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Béatrice et Bénédict

January 01, 1970

Béatrice et Bénédict (Beatrice and Benedick) is an opéra comique in two acts by French composer Hector Berlioz.[1] Berlioz wrote the French libretto himself, based in general outline on a subplot in Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing.

Béatrice et Bénédict
Opéra comique by Hector Berlioz
Cover of the first edition vocal score, with illustration by A. Barbizet
LibrettistHector Berlioz
LanguageFrench
Based onMuch Ado About Nothing
by Shakespeare
Premiere
9 August 1862 (1862-08-09)
Theater Baden-Baden

Berlioz had been interested in setting Shakespeare's comedy since his return from Italy in 1833, but only composed the score of Béatrice et Bénédict following the completion of Les Troyens in 1858. It was first performed at the opening of the Theater Baden-Baden on 9 August 1862.[2] Berlioz conducted the first two performances of a German version in Weimar in 1863, where, as he wrote in his memoirs, he was "overwhelmed by all sorts of kind attention."

It is the first notable version of Shakespeare's play in operatic form, and was followed by works by, among others, Árpád Doppler, Paul Puget, Charles Villiers Stanford, and Reynaldo Hahn.[3]

Berlioz biographer David Cairns has written: "Listening to the score's exuberant gaiety, only momentarily touched by sadness, one would never guess that its composer was in pain when he wrote it and impatient for death".[4]

Performance history edit

Berlioz described the premiere of Béatrice et Bénédict as a "great success" in a letter to his son Louis; he was particularly taken with the performance of Charton-Demeur (who would create the role of Didon in Les Troyens in Paris a year later) and noted that the duo which closes the first half elicited an "astonishing impact".[5]

Although it continued to be staged occasionally in German cities in the years after the premiere, the first performance in France only took place on 5 June 1890 at the Théâtre de l'Odéon, 21 years after its composer’s death, promoted by the Société des Grandes auditions musicales de France, conducted by Charles Lamoureux, and with Juliette Bilbaut-Vauchelet and Émile Engel in the lead roles.[6]

Paul Bastide conducted a notable production of Béatrice et Bénédict in Strasbourg in the late 1940s.[7] It was produced at the Paris Opéra-Comique in 1966 conducted by Pierre Dervaux but with recitatives by Tony Aubin,[8] and in February 2010 under Emmanuel Krivine.[9]

The UK premiere was on 24 March 1936 in Glasgow under Erik Chisholm.[10] The English National Opera opened a production on 25 January 1990, with wife and husband Ann Murray and Philip Langridge in the title roles.[11] The work was first performed in New York in 1977 as a concert performance at Carnegie Hall, Seiji Ozawa conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra.[12]

Although rather infrequently performed and not part of the standard operatic repertoire, recent productions have included Amsterdam and Welsh National Opera tour in 2001, Prague State Opera (Státní opera Praha) in 2003, Santa Fe Opera in 1998 and 2004, Opéra du Rhin in Strasbourg in 2005, Chicago Opera Theater in 2007, Houston Grand Opera in 2008 (in English), Opera Boston in 2011, Theater an der Wien in 2013, and Glyndebourne in 2016. The first Swedish production of the opera was at Läckö Castle in 2015, and the first in staging in Italy in late 2022 at the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa.[13]

Music edit

The overture (sometimes played and recorded separately) alludes to several parts of the score without becoming a pot-pourri.[2] The opera opens with a rejoicing chorus and Sicilienne. Héro has a two-part air where she looks expectantly to the return of her love, Claudio.[14] The sparring between Béatrice and Bénédict begins in the next musical number, a duo. An allegretto trio of "conspiratorial humour" for Don Pedro, Claudio and Bénédict,[4] consists of the latter expounding his views on marriage to which the others pass comment. After Somarone has rehearsed his Epithalame grotesque (a choral fugue about love), Bénédict's fast rondo reveals that he has fallen for the plot and will try to be in love. The act ends with a nocturne for Héro and Ursule – a slow duo in 6
8 which W. J. Turner described as "a marvel of indescribable lyrical beauty"[14] and which Grove compares to "Nuit d'ivresse" in Les Troyens.[2]

