Oberon, or The Elf-King's Oath(J.306) is a 3-act romanticoperawith spoken dialogue composed in 1825–26 byCarl Maria von Weber.The only English opera ever set by Weber, thelibrettobyJames Robinson Planchéwas based on the German poemOberonbyChristoph Martin Wieland,which itself was based on the epic romanceHuon de Bordeaux,a French medieval tale.[1]It was premiered in London on 12 April 1826.
| Oberon, or The Elf-King's Oath | |
|---|---|
| OperabyCarl Maria von Weber | |
 Lucia Elizabeth Vestrisas Fatima in an 1826etching | |
| Librettist | James Robinson Planché |
| Language | English |
| Based on | OberonbyChristoph Martin Wieland |
| Premiere | 12 April 1826 Covent Garden,London |
Against his doctor's advice, Weber undertook the project commissioned by the actor-impresarioCharles Kemblefor financial reasons.[1]Having been offered the choice ofFaustor Oberon as subject matter, he travelled to London to complete the music, learning English to be better able to follow the libretto, before the premiere of the opera. However, the pressure of rehearsals, social engagements and composing extra numbers destroyed his health, and Weber died in London on 5 June 1826.[1]
The autograph manuscript of the opera was donated byEmperor Alexander IIto theNational Library of Russia,where it is currently preserved.
Performance history
editFirst performed atCovent Garden,London, on 12 April 1826, with Miss Paton as Reiza, Mme. Vestris as Fatima, Braham as Huon, Bland as Oberon and the composer conducting, it was a triumph with many encores,[1]and the production was frequently revived.[2]The libretto was translated into German later in 1826 byTheodor Hell,and it is in this German translation that the opera is most frequently performed. Weber was dissatisfied by the structure of the opera as it was produced in London, and intended to revise the work on his return toGermany,but he died in London before starting work on the revision. It is logical to assume that the German translation would have had the composer's approval (and that it would have been in that language that revisions would have been made), but he heard it only in English, and did not work on a revision or translated version before his death. Since then, other composers and librettists have revised the work, notablyFranz Wüllner,Gustav Mahler(who, preparing a new performing version, rearranged some of the numbers and composed some linking music based on material from the existing score) and novelist-composerAnthony Burgess,who wrote a new libretto forOberonand arranged the overture for guitar quartet.Franz Lisztmade an arrangement of the overture in 1846 for solo piano (S.574).[citation needed]
The opera was soon mounted elsewhere: Leipzig (23 December 1826); in 1827 in Dublin (1 February), Edinburgh (26 August) and Vienna (20 March), Prague in 1828 and Budapest in 1829, with many other performances in western Europe from the 1830s to the 1860s.[2]
The first performance ofOberonin America took place in New York at thePark Theatreon 20 September 1826.[3]It was first seen in Paris in 1830 at theThéâtre Italien(in German).[2]A lavish production was mounted in French at theThéâtre Lyriquein Paris on 27 February 1857, conducted byAdolphe Deloffre,and was praised byBerlioz.[4]
In the 20th century, theMetropolitan Operapremiere was on 28 December 1918 (accumulating 13 performances up to 1921) withRosa Ponselleas Reiza, conducted byArtur Bodanzky,who also composedrecitativesin place of original spoken dialogue. The opera was staged at theSalzburg Festivalin 1932 and 1934 underWalter,at the 1950Holland FestivalwithMonteuxconducting, at theFlorence Festivalin 1952 underStiedry,and at theParis Operain 1953 withCluytens.[5]Although the opera has been staged intermittently in the 20th century, it has more successfully been given in concert.[citation needed]
Roles
edit| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, 12 April 1826 Conductor: Carl Maria von Weber[6] |
|---|---|---|
| Oberon,King of the Elves | tenor | Charles Bland |
| Puck | mezzo-soprano(en travesti) | Harriet Cawse |
| Titania | mute | Smith |
| Reiza,daughter of Haroun al Rachid,
spelledReziain German |
soprano | Mary Ann Paton |
| Fatima,Reiza's attendant | mezzo-soprano | Lucia Elizabeth Bartolozzi-Vestris |
