| Tiefland | |
|---|---|
| Opera by Eugen d'Albert | |
 Eugen d'Albert in 1904 | |
| Translation | The Lowlands |
| Librettist | Rudolf Lothar |
| Language | German |
| Based on | Terra baixa by Àngel Guimerà |
| Premiere | |
Tiefland (The Lowlands) is an opera in a prologue and two acts by Eugen d'Albert, to a libretto in German by Rudolf Lothar. Based on the 1896 Catalan play Terra baixa by Àngel Guimerà, Tiefland was d'Albert's seventh opera, and is the one which is now the best known.
Tiefland was first performed on 15 November 1903 at the Neues Deutsches Theater in Prague, with only limited success. [1] [2] Part of the reason for the lukewarm reception may have been because the house's leading dramatic tenor, Wilhelm Elsner, had died suddenly not too long before the opera's premiere, forcing another singer to learn and perform the role of Pedro in a relatively short amount of time.
For its next performance, Tiefland was revised by D'Albert and revived in Hamburg and Berlin in 1907, where it played to long runs. [3] Its American premiere took place at the Metropolitan Opera in New York on November 23, 1908 with Emmy Destinn and Erik Schmedes in the two leading roles. [4]
The opera is fairly regularly performed in Germany and Austria, with recent new productions at the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden in April 2007, the Volksoper Wien in October 2007 and at Deutsche Oper Berlin, with Torsten Kerl as Pedro and Nadja Michael as Marta, in November 2007. Performances outside German speaking countries have tended to be more sporadic. Tiefland was performed in an English translation by Chicago's Civic Opera Company in December 1926. [5] It was performed at the Ankara Opera House in 1951 in a production directed by Carl Ebert with Semiha Berksoy as Marta. It also received a major revival at Washington Opera in 1995 with its first major US production in 81 years, conducted by Heinz Fricke and directed by Roman Terleckyj. [6] The Sarasota Opera performed the opera five times in March 2018. [7]
In addition to Schmedes and Destinn, notable past performers have included: Kirsten Flagstad, who made her stage debut in 1913 at the age of 18 singing the role of Nuri at the National Theater in Oslo; the young Maria Callas, who sang the role of Marta at the Olympia Theatre in Athens during the 1943/1944 season and again the following season; Montserrat Caballé who, like Callas, sang Marta early in her career; and the Danish tenor, Vilhelm Herold who was considered by d'Albert to have been the ideal Pedro. [8] Richard Tauber first performed the role at Dresden in 1918, and recorded the two principal arias in 1928. It remained a favourite role, which he performed widely until 1940 in Switzerland.
The best-known film adaptation of the opera was by the German director Leni Riefenstahl, with Riefenstahl herself playing Marta. The film, begun in 1940, but not released until 1954, used Roma slave labor from a German transportation camp for some of the extras, many of whom were sent to Auschwitz before the end of the war. [9]
| Role [1] | Voice type [1] | Premiere cast [2] 15 November 1903 Conductor: Leo Blech |
|---|---|---|
| Marta, a servant and ward of Sebastiano, loved by both Sebastiano and Pedro | soprano | Irene Alföldy |
| Pedro, a shepherd in Sebastiano's service | tenor | Desider Arányi |
| Sebastiano, a rich landowner | baritone | Erich Hunold |
| Tommaso, an elderly man in the district | bass | Alexander Haydter |
| Nuri, a servant of Sebastiano and Marta's friend | soprano | Gertrude Förstel |
| Pepa, a servant of Sebastiano | soprano | Martha Frank-Blech |
| Antonia, a servant of Sebastiano | mezzo-soprano | Elsa Reich |
| Rosalia, a servant of Sebastiano | contralto | Lina Carmasini |
| Moruccio, a miller in Sebastiano's service | bass | Mathieu Frank |
| Nando, a shepherd in Sebastiano's service | tenor | Josef Pauli |
Before the opera begins: Years earlier, Marta, the daughter of a strolling player, had been induced to live with Sebastiano, a wealthy landowner in exchange for the gift of a mill to her father. Sebastiano is about to marry a wealthy heiress. In order to keep his mistress, Marta, nearby and continue their affair, he plans to have her marry Pedro (in Güimerà's original play, his name is Manelic), one of his shepherds.
