The Ruse Opera will present the opera "Orpheus"
News публикувана на: 22.02.2016
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The Ruse Opera performs the opera Orpheus by the Canadian composer John Robertson in Stara Zagora
On 27 February, at 19.00, the Rousse Opera will present for the first time in Stara Zagora the performance of the one-act opera-mask "Orpheus" by the Canadian composer John Robertson - a new work of the 21st century, created especially for the Rousse Opera company. Conductor Anthony Armore, director Ognyan Draganov. Participating soloists Vladimir Popov /Orpheus/, Petya Tzoneva /Euridice/, Plamen Beykov /Haron/, Plamen Troanski/Hades/, choir, orchestra and ballet of the State Opera-Ruse.
The first meeting of the Bulgarian audience with the Canadian composer John Robertson and his works was two years ago in Ruse, and in September 2014 the Ruse Opera made recordings with his music. Then the idea of writing an opera about Orpheus was born. The director of the State Opera Ruse, Naiden Todorov, explains the commissioning of an opera on this theme by his intention to stage a work about Orpheus every year, since he is a symbol of music and originates from Bulgarian lands. Naiden Todorov describes John Robertson's music as both "new and pleasing to the ear and the heart".
John Robertson eagerly accepted the challenge to create the first opera work of his life, especially for the Ruse company. Before the premiere last year, the composer was in Ruse for three weeks, helping the singers to get a better feel for how to sing the text in English.
The title is abstract, and the myth is told through the eyes of a man and a woman who dream of their love despite never physically meeting. This is a reference to the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, who face the ordeal of her not speaking and him not looking at her until they emerge from the underworld..
The texts of the work are from Shakespeare's works, including four sonnets translated especially for the opera Orpheus by Plamen Beykov /as Charon/, whose work includes the subtitles. The author of the opera has also turned to plays by the great playwright, including Twelfth Night, Henry VII, Romeo and Juliet and The Two Veronese. Texts from these are used as individual character lines.
The premiere of the opera "Orfeo" by John Robertson is on 27 June 2015 on the stage of the Rousse Opera under the conductor Nayden Todorov. The duration of the work is one hour.
John Robertson was born in New Zealand, where he completed his secondary musical education. When he became 20, in search of adventure, he chose Canada as his main direction, where he decided to stay longer. He continued his musical education there, studying composition at the Royal Conservatory in Toronto. Even before he had begun to build his professional musical career, he started composing. Many of his compositions from his youth had their premiere performances.
In his formative years, many of his works were performed in Canada, Australia, Mexico, England, Sweden and Bulgaria.
In 2014, several of his works were performed in two concerts by the Rousse Philharmonic and were recorded and prepared for CD release. During these recordings, director Ognyan Draganov met the Canadian composer and gave him the idea to write a vocal and stage work that could be staged by himself on the stage of the Rousse Opera.
Inspired by the success of his work in Bulgaria and the wonderful offer, John Robertson, returning to Canada from Rousse, began to work on the idea of writing a short opera on a subject dedicated to the mythical Orpheus. The composer faced the difficult question of finding a suitable libretto. His love for the work of Shakespeare, who, he believed, always had something to say on all of life's subjects, gave him the strength to do a great deal of research and to find the necessary sources in the works of the brilliant playwright and poet for the composition of a libretto. To Shakespeare's text the composer adds only a few lines necessary to carry out the dramatic line.
When the libretto is prepared, the music, as he likes to say, falls into the right place and begins to "illustrate" the Orpheus myth with ease. To tell the story even better, a few dance numbers are added - just as Gluck once did in his well-known operatic version.
John Robertson likes Bulgaria and returns again to Ruse with new ideas for his performance. The Stara Zagora audience will see exactly this version of his opera-masque Orpheus on 27 February.
ORPHEUS - MASK*
Notes by Plamen Beikov:
The masque is a genre of courtly entertainment, typical of 16th and early 17th century Western Europe, which first appeared in Italy. In its form, the mask includes musical interlude and the presentation of live paintings. The artistic elements of the masque are music and dance, singing and acting, combining singing and speaking, which are united by a common plot illustrated by scenography and costumes. In many cases, the nobles and royalty themselves even willingly participated in the masks presented in their palaces.
Bass Plamen Beykov, with his inherent enthusiasm, undertook the translation of the libretto and the preparation of the subtitles.
Orpheus with his lute drives the woods,
even on the mountains icy peaks
to bow their heads to listen,
to taste the sweetness of his song.
The melodies the grasses and flowers drank,
they bloomed from them, as from the sun and the water.
Wherever he sang, spring eternal bloomed.
And who heard him play, youth welcomed.
Even the waves terrible of the sea,
relaxed faces that listened to the sky.
With music sweet of his skill,
he drove all sorrow and care from the heart,
Each one died there, listening in intoxication.
Opening chorus to John Robertson's Orpheus
"The present translation of John Robertson's Orpheus Masque is literal and inartistic. It is made with the sole purpose of facilitating the appreciation of the complex and allegory-laden language of Shakespeare, whose works were used to compose the libretto of the musical-stage work. In this way, I think, the musical parts of the characters will be most easily learned.
My recommendation to everyone is to find and read Valery Petrov's brilliant fiction-poetry translations! Once you have and know my literal translation, you will be able to enjoy the poetic mood and intelligent inventiveness that Shakespeare's verse carries and that Valery Petrov has ingeniously rendered into Bulgarian. The composer has placed a note in your keyboard which you can use to find your way around the translated passages (see Text Sources For "Orpheus"). The least you can do is read Shakespeare's Sonnets. There are only four in the libretto of Orpheus. For convenience, I have put their numbers in the libretto and its translation. Unfortunately, the poem The Passionate Pilgrim, a fragment of which also appears in the libretto, I do not know to have been translated by Valery Petrov. In the future I will improve, as best I can..., poetically and artistically my translation, which I will use for the subtitles."
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