart Skelton |
| Nivian | 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... |
Carol Vaness Carol Vaness Carol Vaness is an American lyric soprano.Carol Vaness was born in San Diego and launched her professional career in 1977 with the San Francisco Opera... |
| Mordred | baritone | Ángel Ódena |
| King Lot of Orkney | bass | Victor Garcia Sierra |
| Gawain | tenor | Ángel Rodriguez |
| Sir Ector de Maris | baritone | Juan Tomás Martínez |
| Sir Pellinor | baritone | Federico Gallar |
| Kay | tenor | Eduardo Santamaria |
| Archbishop of Canterbury | bass | Stephen Morscheck |
Synopsis
The plot is essentially a retelling of Arthurian legend with some dramatic changes for the stage.Audio
- Albéniz: Merlin: Carlos AlvarezCarlos Álvarez (baritone)Carlos Álvarez is a Spanish baritone who has had a major international opera career since the early 1990s. His recording of the title role in Isaac Albéniz's Merlin with Plácido Domingo as King Arthur won a Latin Grammy Award in 2001, and his recording of the role of Ford in Giuseppe Verdi's...
, Plácido Domingo, Jane HenschelJane HenschelJane Henschel is an American operatic soprano. Henschel, who was born in Wisconsin, studied at the University of Southern California, and then pursued further studies in Germany, where she has made her home...
, Ana María MartínezAna María MartínezAna María Martínez is a Grammy award–winning operatic soprano from Puerto Rico. "The most beautiful voice of Latin America", [Martínez] "requires ranking among the top lyric sopranos of the day...[with] immaculate musicality underpinning every utterance." -Early life:Ana María Martínez was born...
, Madrid Symphony OrchestraMadrid Symphony OrchestraThe Madrid Symphony Orchestra , founded in 1903, is the oldest existing Spanish symphony orchestra not linked to an opera house in Spain.-History:...
conducted by Jose de Eusebio (Decca 467 096-2)
Video
- Albéniz: Merlin: David Wilson-JohnsonDavid Wilson-JohnsonDavid Wilson-Johnson is a British operatic and concert baritone.-Career:David Wilson-Johnson studied Modern and Mediaeval Languages at St Catharine's College, Cambridge...
, Éva MartonÉva MartonÉva Marton is a Hungarian dramatic soprano, particularly known for her operatic portrayals of Puccini's Turandot and Tosca, and Wagnerian roles.- Vocal training and early years :...
, Stuart Skelton, Carol VanessCarol VanessCarol Vaness is an American lyric soprano.Carol Vaness was born in San Diego and launched her professional career in 1977 with the San Francisco Opera...
, Angel Odena, Victor Garcia Sierra, Angel Rodriguez, Juan Tomas Martinez, Federico Gallar, Eduardo Santamaria. Madrid Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jose de Eusebio (2003, BBC/Opus Arte DVD OA 0888 D)