The Violins of Saint-Jacques
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| The Violins of Saint-Jacques | |
|---|---|
| Opera by Malcolm Williamson | |
| Librettist | William Chappell |
| Language | English |
| Based on | Patrick Leigh Fermor's novel |
| Premiere | |
The Violins of Saint-Jacques is an opera in three acts by Malcolm Williamson to an English libretto by William Chappell after the 1953 novel by Patrick Leigh Fermor.[1]
It was first performed at Sadler's Wells Theatre in London on 29 November 1966 by Sadler's Wells Opera in a production by Chappell[2] and was revived there and at the London Coliseum in the years immediately following.[3]
Although the opera depicts spectacular scenes on the ocean, a creole carnival and an exploding volcano, the plot is essentially "an intimate romantic drama about young people in love, all the more poignant because of its pointlessness".[3] Musical highlights include the Quartet 'I have another world to show you' and Berthe's aria 'Each afternoon when the swooning breezes cool and die' (recorded by Cheryl Barker),[3] in Act 1; Josephine's 'Let me one day return', the love duet for Sosthène and Berthe 'We'll meet at Beauséjour' and the waltzes of the Mardi gras party in Act 2; and Agenor's aria 'I love this hour' in Act 3.[4] The libretto provides an opposition of two groups of characters: a quartet of serious lovers (Berthe, Sosthène, Josephine, Marcel) and another comic group (Agenor, Mathilde, Joubert), which gives Williamson ample scope for musical portraiture.[5]
The opera was commissioned in association with the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.[6]
The work, the fifth opera by the composer, was successful during its opening Sadler's Wells production and a revival at the London Coliseum and national UK tour.[3] A BBC radio relay was broadcast on 8 December 1966 and a performance of December 1968 was broadcast on 5 June 1969.
The critical reception was mixed. Opera magazine commented that the opera "seems to have split critical opinion more sharply than any modern work in the past few years".[7] The Spectator defended the composer against those who criticised him for writing in part tunes in a "Strauss-Puccini idiom", also praising Williamson's character music, the dances and for having "an accent and palmprint of his own".[4] The Musical Times expressed disappointment and likened its "romantic panache" to The Sound of Music, and criticised the authors for aiming too low.[8] Grove dubs the work Williamson's "most impressive operatic achievement".[1] Stephen Walsh believed that the second act was the best, because the composer had succeeded well in integrating the set numbers within his "dynamic overall design".[5] Alternatively, others preferred the opening act: "the whole act is a seamless, symphonic outpouring as memorable as anything in English opera".[3]
An Australian Opera production was broadcast by the ABC in 1974[9] which included an appearance by Pamela Stephenson.
Peter Rice's costume designs are now held at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.[10]
Roles
| Role[11] | Voice type | Premiere cast, 29 November 1966[12] (Conductor: Vilém Tauský) |
|---|---|---|
| Berthe, niece of Count Serindan | soprano | April Cantelo |
| Agenor, Count De Serindan | bass | Owen Brannigan |
| Mathilde, Countess Serindan | soprano | Jennifer Vyvyan |
| Josephine, daughter of the Count and Countess | mezzo-soprano | Patricia Kern |
| Sosthène, son of the Count and Countess | tenor | David Hillman |
| Maman Zélie, voodoo priestess | mezzo-soprano | Ann Robson |
| Sciocca, the governor | tenor | Émile Belcourt |
| Madame Sciocca | soprano | Wendy Baldwin |
| Marcel Sciocca, their son | baritone | David Bowman |
| Captain Henri Joubert | tenor | John Fryatt |
| François de Chambines | ||
| Gontran de Chambines | ||
| Gentilien the Count's butler | bass | James Singleton |
| Pierrot | Norman Milne | |
| An old fisherman | bass | Derek Hammond-Stroud |
| Basket Man, First and Second Netman, First and Second Oarsman | Brian O'Keefe, Paul Jansen, Peter Tracey, Handel Thomas, Donald Solomon, Terence Hall | |
| Chorus: | ||
Instrumentation
3 flutes (2 double piccolo), 2 oboes and cor anglais, 2 clarinet and bass-clarinet, 2 bassoons and contra-bassoon, 4 horns, 4 trumpets, 3 trombones, 1 tuba, timpani, percussion, organ, 2 harps, strings
Stage Music: flute, clarinet, two horns, four trumpets, three violins, one double bass[13]
