United Kingdom Prokofiev, César Cui, Elena Langer: Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of Royal Conservatoire of Scotland / Lada Valešová (conductor). New Atheneum Theatre, Glasgow, 20.3.2023. (GT)
Prokofiev – Overture on Hebrew Themes
César Cui – A Feast in Time of Plague
Elena Langer – Four Sisters (world premiere)
This double invoice was initially a triple invoice; nevertheless, the projected Mozart and Salieri by Rimsky-Korsakov was changed by an overture by Prokofiev. I’ve by no means heard a single word of César Cui’s music within the live performance corridor or theatre, nor have I heard any recordings of his music. A member of the ‘Mighty Kuchka‘ (Mighty Handful) nationalist group, and of the Belyayev Circle, Cui wrote at least fourteen operas and a substantial amount of chamber music and romances. Born in Vilnius in what’s now Lithuania, his father took half within the Napoleonic wars and was injured within the battle for Smolensk within the French push in the direction of Moscow in 1812. Rather than return to his homeland, Cui married an area girl in Vilnius.
Born in 1835, Cui studied within the army college in St Petersburg (amongst whose college students had been Dostoyevsky and Myaskovsky). He turned a professor, and was lucky to show illustrious pupils, amongst whom was the long run Tsar Nicholas II. He took half in Russia’s Balkans marketing campaign advising on the development of army constructions. In the Russian capital, he was interested in music within the soirees hosted by the aristocracy and have become pals with Rimsky-Korsakov and Mussorgsky. He was additionally an influential music critic and had a popularity for sarcastically destroying his rivals, most notably Tchaikovsky’s operas and Rachmaninov for his First Symphony. He additionally criticised fashionable music and was extremely regarded by Liszt.
The Prokofiev piece (Overture on Hebrew Themes) opened with a darkish shadowy stage dominated by two upright coffins with the Jewish violinist performed by Sam Marston sitting on considered one of them, and because the music unfolded, he opened the coffins to disclose two well-dressed gents who mime making an attempt to be confined within the dearer one The piece suitably set the tone for what’s to observe – a theme of demise and wealth.
César Cui’s libretto is from Pushkin’s eponymous play that takes place in London in the course of the 1665 pandemic, and we see two well-dressed {couples} making an attempt to keep away from the plague by having fun with a celebration. Walsingham toasts the plague with an arioso celebrating life within the face of demise. A priest arrives who berates the corporate for disrespecting the lifeless throughout a time of woe, but he’s countered by Walsingham – and the younger {couples} who proceed revelling.
Ross Cumming’s Walsingham was very good, each in his wealthy baritone and appearing, and was matched by the Polish mezzo-soprano Wiktoria Wizner whose aria was fantastically sung and in character. As in final month’s L’etoile, the French soprano Marie Cayeux was excellent in portraying the vivacious Louisa, and the Young Man was finely characterised by Sam Marston, whereas the Priest was forcefully carried out by Pawel Piotrowski. The orchestra was of chamber dimension but there was some advantageous harmonies particularly from the harp, and woodwind group fantastically directed by the Czech conductor Lada Valešová. The Russian teaching was wonderful. Cui’s vocal writing is engaging with color and skilfully rhythmic phrasing; nevertheless, his orchestral writing lacks the concord, richness and genius of the ‘Mighty Kuchka‘ – Rimsky-Korsakov, Mussorgsky, Balakirev and Borodin. This short opera is a good introduction to this composer’s music, and I’ll attempt to search out extra of his creativity.
Elena Langer is a Russian-born composer who has loved vital success together with her Figaro Gets a Divorce, the vaudeville Rhondda Rips It Up! for Welsh National Opera and extra broadly within the US, Asia and Europe. Langer’s music is vibrant, dramatic and humorous, and on the premise of this efficiency, she is clearly a extremely gifted composer who embraces a wealth of orchestral ingenuity and mastery. Her writing is essentially tonal and infrequently makes use of twelve-tone approach. Her conception for Four Sisters was partly impressed by Chekhov’s Three Sisters, as she explains: ‘When Dawn Upshaw asked me to write an opera for her students at Bard College in Upstate New York, I thought it would be nice to have a contemporary libretto specifically written for this occasion – perhaps with a few frivolous young girls at the centre of the piece and set in New York City. Soon after that, I happened to have a chat with the director John Lloyd-Davies and shared these thoughts. John at that time was designing Chekhov’s Three Sisters in Vienna. Just a few days later I acquired a brief state of affairs of Four Sisters!’ The opera was premiered in 2012, nevertheless, this revised model for the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland is shorter and with full orchestra.
The opera owes quite a bit to Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi: the coffin of a deceased Russian-born tycoon is centre stage together with his relations gathered speculating in regards to the inheritance and sharing their hopes for spending the cash – but the lawyer Krumpelblatt arrives and tells of his dropping the need. After a frantic search of the tycoon’s flat, the need is found with a stunning end result for everybody. The characterisation of Irina by Megan Baker was excellent, she has an awesome voice and far charisma and is matched by the immensely promising Marie Cayeux because the Maid, who together with her capriciousness and comedian appearing is one other star.
Ross Cumming because the lawyer Krumpelblatt was excellent, each in voice and comedian portrayal. The stage was dominated by a mock-up of the Statue of Liberty in grotesque colors, and on the shut, the entire forged is in a celebratory temper. This quick opera is a splendidly humorous work, but not with out satire and a joke on the expense of America’s corrupt monetary world. The music is wildly humorous, and I discovered kinships within the orchestration with Bernstein and Shostakovich in its wit and appeal, however Elena Langer has her personal distinctive voice and has achieved a triumph with this good newly revised opera.
An amazing success on all counts and one other hit for the composer and a springboard for the gifted younger college students of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
Gregor Tassie
Creatives:
Director – Max Hoehn
Designer – Jemima Robinson
Lighting designer – Leo Wittner
Assistant Conductor – Emilie Godden
Cast:
A Feast in Time of Plague
President Walsingham – Ross Cumming
Mary – Wiktoria Wizner
Louisa – Marie Cayeux
Young Man – Sam Marston
Plague Doctor – William Searle
Priest – Pawel Piotrowski
Four Sisters
Maid – Marie Cayeux
Masha – Rebecca Murphy
Irina – Megan Baker
Olga – Hannah Bennett
Krumpelblatt – Ross Cumming
Silent Figure – William Searle