Prologue
The Pyrenees Mountains. Pedro meets Nando, and tells him that he has dreamed of meeting a beautiful woman who will be his wife. Sebastiano, accompanied by Tommaso, brings Marta to Pedro and informs him that he must come down to the Lowlands to marry her and to become the miller. Marta is reluctant to even look at Pedro.
Act 1
The interior of the village mill. Moruccio and the servants gossip about Marta, the girls hinting that Moruccio hoped to marry Marta himself. Nuri reveals that Marta is to be married to a shepherd and reveals that she has overheard a conversation between Sebastiano and Marta which she did not understand, but which the others clearly comprehend reveals their relationship. Pedro arrives at the mill, where his marriage is to take place. Not knowing that Marta is actually Sebastiano's mistress, he is puzzled as to why the villagers are making fun of him. Moruccio reveals the background to Tommaso, who is angered and seeks to confront Sebastiano. The confrontation in which Tomasso is backed by Moruccio leads to Moruccio's dismissal. After the wedding, Marta, who fears that Sebastiano will carry out his intention of coming to her that night, does not go to her chamber nor accompanies Pedro, which puzzles him even more.
Act 2
The interior of the village mill. Marta is now beginning to fall in love with Pedro. However, unable to stand the teasing and persecution of the villagers, he tells her he is going back to the mountains. She begs him to take her with him and tells him the truth about her and Sebastiano. In a jealous rage, Pedro advances towards her with a knife, but, overcome by remorse and his love for her, decides to take her with him. Sebastiano enters with the villagers and makes advances to Marta. Pedro furiously objects and is dragged outside.
Act 3
The interior of the village mill. Sebastiano has been rejected by the heiress whom he had hoped to marry and again makes advances to Marta. She calls Pedro for help. He rushes at Sebastiano with a knife, but seeing that he is unarmed, throws the knife down and strangles him. Carrying Marta in his arms, Pedro exclaims to the villagers: "Far up, far up in the mountains! To sunshine and freedom and light." He and Marta escape to the mountains.
1952 F. Charles Adler, Vienna Symphony Orchestra (Paperback Opera 20022)
1957 Rudolf Moralt, Wiener Symphoniker (Philips 434 781-2)
1963 Paul Schmitz, Staatskapelle Dresden
1963 Hans Zanotelli, Berliner Symphoniker A video was also made.
1983 Marek Janowski, Münchner Rundfunkorchester (ARTS 47501-2)
2002 Bertrand de Billy, Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra (Oehms OC 312)
2006 Franz Welser-Möst, Orchester der Oper Zürich (EMI DVD, video-recorded at performances in July)
Helene Bertha Amalie "Leni" Riefenstahl was a German film director, producer, writer, editor, photographer and actress. She is considered one of the most controversial personalities in film history. On the one hand, she is regarded by many critics as an "innovative filmmaker and creative aesthete", while on the other hand she is criticized for her works in the service of propaganda during the Nazi era.
Triumph of the Will is a 1935 German Nazi propaganda film directed, produced, edited and co-written by Leni Riefenstahl. Adolf Hitler commissioned the film and served as an unofficial executive producer; his name appears in the opening titles. It chronicles the 1934 Nazi Party Congress in Nuremberg, which was attended by more than 700,000 Nazi supporters. The film contains excerpts of speeches given by Nazi leaders at the Congress, including Hitler, Rudolf Hess and Julius Streicher, interspersed with footage of massed Sturmabteilung (SA) and Schutzstaffel (SS) troops and public reaction. Its overriding theme is the return of Germany as a great power with Hitler as its leader. The film was produced after the Night of the Long Knives, and many formerly prominent SA members are absent.
