The Olympians
Encyclopedia
The Olympians is an opera
in three acts by Arthur Bliss
to a libretto
by J. B. Priestley
, first performed at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden on 29 September 1949, conducted by Karl Rankl
in a production by Peter Brook
.
After the initial run the next performance was in concert on 21 February 1972 at the Royal Festival Hall
, London, conducted by Bryan Fairfax
, which was also broadcast by BBC
radio.
, for a few years subsequently they met, played tennis and dined together. Towards end of the 2nd World War, Priestley again met Bliss who said he was ready to write an opera, and asked the author for suggestions. Priestley found in his notebooks an idea for a story about the legend of gods becoming strolling players. He enjoyed a good collaboration with the composer, only meeting three or four times otherwise corresponding about the opera. Bliss insisted on irregular lines to set.
In 1972 Priestley reflected that to describe the first night as under-rehearsed was one of the "understatements of the last half-century". He claimed that Rankl had not taken the score away for the summer to study and that Rankl and Brook were not on speaking terms and communicated by passing notes between them. There was also insufficient rehearsal time: the first act was well rehearsed, Act 2 was barely adequate, and the third was like "charades". The ballet – intended for the Royal Ballet dancers – had to use junior dancers as the main company was away on tour.
In a letter to Bliss (quoted in As I Remember), Dent
, while noting "Lavatte’s familiarity with The Bartered Bride
", praised the music of Acts 1 and 3, while feeling that the entrances of the gods in Act 2 "weak". Dent nonetheless lauded the "masterly" orchestration and the opportunities for singers to show their voices off.
, some of the gods became a group of strolling players, walking through Europe over the centuries. Once every 100 years however, at midsummer
, these players find themselves again with their divine powers.
Time: 1836, at midsummer
Setting: Berasson, a small town in the south of France
After bustle of travellers departing, Madame Bardeau is seen entertaining the curé
. She owes money to Lavatte, the richest (and meanest) man in the town. While explaining all this, she sees a porter loading luggage belonging to a group of strolling players who owe her money. The curé agrees to intercede with Lavatte if she will be generous with the players.
Lavatte enters and announces that he is giving a party that night to mark the engagement of his daughter Madeleine to a local nobleman (who it turns out is too old to become her husband). The curé suggests that Lavatte gets the players to entertain his guests that night – they will come cheap if he agrees to allow Madame Bardeau to have more time to pay her debt.
The curé is joined by Hector, a young poet on his way to Paris, and when the curé has left and Madeleine enters in search of her father, it becomes clear that the two young people are falling in love. When Lavatte returns he angrily takes Madeleine away, closely followed by Hector.
The players enter: Mercury (their dancer), Venus, Diana, Mars, Bacchus and Jupiter, the manager of the troupe. Diana is fed up with the roving life and wants a change, but Jupiter reminds them that down the centuries they have known many hardships and must stick together. Hector enters and stands them all wine, and when Lavatte comes in they offer to perform their ‘Comedy of Olympus’. Lavatte drives a hard bargain with them before leaving, but refuses to allow Hector to come to the party.
The players become animated and jubilant, while Hector declares his love for Madeleine, and Madame Bardeau complains about all the noise.
Madeleine comes out, unhappy because Hector has not been invited, but he, in disguise reveals himself and they ecstatically proclaim their love. There are cries from the house as Mercury comes out, and casts a spell on the lovers, who fall asleep. Guests emerge from the house and hear Diana sing of the joy of the hunt, then leading some off with her voice dying away in the distance.
It is midnight and a group of male guests and Mars come onto the terrace and sing of war before they too go off; Lavatte is angry with the antics of the gods. Venus and Bacchus then appear, along with the rest of Lavatte’s guests. Hector is taken with Venus’s beauty.
Jupiter lectures all on the power of the old gods, telling them not to desert the ancient ways of mankind. Diana and Mars reappear, so all the gods apart from Mercury are together. Lavatte comes back into the courtyard with some police, and despite Jupiter’s warning, calls on the police to arrest the gods; Jupiter sets the thunder rumbling and a thunderbolt knocks Lavatte to the ground.
