Esther (Weisgall opera)

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Esther is an American opera in 3 acts composed by Hugo Weisgall, with a libretto by Charles Kondek. Esther was premiered by the New York City Opera in October 1993. The opera is about Esther's struggle as she becomes the queen of Persia, and her heroic triumph over the evil Prime Minister Haman and his plot of exterminating the Jews. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Background

Esther was a Jewish queen of the Persian Empire, the wife of Ahasuerus (also known as Xerxes I). Today, her story is best known through its telling in Jewish Scriptures and the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. As a result of Esther's intervention and influence, Mizrahi Jews lived in the Persian Empire for 2400 years thereafter. Jews established an annual feast, the feast of Purim, in memory of their deliverance. Weisgall is one of few composers to use the character Esther as a subject, including Palestrina, Handel, and Milhaud.

Esther was Weisgall's 10th and last opera. It was considered one of his most successful works, along with Six Characters in Search of an Author , which confirmed his reputation as a major 20th-century American composer. Despite the background and sources of the subject, Weisgall composed Esther with no discernible attempt to adapt Persian music or style in his opera. The opera remained post-modernist, with strong Second Viennese School influence, although not entirely atonal. Weisgall descended from four generations of cantors, including his father, and as a result, absorbed from an early age the musical traditions of the Jews of central Europe as well as the standard opera and song repertory, which influenced the writing for Esther. [4]

Premiere

Although Weisgall's Esther was originally commissioned by the San Francisco Opera, the project came to a halt in 1990. It was resurrected, however, by Christopher Keene and New York City Opera for their 50th anniversary celebration in 1993. The company's stunning yet simple production was praised by press across the states. Designed by Jerome Sirlin and lit by Jeff Davis, the premiere was conducted by Joseph Colaneri and directed by Christopher Mattaliano. A strong cast was led by Lauren Flanigan in the title role.

The opera was revived to open New York City Opera's 2009 season with Christopher Mattaliano and James Sirlin returning from the artistic team and Lauren Flanigan again singing the role of Esther.

Reception

By all counts, the premiere of Esther was a great success. Both critical and audience reaction favored the new opera, performed as one of a festival of American operas. The New York Times ' critic Edward Rothstein wrote, "The composer's triumph could not have been more complete." [5] The New York Times wrote: "When Weisgall took curtain calls, the ovation was so thunderous, you would have thought that Verdi had risen from the dead." [6]

Despite the enthusiastic reception of the premiere, Esther was not performed again by a major opera company until it opened the New York City Opera's 2009–10 season. [7]

Roles

RoleVoice typePremiere Cast,
October 8, 1993
(Conductor: Joseph Colaneri)
Esther soprano Lauren Flanigan
Gravedigger bass John Calvin West
Mordecai baritone Joseph Corteggiano
Bigthan tenor James Russell
Teresh bass Boyd Schlaefer
ServanttenorSteven Raiford
Vashti mezzo-soprano Robynne Redmon
Haman TenorAllan Glassman
Xerxes baritoneEugene Perry
Hegai countertenor Thomas Mark Fallon
ReadertenorMichael Lockley
Zereshmezzo-soprano Joyce Castle

Synopsis

(3 Acts, 12 Scenes)

The story unfolds in Susa, in ancient Persia. King Xerxes has banished Queen Vashti and is looking for a new wife. Esther, a beautiful Jewish maiden, is informed by her uncle Mordecai that she has been summoned to the court harem. Vashti seeks revenge for her banishment by plotting to have Xerxes poisoned. Mordecai discovers this plot and informs the King.

Haman, the King's Prime Minister, and his wife Zeresh plan to exterminate all the Jews in the entire kingdom on the 13th of Adar as retribution for Mordecai's unwillingness to bow to Haman. Xerxes, completely under Haman's influence, signs the edict.

Mordecai begs Esther, now the Queen, to ask Xerxes to intercede for the Jewish people, even though the law states that approaching the King unsummoned is a capital offense. When Esther approaches her husband, Xerxes pardons her, and grants her any favor she requests. Esther says she will reveal her wish at a banquet. There, Esther divulges that she is Jewish and demands that Haman and his sons be hanged. Since Xerxes cannot revoke his earlier edict against the Jews, she also asks that the Jews be allowed to defend themselves on the 13th of Adar. The Jews celebrate their survival and their gratitude to Esther.

