Les Enfants terribles is a danced chamber opera for four voices and three pianos (grand pianos or electronic), composed in 1996 by Philip Glass, to a French-language libretto by the composer, in collaboration with the American choreographer Susan Marshall, after Jean Cocteau's eponymous novel published in 1929 and Jean-Pierre Melville's 1950 film. Commissioned by the "Steps" dance festival organized by the Pour-cent culturel Migros in several Swiss cities, this is the last part of a trilogy in homage to the French poet after Orphée (1993) and La Belle et la Bête (1994). The world premiere of the work took place on 18 May 1996 in Zug conducted by Karen Kamensek.
The work was performed in Albertslund, Denmark, on 28 and 29 May 1996 as part of Kulturby 96 when Copenhagen was the European Capital of Culture. [1] It was subsequently performed at the Teatro Olimpico (Roma) on 17 October 1996, [2] at the Brooklyn Academy of Music of New York on 20 November 1996 for the American premiere, [3] at the Alexander Theatre of Helsinki for the Finnish premiere for seven days from 23 September 2005, [4] with the Skaala Opera ensemble conducted by Sasha Mäkilä at the Oakland Opera House on 6 October 2006, at the Maison de la Culture de Bourges for three days from 20 March 2007 for the French premiere, at the Staatstheater Nürnberg for the German premiere for five days from 29 April 2007, and at the Duško Radović Little Theatre of Belgrade (under the title Derišta), on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment, on 7 December 2009 under the direction of Srđan Marković for the Serbian premiere. [5]
The opera received its UK premiere on 20 August 2010 at the Arcola Theatre, directed by Andrea Ferran. It transferred to the Lilian Baylis Theatre. [6] A second British production, choreographed be Javier de Frutos, with dancers from the Royal Ballet was staged at the Barbican Centre in 2017. [7]
Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, 18 May 1996 Conductor: Karen Kamensek |
---|---|---|
Paul | bass baritone | Philip Cutlip |
Elisabeth | soprano | Christine Arand |
Gérard | tenor | Hal Cazalet |
Dargelos/Agathe | mezzo-soprano | Valérie Komar |
After the death of their mother, Elizabeth and Paul, orphaned brother and sister left to their own devices and bound by an exclusive affection, live together in their large Parisian apartment.
They have built themselves a chimeric universe governed by sibylline symbols. Their room is a real sanctuary where a "treasure" is enthroned with a meaning that is also known only to them. "Elizabeth" met Michael and married him, but the next day he died in an accident without their marriage having been consummated.
She inherited Michael's fortune, including a large private mansion where Paul came to join her with their famous treasure. Gérard, a comrade of Paul and his friend Agathe, who strangely resembles Dargelos (a schoolboy that Paul idolized), soon come to live with them. But when Elizabeth understands that love is born between her brother and Agatha, like a Greek divinity, a kind of Parque, she weaves a Machiavellian web so that her brother cannot escape it. As in all ancient tragedies, the outcome can only be fatal.
Fascinating by the morbid desire carried by the Paul/Elisabeth relationship, this seemingly banal story hides a tragedy: the inevitable end of adolescence, its myths, its grace, its illusions. Elizabeth and Paul die for breaking this law by wanting to eternalize a moment of passage. Indeed, as soon as Dargelos' snowball reaches Paul in the chest, time stops, "the room" begins to live. It became their deserted island, the little piece of land isolated from the rest of the world where they built cabins with their pillows and led a Robinson's existence at night. Their bodies grow, Paul's legs protrude under his sheets, they play at having the desires of grown-ups; but in fact, nothing moves. If they move, it's to rebuild the room immediately. Behind their incessant quarrels, their constant agitation, there is a morbid desire for immobility...
It was Dargelos, the hidden god of this tragedy, who precipitated its outcome by sending a poisoned black ball to Paul, who completed the work of the first snowball. Elizabeth, priestess of the chamber, is only the instrument of fate. By killing herself and her brother, she brings their adolescence into eternity.
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Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, film director, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost artists of the surrealist, avant-garde, and Dadaist movements and an influential figure in early 20th century art. The National Observer suggested that, "of the artistic generation whose daring gave birth to Twentieth Century Art, Cocteau came closest to being a Renaissance man.".
