Pepita Jiménez
Encyclopedia
Pepita Jiménez is a lyric comedy or comic opera
with music written by the Spanish composer Isaac Albéniz
. The original opera was written in one act and used an English libretto
by Albéniz's patron and collaborator, the Englishman Francis Money-Coutts
, which is based on the novel of the same name by Juan Valera. The opera was later adapted several times, first by the composer and later by others, into numerous languages and different constructs, including both a two act version and a three act version.
in Barcelona with Emma Zilli portraying the title role. Originally the first Pepita was to have been the Romanian soprano Hariclea Darclée
, but probably because of production delays the role went to Zilli. The work was not well reveived in its first form and Albéniz never published this version, deciding instead to immediately revise the score.
During 1896 an expanded, two-act version was finished and, in preparation for a production at the Deutsches Landestheater
in Prague, published by Breitkopf & Härtel
in a German translation by Oskar Berggruen. This version, performed on 22 June 1897 under Franz Schalk
, was somewhat more successful, but not enough to be revived in the following seasons.
Continuing to live in Paris, Albéniz, who was primarily a pianist, was more and more influenced by French composers, in particular Paul Dukas
, who tutored him in orchestration. Thus, Albéniz again took up the opera, adding additional instruments and enriching its orchestration. This version was published by Breitkopf & Härtel in 1904. It was first performed in a French translation by Joseph de Marliave at the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie
in Brussels on January 3, 1905, under conductor Sylvain Dupuis
. Albéniz died in 1909 at the age of 48 from kidney failure without further revising the opera.
Although Albéniz's 1905 version of the opera was the most successful of the three versions, subsequent productions were sporadic and infrequent, and suffered musical and plot revisions at the hands of other composers. Pablo Sorozábal
, a well-known zarzuela
composer, changed it into a three act tragedy with the heroine committing suicide
at the end due to a broken heart. Sorozábal’s version was performed at the Teatro de la Zarzuela
in Madrid on 6 June 1964, with Pilar Lorengar
as Pepita and Alfredo Kraus
as Don Luis. This version was also used in the first recording starring Teresa Berganza
as Pepita and released in 1967 on Columbia
LPs
(SCE 931/2).
The story opens on a day in May celebrating the feast of the Infant Saviour. Pepita Jiménez, a 19 year old girl, has recently been widowed. She had been married to her 80-year-old uncle Don Gumersindo, a rich money-lender, since she was 16 and is now in possession of his large fortune. Pepita is sought by many suitors, including Count Genazahar, who owes her money, and Don Pedro de Vargas, a highly respected and prosperous member of the community. Pepita, however, has eyes only for Don Pedro's son, Don Luis, a handsome young seminarian who flirts with her shamelessly. She confesses her love to the town's vicar, and he in turn urges her to forget about him as he is supposed to pursue a higher calling.
Meanwhile, Pepita's feisty but loving maid, Antoñona, reveals to Don Pedro her mistress's love for his son, while simultaneously chiding him for raising such a flirt. Though at first surprised by this revelation, Don Pedro swallows his own feelings for Pepita and decides to help along the young couple's romance with the aid of Antoñona. Pepita returns from her meeting with the vicar and meets Don Luis, whom she has resolved to bid follow his vocation. Likewise, Don Luis has by now realised that he loves Pepita, but resolves to resist temptation. Just as the two are about to part forever, Antoñona interrupts and makes Don Luis promise to see Pepita once more before he departs town.
After leaving Pepita, Don Luis overhears Count Genazahar, who has been recently rebuffed by Pepita, making insulting remarks about her to two officers. Luis becomes incredibly angry and he challenges the count to a duel. The count is wounded in the fight and Luis is victorious. When Don Luis again sees Pepita, she cannot keep in her true feelings. Frantic, she informs him that her life will be forfeit for his calling, and she locks herself in her room. Don Luis, fearing her suicide, breaks into Pepita's room and the two unite in an embrace to the happiness of Antoñona.
Albéniz's music utilizes striking rhythms and decorative chromatic melodic figures which are reminiscent of Andalusian folk music. His music is lyrical and the "appealing vocal lines slip in and out of a full orchestral texture that continually animates the work". To depict the feast day, Albéniz used both an opera chorus and a children’s chorus. He also incorporated a significant amount of dance music into the feast scenes of the opera.
has assembled and recorded a critical edition of Albéniz's 1905 version. The Penquin Guide writes about this recording that the opera's "many attractive qualities are clear. ...the writing in a gently Spanish idiom has plenty of colour in the orchestration. ... Vivid sound."
