Freedom of choice as a light

by Petar PLAMEBOV

2 February, 2012
19. 00, 22/33/44/55/66BGN
Robert le Diable
National Opera and Ballet
Address:
Sofia, 1 Vrabcha Str.
Phone: 02 987 13 66

Robert the Devil hero of a medieval legend. He was sold to the devil by his mother before his birth but upon discovering the fact did penance and was able to purify himself of his many sins. The tale may have been derived from the life of Robert I, duke of Normandy. The story exists in several French and English versions and is the basis of Meyerbeer's opera Robert le Diable.



Robert the Devil o is also a mythical opera that does not lack supernatural powers fighting for the human soul. Similarly to medieval theatre the libretto of Robert the Devil does not strive to order the plot mechanically, but instead links a number of absorbing images with the aim of captivating the viewer. The work, which offers a splendid spectacle, brought its author commissions for other operas, among them The Huguenots, The African Woman and The Prophet.A representative work of the so-called grand French opera, taking place in 13th century Palermo. 

The libretto was written by Eugène Scribe and Casimir Delavigne and has little connection to the medieval legend of Robert the Devil. Originally planned as a three-act opéra comique, "Meyerbeer persuaded Scribe to change (the opera)...to a five-act grand opera". The dramatic music, harmony and orchestration of Robert, its melodramatic plot, and its sensational stage effects (especially the Ballet of the Nuns) made it an overnight success and instantly confirmed Meyerbeer as the leading opera composer of his age, and compelled Frédéric Chopin, who was in the audience, to say "If ever magnificence was seen in the theatre, I doubt that it reached the level of splendour shown in Robert.....It is a masterpiece...Meyerbeer has made himself immortal".





Rob­ert is imper­son­at­ed by Geor­gi Sul­tan­ov, prin­ci­pal ten­or at the Bur­gas Opera, and by French ten­or Phil­ippe Do (guest prin­ci­pal). Mar­tin Con­ev, a con­tract prin­ci­pal art­ist at Bonn Opera House and Sve­to­zar Ran­ge­lov sing Ber­tram. Ten­ors Dan­i­el Ostret­sov and Niko­lay Pav­lov have been assigned the role of Raim­baut, a min­strel. Diana Vas­il­eva and Iri­na Zhek­o­va per­form Isa­belle.

Direct­or of the pro­duc­tion is Wis­sam Arba­che, a grad­u­ate from the Orleans Con­ser­va­toire (France) of French-Leb­a­nese ori­gin. Con­duct­or Didi­er Tal­pain is Coun­cil­lor for Cul­ture, France's Embas­sy and Direct­or of the French Cul­tur­al Insti­tute, Sofia. Aft­er his stud­ies in flute, bas­soon, cham­ber music and anal­y­sis, he con­duct­ed his first con­cert at 18 and stud­ied con­duct­ing at the Con­ser­va­toire Nation­al Super­ieur de Musique de Par­is and at the Yehudi Men­u­hin Foun­da­tion. In 1985 he won the prize of the Men­u­hin Foun­da­tion and in 1995 the Per­re­noud Foun­da­tion prize at the Fourth inter­na­tion­al con­duct­ing com­pe­ti­tion in Vien­na. He has been chief-con­duct­or of a num­ber of cham­ber orches­tras in France per­form­ing a wide range of works from baroque to clas­si­cal music to roman­ti­cism.



Rob­ert the Dev­il was pre­miered on 21 Novem­ber 1831 at the Par­is Opera, and was the work that brought Mey­er­beer inter­na­tion­al fame. It was com­ment­ed by Bal­zac and George Sand, Walt Whit­man and Hein­rich Heine com­posed poems about it. Edgar Degas paint­ed two ver­sions of the famous scene from the third act of the opera, known as the 'Bal­let of the Nuns'. Rus­sian paint­er Mikhail Vru­bel exe­cut­ed a bronze sculp­ture of the same scene using his own face and that of his wife, opera sing­er Nad­ezhda Zabela to por­tray the ima­ges of Rob­ert and of one of the nuns. In The Count of Mon­te Cris­to, Alex­an­dre Dumas devotes a whole chap­ter to the mys­te­ri­ous Count at the pre­miere of Rob­ert le Diab­le accom­pa­nied by his beau­ti­ful slave in the box of the Rus­sian ambas­sa­dor. The leg­end­ary pre­miere was once again men­tioned in The Phan­tom of the Opera.

Synopsis

Before the commencement of the action, Robert, Duke of Normandy was the son of a union between the gentle Bertha and Bertram, a disciple of Satan. In Normandy, Robert committed so many atrocities that he was banished to exile in Palermo in Sicily. In Palermo, he met the Princess Isabelle and fell in love with her. Later, in a jealous rage, he insulted her, and was ordered arrested by her father. His father Bertram, disguised as a knight, saved Robert from arrest and befriended him.

Prelude

There is no formal overture. The four minute prelude, which commences with Bertram's theme (from the Act III invocation to the nuns) builds directly into the opening chorus.