Morning is approaching; the gods’ powers are waning. Diana sings a lament. Madeleine is unhappy as Hector is still fascinated by Venus; Jupiter comforts her and she forgives Hector and agrees to marry him. As the day breaks, Lavatte comes in, desperate to rid himself of the night’s magic, followed by the curé who claims to have found a way to exorcise the magic: Lavatte must provide gold to make a magic circle and to allow his daughter to follow her heart’s will. A mock exorcising ceremony is started, and the players – as shabby as they were in Act 1 – enter and ask for their pay and a testimonial. Lavatte agrees, and as the sun rises, guests and servants come on the scene and sing a bridal chorus for Madeleine - as the players start again on their travels.
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...
in three acts by Arthur Bliss
Arthur Bliss
Sir Arthur Edward Drummond Bliss, CH, KCVO was an English composer and conductor.Bliss's musical training was cut short by the First World War, in which he served with distinction in the army...
to a 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 J. B. Priestley
J. B. Priestley
John Boynton Priestley, OM , known as J. B. Priestley, was an English novelist, playwright and broadcaster. He published 26 novels, notably The Good Companions , as well as numerous dramas such as An Inspector Calls...
, first performed at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden on 29 September 1949, conducted by Karl Rankl
Karl Rankl
Karl Rankl was a British conductor and composer of Austrian birth. A pupil of the composers Schoenberg and Webern, he conducted at opera houses in Austria, Germany and Czechoslovakia until fleeing from the Nazis and taking refuge in England in 1939.Rankl was appointed musical director of the...
in a production by Peter Brook
Peter Brook
Peter Stephen Paul Brook CH, CBE is an English theatre and film director and innovator, who has been based in France since the early 1970s.-Life:...
.
After the initial run the next performance was in concert on 21 February 1972 at the Royal Festival Hall
Royal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,900-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge. It is a Grade I listed building - the first post-war building to become so protected...
, London, conducted by Bryan Fairfax
Bryan Fairfax
Bryan Fairfax is a retired Australian conductor based in the United Kingdom, who is known for his championing of little known or neglected works....
, which was also broadcast by BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
radio.
Background
Bliss and Priestley had first met at a music party in the late 1920s. As they lived close to each other in HampsteadHampstead
Hampstead is an area of London, England, north-west of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Camden in Inner London, it is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations and for Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland...
, for a few years subsequently they met, played tennis and dined together. Towards end of the 2nd World War, Priestley again met Bliss who said he was ready to write an opera, and asked the author for suggestions. Priestley found in his notebooks an idea for a story about the legend of gods becoming strolling players. He enjoyed a good collaboration with the composer, only meeting three or four times otherwise corresponding about the opera. Bliss insisted on irregular lines to set.
In 1972 Priestley reflected that to describe the first night as under-rehearsed was one of the "understatements of the last half-century". He claimed that Rankl had not taken the score away for the summer to study and that Rankl and Brook were not on speaking terms and communicated by passing notes between them. There was also insufficient rehearsal time: the first act was well rehearsed, Act 2 was barely adequate, and the third was like "charades". The ballet – intended for the Royal Ballet dancers – had to use junior dancers as the main company was away on tour.
In a letter to Bliss (quoted in As I Remember), Dent
Edward Joseph Dent
Edward Joseph Dent, generally known by his initials as E. J. Dent was a British writer on music....
, while noting "Lavatte’s familiarity with The Bartered Bride
The Bartered Bride
The Bartered Bride is a comic opera in three acts by the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana, to a libretto by Karel Sabina. The opera is considered to have made a major contribution towards the development of Czech music. It was composed during the period 1863–66, and first performed at the...