Albéniz: Pepita Jiménez – Orquesta y Coro de la Comunidad de Madrid
Comic opera
Comic opera denotes a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending.Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a new operatic genre, opera buffa, emerged as an alternative to opera seria...
with music written by the Spanish composer 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...
. The original opera was written in one act and used an English 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 Albéniz's patron and collaborator, the Englishman Francis Money-Coutts
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...
, which is based on the novel of the same name by Juan Valera. The opera was later adapted several times, first by the composer and later by others, into numerous languages and different constructs, including both a two act version and a three act version.
Performance, publication, and recording history
The first of the composer's three versions of Pepita Jiménez was written in Paris during 1895 and performed as a one-act opera using an Italian translation of the original English libretto by Angelo Bignotti. It premiered on January 5, 1896 at the Gran Teatre del LiceuLiceu
The Gran Teatre del Liceu , or simply Liceu in Catalan and Liceo in Spanish, is an opera house on La Rambla in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain...
in Barcelona with Emma Zilli portraying the title role. Originally the first Pepita was to have been the Romanian soprano Hariclea Darclée
Hariclea Darclée
Hariclea Darclée was a celebrated Romanian operatic soprano. She possessed an agile, powerful, and beautiful voice that was wielded with a fine technique. An extremely beautiful woman, Darclée's stage presence was as elegant and refined as her singing...
, but probably because of production delays the role went to Zilli. The work was not well reveived in its first form and Albéniz never published this version, deciding instead to immediately revise the score.
During 1896 an expanded, two-act version was finished and, in preparation for a production at the Deutsches Landestheater
Prague State Opera
The Prague State Opera , is an opera and ballet company in Prague, Czech Republic. The theatre was originally founded in 1888 as the New German Theatre and from 1949 to 1989 it was known as the Smetana Theatre....
in Prague, published by Breitkopf & Härtel
Breitkopf & Härtel
Breitkopf & Härtel is the world's oldest music publishing house. The firm was founded in 1719 in Leipzig by Bernhard Christoph Breitkopf . The catalogue currently contains over 1000 composers, 8000 works and 15,000 music editions or books on music. The name "Härtel" was added when Gottfried...
in a German translation by Oskar Berggruen. This version, performed on 22 June 1897 under Franz Schalk
Franz Schalk
Franz Schalk was an Austrian conductor. From 1918 to 1929 he was director of the Vienna State Opera, a post he held jointly with Richard Strauss from 1919 to 1924. Later, Schalk was involved in the establishment of the Salzburg Festival.-Biography:Schalk was born in Vienna, Austria, where he later...
, was somewhat more successful, but not enough to be revived in the following seasons.
Continuing to live in Paris, Albéniz, who was primarily a pianist, was more and more influenced by French composers, in particular Paul Dukas
Paul Dukas
Paul Abraham Dukas was a French composer, critic, scholar and teacher. A studious man, of retiring personality, he was intensely self-critical, and he abandoned and destroyed many of his compositions...
, who tutored him in orchestration. Thus, Albéniz again took up the opera, adding additional instruments and enriching its orchestration. This version was published by Breitkopf & Härtel in 1904. It was first performed in a French translation by Joseph de Marliave at the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie
La Monnaie
Le Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie , or the Koninklijke Muntschouwburg is a theatre in Brussels, Belgium....
in Brussels on January 3, 1905, under conductor Sylvain Dupuis
Sylvain Dupuis
Sylvain Dupuis was a Belgian conductor, composer, oboist, and music educator.-Life:Born in Liège, Dupuis was trained at the Royal Conservatory of Liège. After graduating in 1878, he was appointed to that school's faculty as a professor of harmony. In 1911 he succeeded Jean-Théodore Radoux as the...
. Albéniz died in 1909 at the age of 48 from kidney failure without further revising the opera.
Although Albéniz's 1905 version of the opera was the most successful of the three versions, subsequent productions were sporadic and infrequent, and suffered musical and plot revisions at the hands of other composers. Pablo Sorozábal
Pablo Sorozábal
Pablo Sorozábal Mariezcurrena was a Basque-Spanish composer.Trained in San Sebastián, Madrid and Leipzig; then in Berlin, where he preferred Friedrich Koch as composition teacher to Arnold Schönberg, whose theories he disliked. It was in Germany that he made his conducting debut, and the rostrum...
