Sunday Opera
Lo King Man

Sundays 2pm – 5pm

The 'Sunday Opera' listing for June 2007 starts with an inspired French Impressionist work set to a mysterious tragic story steeped in symbolic imagery. We shall experience the thrill of an Italian melodrama of violence and suspense, and a unique German romance in the explosive verismo style depicting life of the underprivileged in the lowlands. The month's programme will end with a masterpiece of the golden age of singing, a powerful adaptation of a famous Scottish novel full of passionate melodies.

3 June: Debussy's Pelleas et Melisande

This is the only full-scale opera Claude Debussy (1862-1918) completed, but it is not his only dramatic work. After its premiere in 1902, Debussy continued to plan further operas until the end of his life without fruition.

The text by Maurice Maeterlinck follows very closely his own symbolist verse drama bearing the same title. It tells the story of an innocent but forbidden love between the protagonists which rouses the suspicion and jealousy of Golaud, husband of the childlike Melisande. Golaud kills his brother Pelleas. Melisande dies in giving birth to a daughter.

The roles of Pelleas, Melisande and Golaud are respectively sung by baritone Francois Le Roux, soprano Maria Ewing and bass Jose van Dam, supported by the Vienna State Opera Chorus and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Claudio Abbado.

10 June: Puccini's Tosca

This is the fifth opera of Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) and his most direct incursion into the field of verismo – insistence on realistic details, strong scenic effect, emphasis on crude passion and violence. The composer successfully combines these elements with the work's tragic and heroic dimensions together with a contrasting flow of tender lyricism. The extremely rich musical invention consists of some sixty motifs associated with situations, emotions, characters and objects running through the opera in rapid succession and ingenious combination. The dramatic power thus achieved places Tosca amongst Puccini's most popular operas.

The intensely exciting plot is derived from a popular stage play by the French master craftsman Victorien Sardou. The heroine is cruelly victimized by the sadistic police chief Baron Scarpia who, even though killed by Tosca in self-defense, manages to trigger a death trap for the protagonist and her lover.

The La Scala recording made in 1953, with the trio of superstars Maria Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano and Tito Gobbi under the direction of Victor de Sabata, is still considered today the best amongst a multitude of competitors.

17 June: Eugen d'Albert's Tiefland

Contemporary of both Debussy and Puccini, Scottish-born Eugen d'Albert (1864-1932) studied the piano and composition in London. He went to study with Liszt in Vienna at the age of 17. After a successful early career as a virtuoso pianist, d'Albert achieved recognition as a composer with his piano and cello concertos, symphony, chamber music and several operas set to German librettos, of which Tiefland (The Lowlands) is the most successful.

First performed in Prague in 1903, Tiefland follows a current trend for naturalism, expressing a concern for the social evils of the growing industrial towns as compared to the purer life of the rural country. It has a brilliantly colourful score and beautiful arias and songs, on this occasion performed by a strong German cast featuring tenor Rudolf Schock, soprano Isabell Strauss and baritone Gerd Feldhoff. The Berlin Symphony Orchestra and Radio Chorus participate under conductor Hans Zanotelli.

24 June: Donizetti's Lucie de Lammermoor

Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848) composed the original Italian version of his Lucia di Lammermoor in 1835 for the San Carlo Theatre of Naples. It enjoyed exceptional public and critical success and productions were mounted in major European and South American capitals in rapid succession.

Donizetti moved to Paris in 1838. He was invited to create a new French version of the opera for the private Theatre de la Renaissance; not just a translation, but a thorough revision with substantial rewriting to suit the logic and diction of a new French text. The result is a more succinct and convincing work, Lucie de Lammermoor.

Adapted from Sir Walter Scott's novel, the plot describes the cruel suppression of Lucie’s love for Edgard by her brother Henri, who forces her to marry another in the hope of reviving their family fortune. Lucie loses her mind and Edgard takes his own life. Lucie’s mad scene is the most famous of its kind in all opera, requiring great technical virtuosity and vocal brilliance for its performance.

Our cast boasts of soprano Natalie Dessay and tenor Roberto Alagna supported by the Chorus and Orchestra of the National Opera of Lyon conducted by Evelino Pidò.