The second act opens with a drinking song for Somarone and chorus with guitar and tambourine prominent.[2] Next, in an extended air across a wide melodic span, Béatrice acknowledges that she too is powerless against love and in the following trio (added after the premiere) Héro and Ursule join her to extol the joys of marriage. There is a marche nuptiale and the work ends with a brilliant duet marked scherzo-duettino for the title characters whose "sparkle and gaiety" end the comedy perfectly.[14]

Instrumentation edit

Woodwind: 2 flutes, (one with piccolo), 2 oboes, 2 clarinets in A, 2 bassoons
Brass: 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 1 cornet à piston, 3 trombones
Percussion: timpani, tambourine, glasses
Strings: strings, guitar, 2 harps

Roles edit

Roles, voice types, premiere cast
Role Voice type Premiere cast, 9 August 1862
Conductor: Hector Berlioz[15]
Héro, daughter of Léonato soprano Monrose
Béatrice, niece of Léonato mezzo Anne-Arsène Charton-Demeur
Bénédict, Sicilian officer, friend of Claudio tenor Achille-Félix Montaubry
Don Pedro, Sicilian general bass Mathieu-Émile Balanqué
Claudio, general's aide-de-camp baritone Jules Lefort
Somarone, a music master bass Victor Prilleux
Ursule, Héro's lady-in-waiting contralto Coralie Geoffroy
Léonato, Governor of Messina spoken Guerrin
A Messenger spoken
A Notary spoken
People of Sicily, Lords, Ladies, Musicians, Maids – Chorus

Synopsis edit

Time: The 16th century.
Place: Messina, Sicily.

Act 1 edit

Don Pedro, prince of Aragon, is visiting Messina after a successful military victory over the Moors, which is celebrated by all of Sicily. He is joined by two friends and fellow soldiers, Claudio and Bénédict. They are greeted by Léonato, governor of Messina, together with his daughter, Héro, and niece, Béatrice.

Héro awaits the return of her fiancé, Claudio, unwounded and rewarded for his valour. Béatrice inquires about and scorns Bénédict. They trade insults, as they have in previous meetings, and tease each other. Bénédict swears to his friends that he will never marry. Later, Claudio and Pedro scheme to trick Bénédict into marrying Béatrice. Knowing that he is listening, Léonato assures Pedro that Béatrice loves Bénédict. Upon hearing this, Bénédict resolves that Béatrice's love must not go unrequited, and so he decides to pursue her. Meanwhile, elsewhere, Héro and her attendant, Ursule, manage to play a similar trick on Béatrice who now believes that Bénédict is secretly in love with her.

Act 2 edit

To celebrate the pending wedding of Claudio and Héro, Léonato hosts a masquerade party. A local music teacher, Somarone, leads the group in song and everybody enjoys themselves except Béatrice who realizes that she has fallen in love with Bénédict. With Héro and Ursule she sings of the happiness of a bride about to be wed. As she turns to leave she is met by Bénédict, prompting an exchange in which they both attempt to conceal their love for each other. A notary solemnizes the marriage of Claudio and Héro, and, as arranged by Léonato, produces a second contract, asking for another couple to come forward. Bénédict summons the courage to declare his love to Beatrice; the two sign the wedding contract, and the work ends with the words "today a truce is signed, we'll be enemies again tomorrow".

Recordings edit

There are several recordings of the opera. The overture, which refers to several passages in the opera without becoming a pot-pourri, is heard on its own in concerts and has been recorded many times.

