Prinsessan av Cypern
Encyclopedia
Prinsessan av Cypern is an opera in four acts by Lars-Erik Larsson
, with a Swedish libretto by Zacharias Topelius, first performed in Stockholm
in 1937, but subsequently withdrawn by its composer.
. Topelius combined part of the 11th song concerning Lemminkäinen’s attempts to win the proud virgin Kyllikki with other elements from the Kalevala, including Lemminkäinen’s visit to Tuonela
. There are parallels to the Iliad and Odyssey, and Topelius uses the conflict of cultures between the noble Greeks and the barbaric Nordic countries.
Larsson wrote Prinsessan av Cypern, his opus 9, from 1931 to 1936; the music, while inspired by past composers is often unmistakable Larsson. The shepherd's revenge song is inspired by rune singing, and Anemotis’s view of Hellas has exotic contours. Larsson gives each character a leitmotif, worked into dramatic storytelling.
Fredrik Pacius
used Topelius’s story for his fairy-tale singspiel Prinsessan av Cypern
(Helsinki, 28 November 1860).
in Stockholm on 29 April 1937 with Hjördis Schymberg
and Set Svanholm
in leading roles, and the orchestra and chorus conducted by Herbert Sandberg, costumes by Jon-And and choreography by Julian Algo. This production was given a single performance in Göteborg on 11 May 1937, and closed in Stockholm later in the year. Kurt Atterberg
criticized the programming of a new work so late in the season.
Malmö Opera
mounted four performances of a semi-staged production premiered on 23 August 2008. The production was broadcast on Swedish Radio
on 25 October 2008. The conductor Joakim Unander devised a short orchestral suite 'Tre Bilder – Three pictures - for a concert broadcast during the composer’s centenary.
The proud princess Chryseis attracts the attention of the adventurer Lemminkäinen, who has just come to Cyprus with his brother in arms Tiera. When Lemminkäinen makes overtures towards Chryseis the nobleman Medon seeks to imprison him. King Chysandros shows mercy to Lemminkäinen, but warns Chryseis about Lemminkäinen’s arrogance. During a feast, Lemminkäinen abducts Chryseis while Tiera takes one of the bridesmaids, Anemotis. Medon takes up pursuit and vows to never lose sight of Chryseis.
Mother Helka awaits the return of Lemminkäinen while his sister Ainikki is waiting for Tiera whom she loves. The friends return, each with a happy bride, who adopt new names in the northern country. Chryseis becomes Kyllikki and Anemotis becomes Tullikki.
Tableau 2: At Lemminkäinen's castle
Medon tracks them down and after a struggle the princess and says she loves Lemminkäinen, who sings ecstatically of transforming the hut into a castle.
After the long winter, Lemminkäinen moans to his slave - who finds that his master needs changing. Chryseis comforts Ainikki that life will be easier in the spring. Lemminkäinen and Kyllikki quarrel but are reconciled and promise to love each other: he will not go fighting, so she should not dance. Medon’s ship has been frozen in the ice, but he now prepares his return journey south. He and Anemotis join together and plan to persuade Chryseis come back with them on the ship. Tiera and a slave call Lemminkäinen to battle in a neighboring village, and when he learns that Kyllikki has gone to the ship, breaking her promises he throws himself into the fighting after giving Helka his magical hair brush, which will bleed the day he dies.
, in the far north
Medon’s ship has drifted on a foggy and desolate coastline; Chryseis bemoans her fate. Medon follows her and gets Anemotis to keep watch. Lemminkäinen emerges from the mist complaining that he had been betrayed, Chryseis accuses him of betraying her.
Tableau 2: In the mountains
The slave has discovered an old shepherd who wants revenge on Lemminkäinen, and with the help of the treacherous slave he kills Lemminkäinen, but then falls victim to a blow from the slave.
Tiera and Helka and the bleeding brush come to search for Lemminkäinen, and kills the slave. Tiera evokes an underworld god who says that Lemminkäinen may only be saved from death by true love.
Tableau 3: In the realm of Tuonela
Helka descends to hell and releases her son with a song.
Tableau 4: In the mountains
Medon and Anemotis find Chryseis and return to Cyprus and the grove of Aphrodite.