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Book of Esther Book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament

The Book of Esther, also known in Hebrew as "the Scroll" (Megillah), is a book in the third section of the Jewish Tanakh. It is one of the five Scrolls (Megillot) in the Hebrew Bible and later became part of the Christian Greek Old Testament.

Esther Biblical Jewish queen of Persia and Medes

Esther is described in all versions of the Book of Esther as the Jewish queen of a Persian king Ahasuerus. In the narrative, Ahasuerus seeks a new wife after his queen, Vashti, refuses to obey him, and Esther is chosen for her beauty. The king's chief adviser, Haman, is offended by Esther's cousin and guardian, Mordecai, and gets permission from the king to have all the Jews in the kingdom killed. Esther foils the plan, and wins permission from the king for the Jews to kill their enemies, and they do so. Her story provides a traditional background for Purim, which is celebrated on the date given in the story for when Haman's order was to go into effect, which is the same day that the Jews killed their enemies after the plan was reversed.

Ahasuerus

Ahasuerus is a name applied in the Hebrew Bible to three rulers and to a Babylonian official in the Book of Tobit.

Mordecai

Mordecai is one of the main personalities in the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible. He is described as being the son of Jair, of the tribe of Benjamin. He was promoted to Vizier after Haman was killed.

Purim Jewish holiday

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Vashti Character in the Book of Esther; queen of Persia

Vashti was a queen of Persia and the first wife of Persian King Ahasuerus in the Book of Esther, a book included in the Tanach and the Old Testament and read on the Jewish holiday of Purim. She was banished for her refusal to appear at the king's banquet to show her beauty as the king wished, and Esther was chosen to succeed her as queen. In the Midrash, Vashti is described as wicked and vain. She is viewed as an independent-minded heroine in feminist interpretations of the Purim story.

Haman Biblical figure

Haman is the main antagonist in the Book of Esther, who according to the Hebrew Bible was a vizier in the Persian empire under King Ahasuerus, commonly identified as Xerxes I but traditionally equated with Artaxerxes I or Artaxerxes II. As his epithet Agagite indicates, Haman was a descendant of Agag, the king of the Amalekites. Some commentators interpret this descent to be spiritual, due to his behavioral similarity with Agag.

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Haman in rabbinic literature

Allusions in rabbinic literature to the Biblical character of Haman, the anti-Jewish villain of the Book of Esther, contain various expansions, elaborations and inferences beyond what is presented in the text of the Bible itself.

Esther in rabbinic literature

This article is about Esther in rabbinic literature. Esther was the chief character in the Book of Esther. She is counted among the prophetesses of Israel. Allusions in rabbinic literature to the Biblical story of Esther contain various expansions, elaborations and inferences beyond the text presented in the book of the Bible.

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Lauren Flanigan is an American operatic soprano who has had an active international career since the 1980s. She enjoyed a particularly fruitful partnership with the New York City Opera, appearing with the company almost every year since 1990. She has sung more than 100 different opera roles on stage during her career, often appearing in contemporary works or more rarely staged operas. Opera News stated that, "Flanigan has enjoyed one of the most distinctive careers of any artist of her generation, one marked by a high volume of contemporary works. Modern composers love her because of her innate musicality, dramatic power and lightning-fast skills and instincts."

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<i>The Book of Esther</i> (film)

The Book of Esther is a 2013 American biblical-drama film directed by David A. R. White and starring Jen Lilley as Esther. The film portrays a Jewish girl, Esther, who is chosen as the new queen consort to King Xerxes I of Persia and her efforts to stop evil Lord Haman's plot to exterminate the Jews. The film is loosely based on the biblical tale of the Book of Esther. It was released on June 11, 2013, in the United States as a direct-to-TV special.

<i>Life of Esther</i>

Life of Esther or Scenes from the Story of Esther is the title of a series of six panel paintings by Sandro Botticelli and Filippino Lippi, showing scenes from the story of Esther and produced in the 1470s. They originally decorated the sides of a pair of cassoni or marriage chests, the two long panels on the fronts, and the smaller ones on the ends. They are now split between five museums in Europe and Canada.