| SirHuon of Bordeaux,Duke of Guienne
spelledHüonin German |
tenor | John Braham |
| Sherasmin,Huon's squire
spelledScherasminin German |
baritone | John Fawcett |
| Twomermaids | mezzo-sopranos | Mary Ann Goward and? |
| Almanzor,Emir of Tunis | spoken | Cooper |
| Roshana,wife of Almanzor | spoken | Lacy |
| Hassan | bass[citation needed] | J. Isaacs |
| Namouna,Fatima's grandmother | spoken | Davenport |
| Haroun al Rachid,Caliph of Baghdad | spoken | Chapman |
| Babekan,a Saracen prince | spoken | Baker |
| Abdallah,a corsair | spoken | Horrebow |
| Charlemagne | mute | Austin |
| Hamet | spoken | Evans |
| Amrou | spoken | Atkins |
| Chorus: Fairies, ladies, knights, slaves, mermaids. | ||
Orchestration
editThe opera is scored for 2 flutes, 2 clarinets (in A), 2 oboes, 2 bassoons, 4 horns (in D and A), 2 trumpets (in D), 3 trombones (alto, tenor and bass), strings and timpani. The tunings for clarinets, horns and trumpets are from the overture. For instance, act 1 opens with horn in D.[citation needed]
Synopsis
editAct 1
editFairies sing around the sleeping Oberon in his bower. Puck enters and recounts Oberon’s quarrel with Titania, his queen: Oberon had vowed not to be reconciled with her, until a pair of human lovers are found who have been faithful to each other through all perils and temptations. Puck has ventured everywhere to find such couples, but in vain. Awakening, Oberon curses the rash vow he made. Puck tells him that the knight Sir Huon has been ordered by Emperor Charlemagne to go to Baghdad, slay the man on the Caliph's right hand, then kiss and wed the Caliph's daughter. Oberon decides that this knight and the princess will be the ones to assist him in his reconciliation with his queen. A vision of Reiza is conjured for Huon and his squire Sherasmin, and they are given a magic horn to summon aid from Oberon if needed. Fairies are called in to carry Huon on his mission.
On the banks of the Tigris Prince Babekan is rescued from a lion by Huon and Sherasmin. Babekan is actually the betrothed of Reiza but when he attacks Huon and Sherasmin they put the prince and his band to flight. Next Namouna, an old woman, tells Huon that Reiza is to be married the next day, but has also had a vision which has drawn her to Huon.
In the palace of Haroun al Rachid, Reiza confides to her attendant that she will only marry the knight in her vision. As Fatima announces the arrival of Huon, the two women rejoice in anticipation.
Act 2
editIn the splendid court of Haroun al Rachid, a chorus sing praises to their ruler. Reiza is led in to wed Prince Babekan, seated on the caliph’s right, but Huon and Sherasmin burst in, kill Babekan and flee with the princess and Fatima. A ship is to take them to Greece. The two couples express their love as they depart.
Puck invokes the spirits of the elements to wreck Huon’s ship. Huon and Reiza survive, and he goes in search of more survivors while she sings of the fury and menace of the sea. At the close of her aria, she spies a ship approaching and signals to it. But it is a pirate ship, and she is abducted by Abdallah and his crew. Huon tries to save her but is wounded; he manages to sound the magic horn and Oberon appears. Oberon tells Puck to take Huon to Tunis and the house of Ibrahim. The mermaids sing happily over the unconscious prince.
Act 3
editIn the garden of the Emir's house in Tunis, Fatima sings of her fate as a slave. She and Sherasmin are now married, and they sing of their childhood. Puck makes Huon appear, and after Fatima tells him that Reiza is in a harem, they plan her rescue.
In the harem of Almanzor, Reiza laments her lot and manages to get a message to Huon who sets off to release her. However, by accident he encounters Roshana, the Emir's wife, who tries to persuade Huon to kill Almanzor and marry her. He refuses, but the Emir discovers them and condemns Huon to death at the stake. Reiza implores the Emir to pardon Huon, but as she had scorned his advances, the Emir refuses and orders the two to be burned together. Oberon is summoned by Sherasmin blowing the magic horn. The Emir’s slaves begin to dance, and after a second blast on the horn, Oberon and Titania appear. The Tunisians flee, the lovers are transported to Charlemagne’s court, and Huon is pardoned.
