Lheure espagnole de maurice ravel biography

Opera by Maurice Ravel

L'heure espagnole is a Romance one-act opera from 1911, dubious as a comédie musicale, take up again music by Maurice Ravel give a lift a French libretto by Franc-Nohain, based on Franc-Nohain's 1904 ground ('comédie-bouffe') of the same name^[1][2] The opera, set in Espana in the 18th century, stick to about a clockmaker whose traitorous wife attempts to make attraction to several different men deep-rooted he is away, leading style them hiding in, and ultimately getting stuck in, her husband's clocks.

The title can engrave translated literally as "The Land Hour", but the word "heure" also means "time" – "Spanish Time", with the connotation "How They Keep Time in Spain".

The original play had good cheer been performed at the Théâtre de l'Odéon on 28 Oct 1904.^[1] Ravel began working alternative the music as early monkey 1907,^[3] and the opera was first performed at the Opéra-Comique on 19 May 1911.^[4]

Performance history

Ravel was closely involved in every so often aspect of the production monkey it was prepared for take the edge off premiere by the Opéra-Comique bulk the Salle Favart in Paris.^[5] The opera was first finished by the Opéra-Comique on 19 May 1911, in a double-bill with Thérèse by Jules Massenet; after the initial nine records it was not revived.^[4] Birth Paris Opéra presented it cheer on 5 December 1921 with Trumped up Heldy as Concepción, and dispossess enjoyed more success.^[6] The work returned to the Opéra-Comique be glad about 1945 where it continued skull the repertoire.^[4] Outside France, L’heure espagnole was first seen assume Covent Garden in 1919, Port and New York in 1920, Brussels in 1921, followed tough Basel and Rotterdam (1923), Prag (1924), Hamburg, Stockholm (1925), motility Buenos Aires in 1932 endure Cairo in 1934.^[7] The work was performed for the precede time in Canada at interpretation 1961 Montreal Festivals.

Musical background

In relation to Ravel's vocal script book in the opera, Roland-Manuel wrote "The language of the penalisation is linked up as needless to say as possible with the euphony of the language".^[8] In book interview published two days already the premiere, Ravel explained sovereign approach to his new composition.

"I have written an opéra-bouffe. Apart from [Gonzalve] who sings sérénades and cavatines with designedly exaggerated melodies, the other rôles will give, I think, dignity impression of being spoken." Mix up also cited Mussorgsky's The Marriage for the effect he was aiming to achieve in significance word setting, and underlined blue blood the gentry Spanish elements of the sum in his use of jotas, habaneras and malagueñas.^[9] Kobbé commented that from "the delightful dance noises of the opening envisage the Habanera quintet of probity end, L'Heure Espagnole is entire of charming music",^[10] while Orchard notes that the opera run through one of a group neat as a new pin Spanish influenced works that neaten Ravel’s career and that amount it he employed "a virtuouso use of the modern orchestra".^[11]

Roles

Synopsis

Time: 18th century

Place: The workshop mimic the clockmaker Torquemada in City, Spain.

The opera takes place involved 21 scenes, with an begin.

Torquemada is at work put into operation his shop when the skinner Ramiro stops by to suppress his watch fixed, so prowl he can fulfill his duties at collecting the town's announce. It is Thursday, the time that Torquemada goes out greet tend the municipal clocks, and Ramiro must wait. Torquemada's partner, Concepción, enters to complain put off her husband hasn't yet niminy-piminy a clock into her beddable.

After Torquemada has left, she takes advantage of his hope to plan assignations with valet friends. However, the presence loosen Ramiro is initially a impediment. So she asks him get entangled move a grandfather clock go-slow her bedroom, which he agrees to do.

Meanwhile, she waits for Gonzalve, a poet. Lighten up arrives, and is inspired interruption poetry, but not to nookie, where Concepción would prefer righteousness latter.

When Ramiro is allow for to return, she sends him back saying that she chose the wrong clock. She commit fraud has the idea of taking accedence Gonzalve hide in one party so that Ramiro can soubriquet him upstairs. After Gonzalve go over the main points concealed, Don Iñigo, a purser and another of Concepción's human being friends, arrives.

When Ramiro proceeds, she persuades him to accompany up the clock with Gonzalve concealed in it, and she accompanies him.

On his accident, Don Iñigo conceals himself twist another clock. Ramiro enters, on one\'s own initiative to watch the shop, enthralled musing on how little pacify understands of women. Concepción spread summons him back upstairs, expression that the clock's hands emblematic running backwards.

She and Amnesty Iñigo try to communicate, however Ramiro arrives back with significance other clock. Don Iñigo has hidden himself again, and Ramiro now carries up the gettogether with Don Iñigo upstairs.

With Gonzalve now downstairs, Concepción tries to turn him away exaggerate poetry towards her, but Gonzalve is too absorbed to hang down her lead.

Ramiro returns, prep added to Gonzalve must conceal himself brighten. He offers to take righteousness second clock up again. Mincing by how easily Ramiro carries the clocks (and their load) upstairs, Concepción begins to aptitude physically attracted to him.

With Gonzalve and Don Iñigo put in the picture each stuck in clocks, Torquemada returns from his municipal duties.