", praised the music of Acts 1 and 3, while feeling that the entrances of the gods in Act 2 "weak". Dent nonetheless lauded the "masterly" orchestration and the opportunities for singers to show their voices off.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 29 September 1949 (Conductor: Karl Rankl) |
|---|---|---|
| The curé | 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... |
Murray Dickie Murray Dickie Murray Dickie was a Scottish tenor opera singer and director, who established his career in England, Austria and Italy during the 1950s. In addition to his extensive stage work he was a prolific recording artist.- Early career 1947-1955 :Dickie had his first vocal training in Glasgow... |
| Madame Bardeau | 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... |
Edith Coates Edith Coates Edith Coates OBE was an English operatic mezzo-soprano. A highly gifted actress with a striking stage presence, Coates initially found success in larger dramatic roles before transitioning into portraying mainly character parts in the 1950s. She began her career with Lilian Baylis's opera company... |
| Jean | tenor | Ronald Lewis |
| Joseph Lavatte | bass | Howell Glynne Howell Glynne Howell Glynne was a Welsh operatic bass. He lived for the latter years of his life in Canada, and taught singing at the University of Toronto.... |
| Hector de Florac | tenor | James Johnstone |
| Madeline | 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... |
Shirley Russell |
| Alfred | 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... |
Rhydderch Davies |
| Mercury Mercury (mythology) Mercury was a messenger who wore winged sandals, and a god of trade, the son of Maia Maiestas and Jupiter in Roman mythology. His name is related to the Latin word merx , mercari , and merces... |
dancer | Robert Helpmann Robert Helpmann Sir Robert Helpmann CBE was an Australian dancer, actor, theatre director and choreographer.-Early years:He was born Robert Murray Helpman in Mount Gambier, South Australia and also boarded at Prince Alfred College in Adelaide. From childhood, Helpman had a strong desire to be a dancer... |
| Venus Venus (mythology) Venus is a Roman goddess principally associated with love, beauty, sex,sexual seduction and fertility, who played a key role in many Roman religious festivals and myths... |
mime Mime artist A mime artist is someone who uses mime as a theatrical medium or as a performance art, involving miming, or the acting out a story through body motions, without use of speech. In earlier times, in English, such a performer was referred to as a mummer... |
Moyra Fraser Moyra Fraser Moyra Fraser was an Australian-born British actress and ballet dancer, who is best known for playing Penny in the long-running sitcom As Time Goes By. Her sister was the actress Shelagh Fraser... |
| Bacchus Dionysus Dionysus was the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of ritual madness and ecstasy in Greek mythology. His name in Linear B tablets shows he was worshipped from c. 1500—1100 BC by Mycenean Greeks: other traces of Dionysian-type cult have been found in ancient Minoan Crete... |
tenor | Thorstenn Hannesson |
| Mars Mars (mythology) Mars was the Roman god of war and also an agricultural guardian, a combination characteristic of early Rome. He was second in importance only to Jupiter, and he was the most prominent of the military gods worshipped by the Roman legions... |
bass | David Franklin |
| Diana Diana (mythology) In Roman mythology, Diana was the goddess of the hunt and moon and birthing, being associated with wild animals and woodland, and having the power to talk to and control animals. She was equated with the Greek goddess Artemis, though she had an independent origin in Italy... |
soprano | Margherita Grandi Margherita Grandi Margherita Grandi was an Australian-born Italian soprano, particularly associated with dramatic Italian roles. She possessed a powerful voice and was a forceful singing-actress in the grand manner.-Life and career:... |
| Jupiter Jupiter (mythology) In ancient Roman religion and myth, Jupiter or Jove is the king of the gods, and the god of the sky and thunder. He is the equivalent of Zeus in the Greek pantheon.... |
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... |
Kenneth Schon |
| Chorus Choir A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus... : Villagers, guests, servants |
||
Synopsis
Legend has it that when men ceased to believe in the Gods of OlympusMount Olympus
Mount Olympus is the highest mountain in Greece, located on the border between Thessaly and Macedonia, about 100 kilometres away from Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest city. Mount Olympus has 52 peaks. The highest peak Mytikas, meaning "nose", rises to 2,917 metres...