Esther 2

Esther 2 is the second chapter of the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The author of the book is unknown and modern scholars have established that the final stage of the Hebrew text would have been formed by the second century BCE. Chapters 1 and 2 form the exposition of the book. This chapter introduces Mordecai and his adoptive daughter, Esther, whose beauty won the approval of the king Ahasuerus, and she was crowned the queen of Persia. Given information from Mordecai, Esther warned the king of an assassination plan, so that the would-be assassins were executed on the gallows, and the king owed Mordecai his life.

Esther 3

Esther 3 is the third chapter of the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The author of the book is unknown and modern scholars have established that the final stage of the Hebrew text would have been formed by the second century BCE. Chapters 3 to 8 contain the nine scenes that form the complication in the book. This chapter introduces Haman the Agagite, who is linked by his genealogy to King Agag, the enemy of Israel's King Saul, from whose father, Kish, Mordecai was descended. The king Ahasuerus elevated Haman to a high position in the court, and ordered everyone to bow down to him, but Mordecai refuses to do so to Haman (3:2), which is connected to Mordecai's Jewish identity (as Jews would only bow down to worship their own God ; this indirectly introduced the religious dimension of the story. Haman reacted by a vast plan to destroy not simply Mordecai, but his entire people, getting the approval from the king to arrange for a particular date of genocide, selected by casting a lot, or pur to fall on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, Adar. The chapter ends with the confused reaction of the whole city of Susa due to the decree.

Esther 6

Esther 6 is the sixth chapter of the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible, The author of the book is unknown and modern scholars have established that the final stage of the Hebrew text would have been formed by the second century BCE. Chapters 3 to 8 contain the nine scenes that form the complication in the book. This chapter relates how a sleepless Ahasuerus had his court annals read aloud and discovered that he had failed to reward Mordecai for passing on the information about the assassination plot. The episode leads to 'a marvellously ironic scene' (6:4–11), as the narrative 'moves inexorably to its ultimate reversal', starting with Haman leading a king's horse carrying Mordecai, clothed in royal garb through the streets of Susa, and proclaiming the king's favor for Mordecai. Haman went home exhibiting mourning behavior and his wife predicted that Haman's intent to destroy Mordecai would end up with the opposite result.

Esther 8

Esther 8 is the eighth chapter of the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible, The author of the book is unknown and modern scholars have established that the final stage of the Hebrew text would have been formed by the second century BCE. Chapters 3 to 8 contain the nine scenes that form the complication in the book. This chapter contains the effort to deal with the irreversible decree against the Jews now that Haman is dead and Mordecai is elevated to the position of prime minister.

Esther 9

Esther 9 is the ninth chapter of the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible, The author of the book is unknown and modern scholars have established that the final stage of the Hebrew text would have been formed by the second century BCE. Chapters 9 to 10 contain the resolution of the stories in the book. This chapter records the events on the thirteenth and fourteenth of Adar and the institution of the Purim festival after the Jews overcome their enemies.

References

  1. ↑ Redmond, Michael. City Opera Triumphs with Premiere of ‘Esther’. Newark Star. October 11, 1993
  2. ↑ Rothstein, Edward. Review/Opera; Esther Lives in Modern Musical Terms. The New York Times. October 11, 1993
  3. ↑ Saylor, Bruce. Weisgall, Hugo. Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online.
  4. ↑ "Columbia University Record Vol. 21", Columbia University Record , September 8, 1995. Vol. 21. Retrieved June 16, 2009.
  5. ↑ Tommasini, Anthony. "MUSIC; A Premier Is Too Often a Dead End", The New York Times , March 18, 2001. Retrieved June 16, 2009.
  6. ↑ Tommasini, Anthony. "MUSIC; A Premier Is Too Often a Dead End", The New York Times , March 18, 2001. Retrieved June 16, 2009.
  7. ↑ Anthony Tommasini, Reborn: Neglected Work and City Opera, The New York Times, Nov. 8, 2009
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