Lars-Erik Larsson
Lars-Erik Larsson was a notable Swedish composer of the 20th century.-Biography:Lars-Erik Vilner Larsson was born in Åkarp in 1908...
, with a Swedish libretto by Zacharias Topelius, first performed in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
in 1937, but subsequently withdrawn by its composer.
Background
The libretto by Zacharias Topelius is based on elements of the Finnish national epic KalevalaKalevala
The Kalevala is a 19th century work of epic poetry compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Finnish and Karelian oral folklore and mythology.It is regarded as the national epic of Finland and is one of the most significant works of Finnish literature...
. Topelius combined part of the 11th song concerning Lemminkäinen’s attempts to win the proud virgin Kyllikki with other elements from the Kalevala, including Lemminkäinen’s visit to Tuonela
Tuonela
Tuonela is the realm of the dead or the Underworld in Finnish and Estonian mythology. Tuonela, Tuoni, Manala and Mana are used synonymously. In Estonian mythology, it is called Toonela or Manala....
. There are parallels to the Iliad and Odyssey, and Topelius uses the conflict of cultures between the noble Greeks and the barbaric Nordic countries.
Larsson wrote Prinsessan av Cypern, his opus 9, from 1931 to 1936; the music, while inspired by past composers is often unmistakable Larsson. The shepherd's revenge song is inspired by rune singing, and Anemotis’s view of Hellas has exotic contours. Larsson gives each character a leitmotif, worked into dramatic storytelling.
Fredrik Pacius
Fredrik Pacius
Fredrik Pacius was a German composer and conductor who lived most of his life in Finland. He has been called the "Father of Finnish music"....
used Topelius’s story for his fairy-tale singspiel Prinsessan av Cypern
Prinsessan av Cypern (Pacius)
Prinsessan av Cypern is a four-act fairy opera by Fredrik Pacius, with a Swedish libretto by Zacharias Topelius...
(Helsinki, 28 November 1860).
Performance history
Prinsessan av Cypern was premiered at the Royal Swedish OperaRoyal Swedish Opera
Kungliga Operan is Sweden's national stage for opera and ballet.-Location and Environment:...
in Stockholm on 29 April 1937 with Hjördis Schymberg
Hjördis Schymberg
Hjördis Gunborg Schymberg was a Swedish coloratura and lyric soprano active on the opera stage and in concert halls between 1934 and 1968...
and Set Svanholm
Set Svanholm
Set Svanholm was a Swedish operatic tenor, considered the leading Tristan and Siegfried of the first decade following World War II....
in leading roles, and the orchestra and chorus conducted by Herbert Sandberg, costumes by Jon-And and choreography by Julian Algo. This production was given a single performance in Göteborg on 11 May 1937, and closed in Stockholm later in the year. Kurt Atterberg
Kurt Atterberg
Kurt Magnus Atterberg was a Swedish composer. He is best known for his symphonies, operas and ballets. Atterberg once said that: "The Russians, Brahms, Reger were my ideals." His music combines their influences with Swedish folk tunes.-Biography:Atterberg was born in Gothenburg as the son of the...
criticized the programming of a new work so late in the season.
Malmö Opera
Malmö Opera and Music Theatre
Malmö Opera and Music Theatre is an opera house in Malmö, Sweden. An opera company of the same name presents seasons of opera in this house....
mounted four performances of a semi-staged production premiered on 23 August 2008. The production was broadcast on Swedish Radio
Sveriges Radio P2
P2 is one of the four main radio channels operated by Sweden's national publicly funded radio broadcasting organization Sveriges Radio . It broadcasts music and also carries educational programming as well as programmes in minority languages.The channel began life in 1955 as Sweden's second radio...