Maria Callas was an American-born Greek soprano and one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century. Many critics praised her bel canto technique, wide-ranging voice and dramatic interpretations. Her repertoire ranged from classical opera seria to the bel canto operas of Donizetti, Bellini, and Rossini, and further to the works of Verdi and Puccini, and in her early career to the music dramas of Wagner. Her musical and dramatic talents led to her being hailed as La Divina.
Àngel Guimerà i Jorge, usually known simply as Àngel Guimerà, was a Spanish playwright. His work is known for bringing together under romantic aspects the main elements of realism. He is considered one of the principal representatives of the Renaixença movement, at the end of the nineteenth century.
María de Montserrat Bibiana Concepción Caballé i Folch or Folc, known simply as Montserrat Caballé, was a Spanish operatic soprano from Catalonia. Widely considered to be one of the best sopranos of the 20th century, she won a variety of musical awards thoroughout her six-decade career, including three Grammy Awards.
EugenFrancis Charles d'Albert was a Scottish-born pianist and composer who emigrated to Germany.
La Gioconda is an opera in four acts by Amilcare Ponchielli set to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Angelo, Tyrant of Padua, a 1835 play in prose by Victor Hugo.
Rudolf LotharGerman pronunciation:[r'uːdolfl'oːtar] was an Austrian playwright, librettist, critic and essayist. He was born and died in Budapest.
Günther Treptow was a German operatic tenor, best known for Wagner roles.
Vilhelm Christoffer Herold was an operatic tenor, voice teacher, and theatre director. Herold created the role of David in Carl Nielsen's opera Saul og David in 1902).
Erik Anton Julius Schmedes was an operatic tenor, particularly known for his roles in operas by Richard Wagner. He was a brother-in-law by marriage of Vaslav Nijinsky.
Bernd Weikl is an Austrian operatic baritone, particularly known for his performances in the stage works by Richard Wagner. He also has written books and directed operas.
![<i>Tiefland</i> (film) 1954 [[Cinema of Germany|West Germany]] film](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0e/Tiefland-Farbplakat.jpg)
Tiefland ("Lowlands") is a 1954 West German opera drama film directed, produced, co-written, edited by and starring Leni Riefenstahl, and based on the 1903 eponymous opera composed by Eugen d'Albert to a libretto by Rudolph Lothar based on the 1896 Catalan play Terra baixa by Àngel Guimerà. The film co-stars Bernhard Minetti, and is Riefenstahl's last feature film as both director and lead actress.
Terra baixa is a Catalan-language play written by Àngel Guimerà in 1896. The drama is considered his most popular work, having become an international sensation after its premiere.
The Blue Light is a black-and-white 1932 film directed by Leni Riefenstahl and written by Béla Balázs with uncredited scripting by Carl Mayer. In Riefenstahl's film version, the witch, Junta, played by Riefenstahl, is intended to be a sympathetic character. Filming took place in the Brenta Dolomites, in Ticino, Switzerland, and Sarntal, South Tirol.
Wilhelm Elsner was a German operatic tenor who had an active international career from 1889 to 1903. Although his initial success was primarily in the lyric repertoire, he eventually became highly regarded for his portrayals of Wagnerian heroes.
Mafalda Salvatini was an Italian opera singer who was primarily active in Germany during the first half of the 20th century. She excelled in the dramatic soprano repertoire of the Italian language and was one of the leading operatic sopranos in Berlin from 1908 to 1932. Although she performed as a guest artist in other German cities and in Austria, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, and Latvia, she never performed at theatres in her native country. She made several recordings for the Deutsche Grammophon and Odeon record labels.
Erich Hunold was a German opera singer, working mainly as a baritone.
Zdenka Faßbender was a Czech born German operatic soprano.
Franz Eichberger was an Austrian Actor.
Footnotes
Bibliography
| National | |
|---|---|
| Other | |
