Ritter Blaubart
Encyclopedia
Ritter Blaubart is a fairy-tale opera (German: Märchenoper) in three acts by the Austrian composer Emil Nikolaus von Reznicek. Herbert Eulenberg
wrote the German libretto
, based on his own five-act play with the same title, which had been first performed unsuccessfully at the Lessing Theater in Berlin in 1906.
Vienna.
), it was first performed on 29 January 1920 at the Darmstadt
State Theater, with Michael Balling
conducting and Johannes Bischoff in the title role. The same year, further performances took place at the Berlin State Opera
(first performance on 31 October 1920 conducted by Leo Blech
, followed by a further twenty-six performances during the following six years), and also in Vienna and Leipzig.
released the world premiere recording. This recording was made in March 2002 with Michail Jurowski conducting the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra
, and baritone David Pittman-Jennings in the title role.
Herbert Eulenberg
Herbert Eulenberg was a German poet and author born in Cologne-Mülheim, Germany.-1920s:Eulenberg was the publisher of many books, for which he wrote the introductions. His speech on Schiller, which he wrote in 1909, generated heated debates...
wrote the German 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...
, based on his own five-act play with the same title, which had been first performed unsuccessfully at the Lessing Theater in Berlin in 1906.
Composition history
Reznicek's first sketches date from the autumn of 1915. Eulenberg revised the text of his play in consultation with the composer, reducing the number of acts to three (the original acts one and two, and the original acts four and five were both condensed to one act). Several cuts were made, and a few minor scenes were eliminated. This resulted in the story becoming much more focused on the psychology and pathological character of the title figure. Reznicek composed the music during 1917-18. The score was published by Universal EditionUniversal Edition
Universal Edition is a classical music publishing firm. Founded in 1901 in Vienna, and originally intended to provide the core classical works and educational works to the Austrian market...
Vienna.
Performance history
After an unsuccessful attempt to get the opera staged in Berlin in 1918 (despite the support of Richard StraussRichard Strauss
Richard Georg Strauss was a leading German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. He is known for his operas, which include Der Rosenkavalier and Salome; his Lieder, especially his Four Last Songs; and his tone poems and orchestral works, such as Death and Transfiguration, Till...
), it was first performed on 29 January 1920 at the Darmstadt
Darmstadt
Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area.The sandy soils in the Darmstadt area, ill-suited for agriculture in times before industrial fertilisation, prevented any larger settlement from developing, until the city became the seat...
State Theater, with Michael Balling
Michael Balling
Michael Balling was an German violist and conductor. He served as principal conductor of The Hallé, Manchester, England from 1912 to 1914....
conducting and Johannes Bischoff in the title role. The same year, further performances took place at the Berlin State Opera
Berlin State Opera
The Staatsoper Unter den Linden is a German opera company. Its permanent home is the opera house on the Unter den Linden boulevard in the Mitte district of Berlin, which also hosts the Staatskapelle Berlin orchestra.-Early years:...
(first performance on 31 October 1920 conducted by Leo Blech
Leo Blech
Leo Blech was a German opera composer and conductor who is perhaps most famous for his work at the Königliches Schauspielhaus Leo Blech (21 April 1871 – 25 August 1958) was a German opera composer and conductor who is perhaps most famous for his work at the Königliches Schauspielhaus Leo...
, followed by a further twenty-six performances during the following six years), and also in Vienna and Leipzig.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast 29 January 1920 (Conductor: Michael Balling Michael Balling Michael Balling was an German violist and conductor. He served as principal conductor of The Hallé, Manchester, England from 1912 to 1914.... ) |
|---|---|---|
| Knight Bluebeard (Ritter Blaubart) | 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... |
Johannes Bischoff |
| Count Nikolaus (Graf Nikolaus) | 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... |
|
| Werner, his son | 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... |
|
| Judith, his daughter | 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... |
|
| Agnes, his daughter | soprano | |
| Josua, Bluebeard's blind servant | tenor | |
| The Pastor (Der Pfarrer) | bass | |
| Hinz, a graverobber | bass | |
| Ratte, a graverobber | tenor |
Instrumentation
The orchestral score requires:- 5 fluteWestern concert fluteThe Western concert flute is a transverse woodwind instrument made of metal or wood. It is the most common variant of the flute. A musician who plays the flute is called a flautist, flutist, or flute player....
s, 3 oboeOboeThe oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
s, 5 clarinetClarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
s, 3 bassoonBassoonThe bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher. Appearing in its modern form in the 19th century, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral, concert band and chamber music literature...
s; - 8 hornHorn (instrument)The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
s , 6 trumpets, 6 tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
s, 2 tubaTubaThe tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...
s; - timpaniTimpaniTimpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet...
, percussion (3 players), 3 harpHarpThe harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
s, celestaCelestaThe celesta or celeste is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard. Its appearance is similar to that of an upright piano or of a large wooden music box . The keys are connected to hammers which strike a graduated set of metal plates suspended over wooden resonators...
, luteLuteLute can refer generally to any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back, or more specifically to an instrument from the family of European lutes....
(or guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
); - stringsString sectionThe string section is the largest body of the standard orchestra and consists of bowed string instruments of the violin family.It normally comprises five sections: the first violins, the second violins, the violas, the cellos, and the double basses...
(violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
s I, violins II, violaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
s, violoncellos, double bassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
es).
Recordings
In 2003 CPOClassic Produktion Osnabrück
Classic Produktion Osnabrück is a record label founded in 1986 by Georg Ortmann and several others. Its declared mission is to fill niches in the recorded classical repertory, with an emphasis on romantic, late romantic and 20th-century music...
released the world premiere recording. This recording was made in March 2002 with Michail Jurowski conducting the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra (East Berlin)
The Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Berlin, Germany. In Berlin, the orchestra gives concerts at theKonzerthaus Berlin and at the Berliner Philharmonie...
, and baritone David Pittman-Jennings in the title role.