on 25 October 2008. The conductor Joakim Unander devised a short orchestral suite 'Tre Bilder – Three pictures - for a concert broadcast during the composer’s centenary.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 29 April 1937 (Conductor: Herbert Sandberg) |
|---|---|---|
| Princess Chryseis (Kyllikki in Finland Finland Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside... ) |
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... |
Helga Görlin |
| Lemminkäinen | 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... |
Set Svanholm Set Svanholm Set Svanholm was a Swedish operatic tenor, considered the leading Tristan and Siegfried of the first decade following World War II.... |
| Tiera | 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... |
Sigurd Björling Sigurd Björling Sigurd Björling was a Swedish operatic baritone.He made his debut as Alfio in Cavalleria Rusticana in 1935 at Royal Swedish Opera... |
| Anemotis (Tuulikki in Finland) | soprano | Hjördis Schymberg Hjördis Schymberg Hjördis Gunborg Schymberg was a Swedish coloratura and lyric soprano active on the opera stage and in concert halls between 1934 and 1968... |
| Daphne | 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... |
Göta Allard |
| Lydia | soprano | Astrid Ohlson |
| Naidion | contralto | Margit Sehlmark |
| Medon | baritone | Einar Larson |
| Megapontos | tenor | Folke Cembraeus |
| King Chrysandros | bass-baritone | Leon Björker |
| Helka | mezzo-soprano | Brita Ewert |
| Ainikki | soprano | Inez Wasser |
| A slave | tenor | Simon Edvardsen |
| A shepherd | baritone | Folke Jonsson |
| Tuoni | bass | Leon Björker |
| The Echo | Martha Sjöblom | |
| An Oceanid | Signe Hedman | |
| Chorus: Cypriot soldiers and courtiers; young men and women; oceanides Oceanid In Greek mythology and, later, Roman mythology, the Oceanids were the three thousand daughters of the Titans Oceanus and Tethys. Each was the patroness of a particular spring, river, sea, lake, pond, pasture, flower or cloud... |
||
Act 1
Aphrodite's grove at the Cyprus coastThe proud princess Chryseis attracts the attention of the adventurer Lemminkäinen, who has just come to Cyprus with his brother in arms Tiera. When Lemminkäinen makes overtures towards Chryseis the nobleman Medon seeks to imprison him. King Chysandros shows mercy to Lemminkäinen, but warns Chryseis about Lemminkäinen’s arrogance. During a feast, Lemminkäinen abducts Chryseis while Tiera takes one of the bridesmaids, Anemotis. Medon takes up pursuit and vows to never lose sight of Chryseis.
Act 2
Tableau 1: Helka's cabin at Kauko in FinlandMother Helka awaits the return of Lemminkäinen while his sister Ainikki is waiting for Tiera whom she loves. The friends return, each with a happy bride, who adopt new names in the northern country. Chryseis becomes Kyllikki and Anemotis becomes Tullikki.
Tableau 2: At Lemminkäinen's castle
Medon tracks them down and after a struggle the princess and says she loves Lemminkäinen, who sings ecstatically of transforming the hut into a castle.
Act 3
The Castle LemminkäinenAfter the long winter, Lemminkäinen moans to his slave - who finds that his master needs changing. Chryseis comforts Ainikki that life will be easier in the spring. Lemminkäinen and Kyllikki quarrel but are reconciled and promise to love each other: he will not go fighting, so she should not dance. Medon’s ship has been frozen in the ice, but he now prepares his return journey south. He and Anemotis join together and plan to persuade Chryseis come back with them on the ship. Tiera and a slave call Lemminkäinen to battle in a neighboring village, and when he learns that Kyllikki has gone to the ship, breaking her promises he throws himself into the fighting after giving Helka his magical hair brush, which will bleed the day he dies.
Act 4
Tableau 1: A bay in PohjaPohjola
Pohjola or Pohja is a location in Finnish mythology, sometimes translated in English as Northland or Pohjoland. It is one of the two main polarities in the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala, along with Kaleva or Väinölä. Its name is derived from the word pohjoinen meaning the compass point north...
, in the far north
Medon’s ship has drifted on a foggy and desolate coastline; Chryseis bemoans her fate. Medon follows her and gets Anemotis to keep watch. Lemminkäinen emerges from the mist complaining that he had been betrayed, Chryseis accuses him of betraying her.
Tableau 2: In the mountains
The slave has discovered an old shepherd who wants revenge on Lemminkäinen, and with the help of the treacherous slave he kills Lemminkäinen, but then falls victim to a blow from the slave.
Tiera and Helka and the bleeding brush come to search for Lemminkäinen, and kills the slave. Tiera evokes an underworld god who says that Lemminkäinen may only be saved from death by true love.
Tableau 3: In the realm of Tuonela
Helka descends to hell and releases her son with a song.
Tableau 4: In the mountains
Medon and Anemotis find Chryseis and return to Cyprus and the grove of Aphrodite.