Act I - A beach near Palermo

The chorus of knights joined by Robert and Bertram celebrate the pleasures of life ("Versez a tasses pleines"), and some Norman minstrels, jugglers and troubadours join them. When Robert learns they are from Normandy, he asks one of them, Raimbaut, to sing a song, and throws him a purse. Raimbaut, not recognizing Robert, sings of "Robert the Devil" the son of Satan. Robert is infuriated and orders Raimbaut to be arrested. Raimbaut pleads for mercy, and tells the knights that he is accompanied by his fiancee who bears a message for Robert. Robert grants him his life, but threatens to deliver his fiancee to the knights. The fiancee is then brought in. Robert recognizes her as his half sister Alice. When they are alone, Alice tells Robert that their mother has died, and that she, Alice, has brought her last testament ("Va! Va! dit-elle, va, mon enfant"). Robert asks her to wait until he is worthy of it. He tells Alice of his love for Isabelle and gives Alice a letter, asking her to deliver it to Isabelle. She promises to do so if she is freed and allowed to marry Raimbaut. Bertram appears, and Alice is frightened; she tells Robert that Bertram resembles a monster that she has seen in a painting in her village in Normandy. Alice leaves. Bertram draws Robert into a game of dice. Goaded to continue by Bertram despite losing, Robert eventually loses everything, including his armor. ("J'ai perdu! Ma revanche") but Bertram consoles him.

["Mario-aria"][Libretto of "Mario-aria"]

[The following scene, in italics, was added by Meyerbeer in 1838 and is known as the "Mario-aria." It opened Act II. The only known performance of it in the 20th century was by Chris Merritt at Carnegie Hall, 1988, OONY, Eve Queler, Conductor] [Merritt interview]

Robert laments his fate. He has lost everything, and he is abandoned. He prays to his mother in heaven ("Oh! Ma mere, ombre si tendre"). He then hears the tournament outside and gains strength. He puts his trust in his sword ("Ah, venez tous, je vous defie").

Act II, Scene I - A room at the Palace

Isabelle longs for Robert, when Alice enters with the letter from Robert. Later, Robert himself appears and Isabelle welcomes him. Isabelle presents him with a new suit of armor. She tells him that at the tournament, the winner will gain her hand in marriage. The rival is the Prince of Granada. Bertram overhears this, and, in an effort to lure him away from participation in the tournament, Bertram tricks Robert by having a herald announce a challenge to a duel in a remote place with the Prince of Granada.

Act II, Scene II - The Tournament Grounds

The Prince of Granada issues a challenge to all rivals for the hand of Isabelle. Robert, having been lured away to the non-existent duel, did not appear.

Act III, Scene I - The Rocks of Saint Irene, with the entrance to a cavern

Bertram meets with Raimbaut in the cavern, who is awaiting Alice. Bertram seduces Raimbaut by offering him gold, and Raimbaut leaves. Bertram gloats over his conquest and plans to do the same to Robert. In fact, he has made a pact with the devil to deliver Robert that very day. A chorus of demons is heard from the cavern, singing praises to Satan and chanting Robert's name. Alice enters and hears this, as Bertram emerges from the cavern. She clings to a cross as Bertram threatens her with death. Robert enters and Alice escapes. Robert, having lost Isabelle is desperate and ready to resort to magic, offered by Bertram. Bertram tells him that, in a nearby convent, there is a "magic branch" growing on a cypress tree. If Robert can steal the branch, he can make himself invisible. Robert agrees.

Act III, Scene II - The tombs of the convent at Saint Rosalie

What follows is one of the most effective and haunting scenes in all of opera. This is the burial place of nuns who have offended heaven with impure thoughts.

Bertram summons up the sinful dead nuns ("Nonnes qui repose") commanding them to action. They rise from their tombs, at first slowly, and then work themselves into a frenzy, shedding their habits and dancing a bacchanal. They attempt to seduce Robert. Under their spell and guided by the the mistress Helene he steals the magic cypress branch, and makes himself disappear. The nuns sink back into their tombs.

Act IV - Isabelle's bedchamber

Isabelle prepares for her marriage to the Prince of Granada, assisted by attendants. Robert, invisible, enters, and puts all to sleep with a spell. He awakens Isabelle. She rebukes him for not appearing at the tournament. He threatens her with abduction. Isabelle begs him for mercy, reminding him that she loves him. Robert, torn, refuses to believe her and breaks the magic branch in despair -- he wishes for death. Everyone awakes, and Robert is dragged away by soldiers.

Act V - The Courtyard of the Cathedral of Palermo

The monks pray. Robert enters with Bertram, who admits that he is Robert's father. Bertram tells Robert that he loves him so much that he is willing to forego the devil's claim on his soul. Robert decides to follow Bertram. Then, Alice enters and announces that the Prince of Granada now refuses to marry Isabelle -- she is now free to marry Robert. Alice reads her mother's testament to Robert: forego the devil. A clock sounds midnight, signaling the expiration of time for Bertram to have delivered Robert to the devil. Bertram vanishes into Hell and Robert falls in faint as Isabelle and a heavenly choir sing praises to God.

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