References edit

  1. ^ Berlioz and the Romantic Imagination. Catalogue for exhibition at Victoria and Albert Museum for Berlioz centenary. Art Council, London, 1969, p. 46, exhibit 131 (orchestral manuscript score).
  2. ^ a b c d Holoman D. K. "Béatrice et Bénédict". In: The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. Macmillan, London and New York, 1997.
  3. ^ Wilson CR. "Shakespeare". In: The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. Macmillan, London and New York, 1997.
  4. ^ a b Cairns, D. Berlioz: Servitude and Greatness 1832–1869. Allen Lane, London, 1999, p. 670.
  5. ^ MacDonald, Hugh (Ed). Selected Letters of Berlioz (translated by Roger Nichols). Faber & Faber, London, 1995, letter 407.
  6. ^ Noel E. & Stoullig E. Les Annales du théâtre et de la musique, 16e édition, 1890. G. Charpentier et Cie, Paris, 1891, pp. 139–145.
  7. ^ Pitt C. Strasbourg. In: The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. Macmillan, London & New York, 1997.
  8. ^ BnF archives et manuscrits, accessed 2 February 2018.
  9. ^ Article on Béatrice et Bénédict at the Opéra-Comique in 2010, Artistik Rezo, Marie Torrès, 25 February 2010.
  10. ^ Erik Chisholm biography. retrieved 14 July 2013.
  11. ^ Programme book. Béatrice et Bénédict, English National Opera, 1990.
  12. ^ "When Shakespeare Hit Berlioz Like a Thunderbolt" by Harold C. Schonberg, The New York Times, 23 October 1977
  13. ^ Rampone, Giorgio. Report from Genoa. Opera, March 2023, Vol 74 No 3, p291-2.
  14. ^ a b c Kobbé, Gustav, Harewood, Earl of. Kobbé's Complete Opera Book. Putnam, London and New York, 1954, pp. 730–733.
  15. ^ Casaglia, Gherardo (2005). "Béatrice et Bénédict, 9 August 1862". L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia (in Italian).

