Love's Labour's Lostis anoperabyNicolas Nabokov,written byW. H. AudenandChester Kallman,based onShakespeare'splay of the same name.It was first performed inBrusselson 7 February 1973.
| Love's Labour's Lost | |
|---|---|
| OperabyNicolas Nabokov | |
| Librettist | |
| Language | English |
| Based on | Love's Labour's Lost by Shakespeare |
| Premiere | February 7, 1973 Brussels |
History
editWhile Nabokov was in New York, preparing a ballet revival,Lincoln Kirsteininitiated talks with W. H. Auden who was looking for an opera project and had already contactedMichael TippettandHarrison Birtwistle.[1]The composer read Shakespeare's playLove's Labour's Lostagain, and found similarities to Mozart'sCosì fan tuttein its "stylized, deliberately artificial plot".[2]Auden and Nabokov discussed the project in February 1969.[2]Auden won Chester Kallman to participate, as before for Stravinsky'sThe Rake's Progressand Henze'sElegy for Young Lovers.In his foreword to an edition of Shakespeare's play for theRoyal Shakespeare Company,Jonathan Batemuses that they were possibly inspired by Thomas Mann's novelDoctor Faustus,in which the fictional hero composes his single opera based on this same play, intended to be "in a spirit of the most artificial mockery and parody of the artificial, something highly playful and highly precious".[3]
Thelibrettistsagreed to focus on the scenes around the couples, and Nabokov planned a "tender, lyrical, gay, but fairly small-scale opera".[2]In July that year, the three met in Austria, working on the project, and in September the libretto was completed. It contains also a speech fromAs You Like Itand an anonymous song from the 17th century. The plot is stretched over four seasons.[2]Nabokov wrote the first act while being composer in residence inAspen, Colorado,in 1970. He resumed working on the score in February 1971 inKolbsheim,completing the work there in September.[2]For the orchestration, he was assisted by the German-American conductorHarold Byrns.[2][4]The New Grove Dictionary of Operasummarizes that "the music is cast in an eclectic parody style the composer called 'persiflage', sending up Tristan and Beethoven's Fifth Symphony in Berowne's love aria, Weill and Eisler in the 'Discourse about Love', American crooning in Moth's songs, Glinka and Mussorgsky for the 'Muscovite' masquerade, and catches and madrigals."[5]
The opera premiered inBrusselson 7 February 1973. A German version,Verlorene Liebesmüh,was written byClaus H. Henneberg,[6]but performances in Berlin shortly after the premiere were in English, because the singers were reluctant to learn yet another language.[2]
Roles
edit| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, 7 February 1973[2] Conductor:Reinhard Peters |
|---|---|---|
| Rosaline | dramatic soprano | Lou Ann Wyckoff |
| Katherine | lyric soprano | |
| Jaquenetta | coloratura soprano | Carol Malone |
| Moth | lyric soprano (contralto) | David Knudsen |
| Princess | coloraturamezzo-soprano | Patricia Johnson[7] |
| Dumaine | tenor | |
| Berowne | highbaritone | Barry McDaniel |
| Don Armado | baritone | George Fortune |
| King | baritone | |
| Boyet | bass | Manfred Röhrl[7] |
References
edit- ^Carpenter, Humphrey (1981).W. H. Auden: A Biography.Allen & Unwin.p. 428.ISBN9780049280441.
- ^abcdefghGiroud, Vincent (2015).Nicolas Nabokov: A Life in Freedom and Music.Oxford University Press.pp. 392–398.ISBN9780199399895.
- ^Jonathan Bate(2008). Introduction.Love's Labour's Lost.By William Shakespeare.Rasmussen, Eric(ed.). The RSC Shakespeare.Palgrave Macmillan.pp. vii–viii.ISBN978-0230217911.
- ^Central Opera Service Bulletin
- ^Sander, Peter (2000).Love's Labour's Lost by William Shakespeare(PDF).Hofstra University.p. 17.
- ^"Nabokoff, Nicholas / Love's Labours Lost (1973)".Boosey & Hawkes.RetrievedSeptember 12,2017.
- ^abMesa, Franklin (2007).Opera: An Encyclopedia of World Premieres and Significant Performances, Singers, Composers, Librettists, Arias and Conductors, 1597–2000.McFarland.pp. 371, 417.ISBN9780786477289.