Philip Glass is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimalism, being built up from repetitive phrases and shifting layers. Glass describes himself as a composer of "music with repetitive structures", which he has helped to evolve stylistically.
Orpheus is a 1950 French film directed by Jean Cocteau and starring Jean Marais. It is the central part of Cocteau's Orphic Trilogy, which consists of The Blood of a Poet (1930), Orpheus (1950), and Testament of Orpheus (1960). The film is partially based of Cocteau's 1926 play of the same title.
Jean-Alfred Villain-Marais, known professionally as Jean Marais, was a French actor, film director, theatre director, painter, sculptor, visual artist, writer and photographer. He performed in over 100 films and was the lover, muse and friend of acclaimed director Jean Cocteau. In 1996, he was awarded the French Legion of Honor for his contributions to French cinema.
The Philip Glass Ensemble is an American musical group founded by composer Philip Glass in 1968 to serve as a performance outlet for his experimental minimalist music. The ensemble continues to perform and record to this day, under the musical direction of keyboardist Michael Riesman.
Joseph, Baron Van Damme, known as José van Dam, is a Belgian bass-baritone, described as having "a magnificent resonant and expressive voice" and being "an excellent actor".
Les Enfants Terribles is a 1929 novel by Jean Cocteau, published by Editions Bernard Grasset. It concerns two siblings, Elisabeth and Paul, who isolate themselves from the world as they grow up, an isolation which is shattered by the stresses of their adolescence. It was first translated into English by Samuel Putnam in 1930 and published by Brewer & Warren. A later English translation by Rosamond Lehmann was published in the U.S. by New Directions (ISBN 0811200213) in 1955, and in Canada by Mclelland & Stewart in 1966, with the title translated as The Holy Terrors. The book is illustrated by the author's own drawings.
Jean Babilée (real name Jean Gutman(n); 3 February 1923 – 30 January 2014) was a prominent French dancer and choreographer of the latter half of the 20th century. He is considered to have been one of modern ballet's greatest performers, and the first French dancer to gain international acclaim. Babilée has been called the "enfant terrible of dance."
Les Parents terribles is a 1938 French play written by Jean Cocteau. Despite initial problems with censorship, it was revived on the French stage several times after its original production, and in 1948 a film adaptation directed by Cocteau was released. English-language versions have been produced under various titles including Intimate Relations and Indiscretions.
María Victoria Casares y Pérez was a Spanish-born French actress and one of the most distinguished stars of the French stage and cinema. She was credited in France as Maria Casarès.
Nicole Stéphane was a French actress, producer and director.
Les Enfants terribles is a 1950 French film directed by Jean-Pierre Melville, with a screenplay adapted by Jean Cocteau from his 1929 novel of the same name about the tangled relationship of a close brother and sister.
Les Enfants Terribles is a phrase in French that translates as "the terrible children" or "the holy terrors", and may refer to:
Antigone is an opera in three acts by Arthur Honegger to a French libretto by Jean Cocteau based on the tragedy Antigone by Sophocles. Honegger composed the opera between 1924 and 1927. It premiered on 28 December 1927 at the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie with sets designed by Pablo Picasso and costumes by Coco Chanel.
Orphée is the French for Orpheus, a legendary figure in Greek mythology, chief among poets and musicians.
Karen Kamensek is an American orchestral and opera conductor.
La Belle et la Bête is an opera for ensemble and film, composed in 1994 by Philip Glass based on a libretto in French by the composer according to the script of the film by Jean Cocteau released in 1946. This is the second part of a trilogy in homage to the French poet after Orphée (1993) and before Les Enfants terribles (1996). The world premiere of the work took place on 4 June 1994 in Seville, with Michael Riesman conducting.
Orphée is a chamber opera in two acts and 18 scenes, for ensemble and soloists, composed in 1991 by Philip Glass, to a libretto by the composer, based on the scenario of the eponymous film (1950) by Jean Cocteau. Commissioned by the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York, this is the first part of a trilogy in honour of the French poet. The world premiere of the work took place on 14 May 1993 under the direction of Martin Goldray and the European premiere in London on 27 May 2005 in the Royal Opera House's Linbury Studio Theatre.