, a well-known zarzuela
Zarzuela
Zarzuela is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular song, as well as dance...
composer, changed it into a three act tragedy with the heroine committing suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
at the end due to a broken heart. Sorozábal’s version was performed at the Teatro de la Zarzuela
Teatro de la Zarzuela
The Teatro de la Zarzuela is a theatre in Madrid, Spain. The theatre is today mainly devoted to zarzuela , as well as operetta and recitals. In the past, in the city's long absence of an opera theatre , this was Madrid's theatre where most major opera performances were shown...
in Madrid on 6 June 1964, with Pilar Lorengar
Pilar Lorengar
Lorenza Pilar García Seta was a Spanish soprano who used the professional name Pilar Lorengar. She was best known for her interpretations of opera and the Spanish genre Zarzuela, and as a soprano she was known for her full register, a youthful timbre as well as a distinctive vibrato.Pilar was...
as Pepita and Alfredo Kraus
Alfredo Kraus
Alfredo Kraus Trujillo was a distinguished Spanish tenor of partly Austrian descent, particularly known for the artistry he brought to opera's bel canto roles...
as Don Luis. This version was also used in the first recording starring Teresa Berganza
Teresa Berganza
Teresa Berganza, born on March 16, 1935), is a Spanish mezzo-soprano. She is most closely associated with the roles of Rossini, Mozart, and Bizet. She is admired for her technical virtuosity, musical intelligence and beguiling stage presence.- Biography :...
as Pepita and released in 1967 on Columbia
Columbia Graphophone Company
The Columbia Graphophone Company was one of the earliest gramophone companies in the United Kingdom. Under EMI, as Columbia Records, it became a very successful label in the 1950s and 1960s...
LPs
LP record
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
(SCE 931/2).
Roles
| Role | Voice type Voice type A voice type is a particular kind of human singing voice perceived as having certain identifying qualities or characteristics. Voice classification is the process by which human voices are evaluated and are thereby designated into voice types... |
Premiere cast, 5 January 1896 (Conductor: Vittorio Vanzo) |
Revised 2-act version, 3 January 1905 (Conductor: Sylvain Depuis) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pepita Jiménez, a young widow | 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... |
Emma Zilli (or Zilly) | Mme Baux |
| Don Luis de Vargas, a young theological student | 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... |
Oreste Gennari (or Genaro) | M. David |
| Antoñona, her serving woman | 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... |
Carlotta Calvi-Calvi | Jeanne Maubourg |
| Don Pedro de Vargas, father of Luis | 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... |
Marco Barba | Pierre d'Assy |
| Vicar | 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... |
Oreste Luppi | Hippolyte Belhomme Hippolyte Belhomme Hippolyte-Adolphe Belhomme, was a prominent French bass or bass-baritone and long-term member of the Opéra-Comique company in Paris... |
| Count Genazahar, a gay young officer | baritone | Achille Tisseyre | Alexis Boyer |
| 1st Officer | tenor | Antonio Oliver | Armand Crabbé Armand Crabbé Armand Crabbé was a Belgian operatic baritone. In 1904 he made his professional opera debut at La Monnaie as the Nightwatchman in Richard Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. He was a leading performer at the Royal Opera House in London from 1906-1914 and again in 1937... |
| 2nd Officer | baritone | Alfredo Serazzi | M. Lubet |
Synopsis
- Time: Mid-19th century
- Setting: A village in AndalusiaAndalusiaAndalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
The story opens on a day in May celebrating the feast of the Infant Saviour. Pepita Jiménez, a 19 year old girl, has recently been widowed. She had been married to her 80-year-old uncle Don Gumersindo, a rich money-lender, since she was 16 and is now in possession of his large fortune. Pepita is sought by many suitors, including Count Genazahar, who owes her money, and Don Pedro de Vargas, a highly respected and prosperous member of the community. Pepita, however, has eyes only for Don Pedro's son, Don Luis, a handsome young seminarian who flirts with her shamelessly. She confesses her love to the town's vicar, and he in turn urges her to forget about him as he is supposed to pursue a higher calling.
Meanwhile, Pepita's feisty but loving maid, Antoñona, reveals to Don Pedro her mistress's love for his son, while simultaneously chiding him for raising such a flirt. Though at first surprised by this revelation, Don Pedro swallows his own feelings for Pepita and decides to help along the young couple's romance with the aid of Antoñona. Pepita returns from her meeting with the vicar and meets Don Luis, whom she has resolved to bid follow his vocation. Likewise, Don Luis has by now realised that he loves Pepita, but resolves to resist temptation. Just as the two are about to part forever, Antoñona interrupts and makes Don Luis promise to see Pepita once more before he departs town.
