Powered By Blogger

Welcome to Villa Speranza.

Welcome to Villa Speranza.

Search This Blog

Translate

Monday, May 6, 2013

IL CAVALIERE AVARO -- ALBERTO -- The Baron's Son -- TENORE -- S. R. -- Inghilterra

Speranza



Jump to: navigation, search































The Miserly Knight, also The Covetous Knight, (Russian: "Skupój rýtsar") is a Russian opera in one act with music by Sergei Rachmaninoff, with the libretto based on Alexander Pushkin's homonymous drama.

It contains roles for five male singers, but no females.

The composer decided essentially to set the Pushkin text as written, and had Feodor Chaliapin in mind for the role of the Baron.

However, Chaliapin withdrew from the production over artistic differences.

The first performance was on January 24 1906 at the Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow,
with the composer himself conducting, in a double-bill performance with another Rachmaninoff opera written contemporaneously, Francesca e Paolo.


Productions of the opera have been rare.

In addition, the characterization of the moneylender, who is identified in the story as being Jewish, has been criticized as anti-Semitic.

 

[

RoleVoicePremiere Cast
24 January 1906
 conductor: Sergei Rachmaninoff 
Baron (i.e., the knight of the opera's title)  baritone  Georges Baklanoff
Albert (Albyer), his sontenor
Ivan, servant (sluga)bass
Moneylender (Torgovyets)tenor
Duke (Gyertsog)baritone

 

The opera falls into three scenes. The setting is medieval England.

 

Alberto is a young knight who devotes himself to jousting and courtly pleasures.

He is now deeply in debt as a result.

His father, a very wealthy but equally frugal baron, refuses to support his son's lifestyle.

Alberto's ability to maneuvre in society is now limited.

He tries to obtain a loan from outside his family.

A money-lender denies Alberto a loan, but instead offers Alberto poison, to allow Alberto to murder his father.

Alberto is appalled at such a suggestion.

Alberto resolves then to go to the Duke to make his appeal.

 

The Baron descends to his cellars, exultant now because he has accumulated enough gold to fill his sixth and final storage chest, and gloats before them.

However, the Baronrealizes that if he died soon, his son Alberto could then claim the fortune and fritter it away on his sensual pleasures.

 

Alberto has appealed to the Duke for help in obtaining money from his father the Baron.

Alberto hides, as the Duca summons the Barone to a meeting.

The Duca asks the Barone to support his son ALBERTO, but the Baron accuses Alberto of wanting to steal from him.

Alberto then angrily reveals his presence and accuses his own father of lying.

The Barone challenges his own son Alberto to a duel.

Alberto accepts.

The duke rebukes the father, and banishes the son from his court.

However, stressed by this confrontation, the
baron collapses fatally.

As the Baron dies, his last request is not for
his son, but the keys to his chests of gold.

Recordings

Audio
Video

[edit] References

[edit] External links


       

No comments:

Post a Comment