Music and noted arias
edit
Comparing the unconventional plot and structure ofOberonwith that ofThe Magic Flute,Gustav Kobbécontends that 'Oberon is musically strong enough to stand on its own merits'.[5]Grove notes that despite the "unmitigated awfulness" of the libretto, Weber was able to provide musical characterisation for the main characters, at the same time colourfully evoking the mood of the different scenes; the careful recurring use of the horn call motif helps to give the impression of tying the work together.[1]The fairy strands of the opera are given in delicate, beautifully orchestrated music that often anticipates the fairy music ofMendelssohn.[1]Indeed, Mendelssohn quoted the descending scale theme from the finale of act 2 ( "Hark, the mermaids" ) in his ownoverture toA Midsummer Night's Dream.It is not clear whether Mendelssohn planned his entire overture as a tribute to Weber.
The most famous numbers:
- The overture (passages of which are quoted byBerliozin hisTreatise on Instrumentation) which is played regularly in the concert hall. It is based on themes from within the opera including the magic horn call; and the soprano's aria "Ocean, thou mighty monster: (" Ozean, du Ungeheuer ")
- Act 1: Oberon's aria "Fatal vow!" ( "Schreckens Schwur!" )
- Act 1: Huon's aria "From boyhood trained" ( "Von Jugend auf in der Kampf" )
- Act 1: Huon's aria "Ah! 'tis a glorious sight to see" (excluded from the German score)
- Act 2: Huon's Prayer "Ruler of this awful hour" ( "Vater! Hör' mich flehn zu Dir!" )
- Act 2: Reiza's aria "Ocean, thou mighty monster" ( "Ozean, du Ungeheuer" )
- Act 2: Fatima's aria "A lonely Arab maid" ( "Arabiens einsam Kind" )
- Act 3: Fatima's aria "O Araby!" ( "Arabien, mein Heimathland!)
- Act 3: Reiza's aria "Mourn thou, poor heart" ( "Traure mein Herz" )
- Act 3: Huon's aria "I revel in hope and joy" ( "Ich jub'le in Glück" )
Recordings
edit- The first commercial recording was in German, and was conducted byRafael Kubelík,whose cast featuredBirgit Nilssonas Reiza,Plácido Domingoas Sir Huon of Bordeaux,Julia Hamarias Fatima, andHermann Preyas Sherasmin,(Deutsche Grammophon,Cat.# J306, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Herkulessaal, Munich, 1970, studio recording.)[citation needed]
- There have been several other recordings, such as those byJames Conlon(Mahler's version) on EMI,Marek Janowski(a note-complete recording) for RCA, and SirJohn Eliot Gardiner(the original English version on period instruments) forPhilips.[citation needed]
References
editNotes
- ^abcdefBrown 1992
- ^abcLoewenberg 1978,columns 702–704
- ^Warrack & West 1992,p. 514.
- ^Walsh 1981,pp. 79–81, 309.
- ^abKobbé 1976,pp. 160–168
- ^Casaglia 2005.
Sources
- Casaglia, Gherardo (2005)."Oberon,12 April 1826 ".L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia(in Italian).
- Brown, Clive (1992). "Oberon".InStanley Sadie(ed.).The New Grove Dictionary of Opera.Vol. 3. London: Macmillan. pp.639–642.ISBN0-333-73432-7.ISBN1-56159-228-5
- Kobbé, Gustav(1976).The Complete Opera Book.New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons.
- Loewenberg, Alfred (1978).Annals of Opera 1597–1940(third revised ed.). Totowa, New Jersey: Rowman and Littlefield.ISBN978-0-87471-851-5.
- Walsh, T. J.(1981).Second Empire Opera: The Théâtre Lyrique, Paris, 1851–1870.London: John Calder.ISBN978-0-7145-3659-0.
- Warrack, John;West, Ewan (1992).The Oxford Dictionary of Opera.Oxford: Oxford University Press.ISBN0-19-869164-5.
Further reading
edit- Brown, Clive;Warrack, John(2001). "Carl Maria von Weber". InAmanda Holden(ed.).The New Penguin Opera Guide.New York: Penguin Putnam. pp.1051–1056.ISBN0-14-029312-4.
- Upton, George (1928).The Standard Opera Guide.New York: Blue Ribbon Books. pp.461–465.