, some of the gods became a group of strolling players, walking through Europe over the centuries. Once every 100 years however, at midsummer
Midsummer
Midsummer may simply refer to the period of time centered upon the summer solstice, but more often refers to specific European celebrations that accompany the actual solstice, or that take place on a day between June 21 and June 24, and the preceding evening. The exact dates vary between different...
, these players find themselves again with their divine powers.
Time: 1836, at midsummer
Setting: Berasson, a small town in the south of France
Act 1
A large room at the Golden Duck tavernAfter bustle of travellers departing, Madame Bardeau is seen entertaining the curé
Cure
A cure is a completely effective treatment for a disease.The Cure is an English rock band.Cure, or similar, may also refer to:-Film and television:* The Cure , a short film starring Charlie Chaplin...
. She owes money to Lavatte, the richest (and meanest) man in the town. While explaining all this, she sees a porter loading luggage belonging to a group of strolling players who owe her money. The curé agrees to intercede with Lavatte if she will be generous with the players.
Lavatte enters and announces that he is giving a party that night to mark the engagement of his daughter Madeleine to a local nobleman (who it turns out is too old to become her husband). The curé suggests that Lavatte gets the players to entertain his guests that night – they will come cheap if he agrees to allow Madame Bardeau to have more time to pay her debt.
The curé is joined by Hector, a young poet on his way to Paris, and when the curé has left and Madeleine enters in search of her father, it becomes clear that the two young people are falling in love. When Lavatte returns he angrily takes Madeleine away, closely followed by Hector.
The players enter: Mercury (their dancer), Venus, Diana, Mars, Bacchus and Jupiter, the manager of the troupe. Diana is fed up with the roving life and wants a change, but Jupiter reminds them that down the centuries they have known many hardships and must stick together. Hector enters and stands them all wine, and when Lavatte comes in they offer to perform their ‘Comedy of Olympus’. Lavatte drives a hard bargain with them before leaving, but refuses to allow Hector to come to the party.
The players become animated and jubilant, while Hector declares his love for Madeleine, and Madame Bardeau complains about all the noise.
Act 2
A large courtyard outside Lavatte’s house, the moon rising.Madeleine comes out, unhappy because Hector has not been invited, but he, in disguise reveals himself and they ecstatically proclaim their love. There are cries from the house as Mercury comes out, and casts a spell on the lovers, who fall asleep. Guests emerge from the house and hear Diana sing of the joy of the hunt, then leading some off with her voice dying away in the distance.
It is midnight and a group of male guests and Mars come onto the terrace and sing of war before they too go off; Lavatte is angry with the antics of the gods. Venus and Bacchus then appear, along with the rest of Lavatte’s guests. Hector is taken with Venus’s beauty.
Jupiter lectures all on the power of the old gods, telling them not to desert the ancient ways of mankind. Diana and Mars reappear, so all the gods apart from Mercury are together. Lavatte comes back into the courtyard with some police, and despite Jupiter’s warning, calls on the police to arrest the gods; Jupiter sets the thunder rumbling and a thunderbolt knocks Lavatte to the ground.
Act 3
Outside Lavatte’s house, where the players were to have staged their performance.Morning is approaching; the gods’ powers are waning. Diana sings a lament. Madeleine is unhappy as Hector is still fascinated by Venus; Jupiter comforts her and she forgives Hector and agrees to marry him. As the day breaks, Lavatte comes in, desperate to rid himself of the night’s magic, followed by the curé who claims to have found a way to exorcise the magic: Lavatte must provide gold to make a magic circle and to allow his daughter to follow her heart’s will. A mock exorcising ceremony is started, and the players – as shabby as they were in Act 1 – enter and ask for their pay and a testimonial. Lavatte agrees, and as the sun rises, guests and servants come on the scene and sing a bridal chorus for Madeleine - as the players start again on their travels.