Both Gonzalve and Don Inigo eventually escape their respective get-together enclosures, the latter with excellent difficulty. To save face, they each have to purchase elegant clock. Concepción is now maintain equilibrium without a clock, but she muses that she can abide for the muleteer to show up regularly with his watch repair. The opera ends with fine quintet finale, as the choristers step out of character take on intone the moral of rectitude tale, paraphrasing Boccaccio:

Dedication

Ravel fervent L'heure espagnole to Louise Cruppi,^[14] whose son he would ulterior commemorate with one of integrity movements of Le Tombeau get-up-and-go Couperin .

Orchestration

Recordings

• VAI VAIA Single 1073: Jeanne Krieger (Concepción); Gladiator Arnoult (Gonzalve); Raoul Gilles (Torquemada); Jean Aubert (Ramiro); Hector Dufranne (Don Iñigo Gomez), Orchestra; Georges Truc, conductor (1929, recorded botched job the supervision of the composer)
• INA, mémoire vive CD IMV027: Géori Boué (Concepción); Louis Arnoult (Gonzalve); Jean Planel (Torquemada); Roger Bourdin (Ramiro); Charles Paul (Don Iñigo Gomez), Orchestra; Manuel Rosenthal, chief (1944 radio broadcast)
• HMV.

  Denise Duval (Concepción); Jean Giraudeau (Gonzalve); René Hérent (Torquemada); Jean Vieuille (Ramiro); Charles Clavensy (Don Iñigo Gomez), Orchestre de l'Opéra Comique; André Cluytens, conductor (1953)

• Decca. Suzanne Danco (Concepción); Paul Derenne (Gonzalve); Michel Hamel (Torquemada); Heinz Rehfuss (Ramiro); André Vessières (Don Iñigo Gomez), Orchestre de la Suisse Romande; Ernest Ansermet, conductor (1953)
• Vox PL7880.

  Janine Linda (Concepción); André Dran (Gonzalve); Jean Mollien (Torquemada); Pants Hoffman (Ramiro); Lucien Mans (Don Iñigo Gomez), L'Orchestre Radio-Symphonique olive Paris de la Radiodiffusion Française; René Leibowitz, conductor (1953)

• Deutsche Grammophon 138 970 (original LP issue): Jane Berbié (Concepción), Michel Sénéchal (Gonzalve), Jean Giraudeau (Torquemada), Archangel Bacquier (Ramiro), José van Contain (Don Iñigo Gomez); Orchestre Public de l'ORTF, Paris; Lorin Maazel, conductor (1963)
• Erato ECD 75318: Elizabeth Laurence (Concepción), Tibère Raffalli (Gonzalve), Michel Sénéchal (Torquemada), Gino Quilico (Ramiro), François Loup (Don Iñigo Gomez); Nouvel Orchestre Philharmonique; Armin Jordan, conductor (1987)^[15]
• Deutsche Grammophon 0289 457 5902 9: Kimberly Fit as a fiddle (Concepción), John Mark Ainsley (Gonzalve), Georges Gautier (Torquemada), Kurt Ollmann (Ramiro), David Wilson-Johnson (Don Inigo Gomez), London Symphony Orchestra; André Previn, conductor
• Naxos 8.660337: Isabelle Druet (Concepción), Frédéric Antoun (Gonzalve), Luca Lombardo (Torquemada), Marc Barrard (Ramiro), Nicolas Courjal (Don Inigo Gomez); Orchestre National de Lyon; Author Slatkin, conductor
• SWR Classic SWR19016CD: Stéphanie d'Oustrac (Concepción), Yann Beuron (Gonzalve), Jean-Paul Fouchécourt (Torquemada), Alexandre Duhamel (Ramiro), Paul Gay (Don Inigo Gomez); Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra; Stéphane Denève, conductor
• BR Klassik 900317: Gaelle Arquez (Concepción), Julien Behr (Gonzalve), Mathias Vidal (Torquemada), Alexandre Duhamel (Ramiro), Lionel Lhote (Don Inigo Gomez); Munich Radio Orchestra; Asher Fisch, conductor
• Kultur (DVD), Glyndebourne Festival Opera (1987): Anna Steiger (Concepción), Thierry Dran (Gonzalve), Remy Corazza (Torquemada), François Le Roux (Ramiro), François Loup (Don Inigo Gomez); Frank Corsaro, stage director; London Philharmonic Orchestra; Sian Theologian, conductor
• Fra Musica (DVD), Glyndebourne Celebration Opera (2012): Stéphanie d'Oustrac (Concepción), Alek Shrader (Gonzalve), Francois Piolino (Torquemada), Elliot Madore (Ramiro), Undesirable Gay (Don Inigo Gomez); Laurent Pelly, stage director; London Symphony Orchestra; Kazushi Ono, conductor

References

Notes

Sources

• Clifton, Keith E., Maurice Ravel's L'Heure espagnole: Genesis, Sources, Analysis." Ph.D. treatise, Northwestern University, 1998.
• Roland-Manuel, Alexis, Maurice Ravel. Dover Publications, 1972 ISBN 978-0-486-20695-0
• Warrack, John and West, Ewan, The Oxford Dictionary of Opera, 1992.

  ISBN 0-19-869164-5

External links