After leaving Pepita, Don Luis overhears Count Genazahar, who has been recently rebuffed by Pepita, making insulting remarks about her to two officers. Luis becomes incredibly angry and he challenges the count to a duel. The count is wounded in the fight and Luis is victorious. When Don Luis again sees Pepita, she cannot keep in her true feelings. Frantic, she informs him that her life will be forfeit for his calling, and she locks herself in her room. Don Luis, fearing her suicide, breaks into Pepita's room and the two unite in an embrace to the happiness of Antoñona.
Musical analysis
In an essay accompanying the 2006 recording, Walter Aaron Clark, writes:"In Pepita Jiménez, Albéniz sought to create Spanish national operaSpanish operaSpanish opera is both the art of opera in Spain and opera in the Spanish language. Opera has existed in Spain since the mid 17th century.-Early history:...
through an amalgamation of three major trends in contemporary musical theater: use of regional folkloric elements, a practice borrowed from zarzuelaZarzuelaZarzuela is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular song, as well as dance...
; a PucciniesqueGiacomo PucciniGiacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire...
lyricism in which the orchestra frequently reinforces the voice; and WagnerianRichard WagnerWilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
musico-dramatic innovations, including continuous musical commentary in the orchestra infused with musical references to places and people in the manner of LeitmotivLeitmotifA leitmotif , sometimes written leit-motif, is a musical term , referring to a recurring theme, associated with a particular person, place, or idea. It is closely related to the musical idea of idée fixe...
."
Albéniz's music utilizes striking rhythms and decorative chromatic melodic figures which are reminiscent of Andalusian folk music. His music is lyrical and the "appealing vocal lines slip in and out of a full orchestral texture that continually animates the work". To depict the feast day, Albéniz used both an opera chorus and a children’s chorus. He also incorporated a significant amount of dance music into the feast scenes of the opera.
Recording
The Spanish musicologist and conductor José de EusebioJosé De Eusebio
José De Eusebio is a Spanish conductor and musicologist. He is particularly known for his work on the neglected operas of the Spanish composer Isaac Albéniz....
has assembled and recorded a critical edition of Albéniz's 1905 version. The Penquin Guide writes about this recording that the opera's "many attractive qualities are clear. ...the writing in a gently Spanish idiom has plenty of colour in the orchestration. ... Vivid sound."
Albéniz: Pepita Jiménez – Orquesta y Coro de la Comunidad de Madrid
- Conductor: José de Eusebio
- Principal singers: Carol Vaness (Pepita Jiménez), Plácido Domingo (Don Luis de Vargas), Jane Henschel (Antoñona), Enrique Baquerizo (Don Pedro de Vargas), Carlos Chausson (Vicar), José Antonio López (Count Genazahar) Ángel Rodríguez (1st Officer), Federico Gallar (2nd Officer)
- Recording location & date: Teatro Bulevar, Torrelodones, Madrid, July 2004 and June 2005
- Label: Deutsche GrammophonDeutsche GrammophonDeutsche Grammophon is a German classical record label which was the foundation of the future corporation to be known as PolyGram. It is now part of Universal Music Group since its acquisition and absorption of PolyGram in 1999, and it is also UMG's oldest active label...
– 000747202 (CD)
Sources
- Amadeus Almanac (5 January 1896 and 22 June 1897), accessed 22 January 2009
- Amadeus Almanac (3 January 1905), accessed 23 January 2009
-
- Frances Barulich: "Pepita Jiménez", Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed January 22, 2009), (subscription access)
- Pepita Jiménez, CDCompact DiscThe Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
recording and booklet released in 2006 (DGDeutsche GrammophonDeutsche Grammophon is a German classical record label which was the foundation of the future corporation to be known as PolyGram. It is now part of Universal Music Group since its acquisition and absorption of PolyGram in 1999, and it is also UMG's oldest active label...
477 6234) with José de EusebioJosé De EusebioJosé De Eusebio is a Spanish conductor and musicologist. He is particularly known for his work on the neglected operas of the Spanish composer Isaac Albéniz....
conducting the Orquesta y Coro de la Comunidad de MadridCommunity of Madrid OrchestraThe Community of Madrid Orchestra , founded in 1987, is a symphony orchestra in Madrid, Spain. The orchestra is the resident orchestra at the Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid and performs its concert programs at the Auditorio Nacional de Música....
.
External links