External links edit

January 01, 1970
béatrice, bénédict, beatrice, benedick, opéra, comique, acts, french, composer, hector, berlioz, berlioz, wrote, french, libretto, himself, based, general, outline, subplot, shakespeare, much, about, nothing, opéra, comique, hector, berliozcover, first, editio. Beatrice et Benedict Beatrice and Benedick is an opera comique in two acts by French composer Hector Berlioz 1 Berlioz wrote the French libretto himself based in general outline on a subplot in Shakespeare s Much Ado About Nothing Beatrice et BenedictOpera comique by Hector BerliozCover of the first edition vocal score with illustration by A BarbizetLibrettistHector BerliozLanguageFrenchBased onMuch Ado About Nothingby ShakespearePremiere9 August 1862 1862 08 09 Theater Baden Baden Berlioz had been interested in setting Shakespeare s comedy since his return from Italy in 1833 but only composed the score of Beatrice et Benedict following the completion of Les Troyens in 1858 It was first performed at the opening of the Theater Baden Baden on 9 August 1862 2 Berlioz conducted the first two performances of a German version in Weimar in 1863 where as he wrote in his memoirs he was overwhelmed by all sorts of kind attention It is the first notable version of Shakespeare s play in operatic form and was followed by works by among others Arpad Doppler Paul Puget Charles Villiers Stanford and Reynaldo Hahn 3 Berlioz biographer David Cairns has written Listening to the score s exuberant gaiety only momentarily touched by sadness one would never guess that its composer was in pain when he wrote it and impatient for death 4 Contents 1 Performance history 2 Music 2 1 Instrumentation 3 Roles 4 Synopsis 4 1 Act 1 4 2 Act 2 5 Recordings 6 References 7 External linksPerformance history editBerlioz described the premiere of Beatrice et Benedict as a great success in a letter to his son Louis he was particularly taken with the performance of Charton Demeur who would create the role of Didon in Les Troyens in Paris a year later and noted that the duo which closes the first half elicited an astonishing impact 5 Although it continued to be staged occasionally in German cities in the years after the premiere the first performance in France only took place on 5 June 1890 at the Theatre de l Odeon 21 years after its composer s death promoted by the Societe des Grandes auditions musicales de France conducted by Charles Lamoureux and with Juliette Bilbaut Vauchelet and Emile Engel in the lead roles 6 Paul Bastide conducted a notable production of Beatrice et Benedict in Strasbourg in the late 1940s 7 It was produced at the Paris Opera Comique in 1966 conducted by Pierre Dervaux but with recitatives by Tony Aubin 8 and in February 2010 under Emmanuel Krivine 9 The UK premiere was on 24 March 1936 in Glasgow under Erik Chisholm 10 The English National Opera opened a production on 25 January 1990 with wife and husband Ann Murray and Philip Langridge in the title roles 11 The work was first performed in New York in 1977 as a concert performance at Carnegie Hall Seiji Ozawa conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra 12 Although rather infrequently performed and not part of the standard operatic repertoire recent productions have included Amsterdam and Welsh National Opera tour in 2001 Prague State Opera Statni opera Praha in 2003 Santa Fe Opera in 1998 and 2004 Opera du Rhin in Strasbourg in 2005 Chicago Opera Theater in 2007 Houston Grand Opera in 2008 in English Opera Boston in 2011 Theater an der Wien in 2013 and Glyndebourne in 2016 The first Swedish production of the opera was at Lacko Castle in 2015 and the first in staging in Italy in late 2022 at the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa 13 Music editThe overture sometimes played and recorded separately alludes to several parts of the score without becoming a pot pourri 2 The opera opens with a rejoicing chorus and Sicilienne Hero has a two part air where she looks expectantly to the return of her love Claudio 14 The sparring between Beatrice and Benedict begins in the next musical number a duo An allegretto trio of conspiratorial humour for Don Pedro Claudio and Benedict 4 consists of the latter expounding his views on marriage to which the others pass comment After Somarone has rehearsed his Epithalame grotesque a choral fugue about love Benedict s fast rondo reveals that he has fallen for the plot and will try to be in love The act ends with a nocturne for Hero and Ursule a slow duo in 68 which W J Turner described as a marvel of indescribable lyrical beauty 14 and which Grove compares to Nuit d ivresse in Les Troyens 2 The second act opens with a drinking song for Somarone and chorus with guitar and tambourine prominent 2 Next in an extended air across a wide melodic span Beatrice acknowledges that she too is powerless against love and in the following trio added after the premiere Hero and Ursule join her to extol the joys of marriage There is a marche nuptiale and the work ends with a brilliant duet marked scherzo duettino for the title characters whose sparkle and gaiety end the comedy perfectly 14 Instrumentation edit Woodwind 2 flutes one with piccolo 2 oboes 2 clarinets in A 2 bassoons Brass 4 horns 2 trumpets 1 cornet a piston 3 trombones Percussion timpani tambourine glasses Strings strings guitar 2 harpsRoles editRoles voice types premiere cast Role Voice type Premiere cast 9 August 1862Conductor Hector Berlioz 15 Hero daughter of Leonato soprano Monrose Beatrice niece of Leonato mezzo Anne Arsene Charton Demeur Benedict Sicilian officer friend of Claudio tenor Achille Felix Montaubry Don Pedro Sicilian general bass Mathieu Emile Balanque Claudio general s aide de camp baritone Jules Lefort Somarone a music master bass Victor Prilleux Ursule Hero s lady in waiting contralto Coralie Geoffroy Leonato Governor of Messina spoken Guerrin A Messenger spoken A Notary spoken People of Sicily Lords Ladies Musicians Maids ChorusSynopsis editTime The 16th century Place Messina Sicily Act 1 edit Don Pedro prince of Aragon is visiting Messina after a successful military victory over the Moors which is celebrated by all of Sicily He is joined by two friends and fellow soldiers Claudio and Benedict They are greeted by Leonato governor of Messina together with his daughter Hero and niece Beatrice Hero awaits the return of her fiance Claudio unwounded and rewarded for his valour Beatrice inquires about and scorns Benedict They trade insults as they have in previous meetings and tease each other Benedict swears to his friends that he will never marry Later Claudio and Pedro scheme to trick Benedict into marrying Beatrice Knowing that he is listening Leonato assures Pedro that Beatrice loves Benedict Upon hearing this Benedict resolves that Beatrice s love must not go unrequited and so he decides to pursue her Meanwhile elsewhere Hero and her attendant Ursule manage to play a similar trick on Beatrice who now believes that Benedict is secretly in love with her Act 2 edit To celebrate the pending wedding of Claudio and Hero Leonato hosts a masquerade party A local music teacher Somarone leads the group in song and everybody enjoys themselves except Beatrice who realizes that she has fallen in love with Benedict With Hero and Ursule she sings of the happiness of a bride about to be wed As she turns to leave she is met by Benedict prompting an exchange in which they both attempt to conceal their love for each other A notary solemnizes the marriage of Claudio and Hero and as arranged by Leonato produces a second contract asking for another couple to come forward Benedict summons the courage to declare his love to Beatrice the two sign the wedding contract and the work ends with the words today a truce is signed we ll be enemies again tomorrow Recordings editThere are several recordings of the opera The overture which refers to several passages in the opera without becoming a pot pourri is heard on its own in concerts and has been recorded many times Josephine Veasey Beatrice John Mitchinson Benedict April Cantelo Hero Helen Watts Ursule John Cameron Claudio John Shirley Quirk Don Pedro Eric Shilling Somarone London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Colin Davis L Oiseau lyre SOL 256 7 1962 Janet Baker Beatrice Robert Tear Benedict Christiane Eda Pierre Hero Helen Watts Ursule Thomas Allen Claudio Robert Lloyd Don Pedro Jules Bastin Somarone London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Colin Davis Philips 6700 121 1977 Yvonne Minton Beatrice Placido Domingo Benedict Ileana Cotrubaș Hero Nadine Denize Ursule Dietrich Fischer Dieskau Claudio Roger Soyer Don Pedro John Macurdy Somarone Orchestre de Paris conducted by Daniel Barenboim Deutsche Grammophon 2707 130 1981 Susan Graham Beatrice Jean Luc Viala Benedict Sylvia McNair Hero Catherine Robbin Ursule Gilles Cachemaille fr Claudio Vincent le Texier Don Pedro Gabriel Bacquier Somarone Lyon Opera Orchestra and Chorus John Nelson conductor Erato 2292 45773 1991 Enkelejda Shkosa Beatrice Kenneth Tarver Benedict Susan Gritton Hero Sara Mingardo Ursule Laurent Naouri Claudio Dean Robinson Don Pedro David Wilson Johnson Somarone London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Colin Davis LSO Live 2000 Stephanie d Oustrac Beatrice Paul Appleby Benedict Sophie Karthauser Hero Lionel Lothe Somarone Philippe Sly Claudio Frederic Caton Don Pedro Katarina Bradic Ursule London Philharmonic Orchestra The Glyndebourne Chorus staged by Laurent Pelly conducted by Antonello Manacorda 1 DVD Opus Arte 2017References edit Berlioz and the Romantic Imagination Catalogue for exhibition at Victoria and Albert Museum for Berlioz centenary Art Council London 1969 p 46 exhibit 131 orchestral manuscript score a b c d Holoman D K Beatrice et Benedict In The New Grove Dictionary of Opera Macmillan London and New York 1997 Wilson CR Shakespeare In The New Grove Dictionary of Opera Macmillan London and New York 1997 a b Cairns D Berlioz Servitude and Greatness 1832 1869 Allen Lane London 1999 p 670 MacDonald Hugh Ed Selected Letters of Berlioz translated by Roger Nichols Faber amp Faber London 1995 letter 407 Noel E amp Stoullig E Les Annales du theatre et de la musique 16e edition 1890 G Charpentier et Cie Paris 1891 pp 139 145 Pitt C Strasbourg In The New Grove Dictionary of Opera Macmillan London amp New York 1997 BnF archives et manuscrits accessed 2 February 2018 Article on Beatrice et Benedict at the Opera Comique in 2010 Artistik Rezo Marie Torres 25 February 2010 Erik Chisholm biography retrieved 14 July 2013 Programme book Beatrice et Benedict English National Opera 1990 When Shakespeare Hit Berlioz Like a Thunderbolt by Harold C Schonberg The New York Times 23 October 1977 Rampone Giorgio Report from Genoa Opera March 2023 Vol 74 No 3 p291 2 a b c Kobbe Gustav Harewood Earl of Kobbe s Complete Opera Book Putnam London and New York 1954 pp 730 733 Casaglia Gherardo 2005 Beatrice et Benedict 9 August 1862 L Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia in Italian External links editBeatrice et Benedict Scores at the International Music Score Library Project Beatrice et Benedict libretto HBerlioz com Portal nbsp Opera Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Beatrice et Benedict amp oldid 1221088121, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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