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Hidden treasures - Stanislaw Moniuszko - Straszny Dwor (1865) - Selected highlights

Painting: "The Catskill Landscape" by Thomas Cole.

History (based on materials from the Grove Dictionary of Music): Like Glinka in Russia and Erkel in Hungary, the Polish composer Stanislaw Moniuszko (1819-1872) has become associated primarily with the nineteenth century struggle of Eastern European musicians to find a national style in opera. Though Moniuszko's excellent education at the Berlin Singakademie allowed him to successfully compose in a variety of styles, his breakthrough came surprisingly late: only the 1858 Warsaw revival of his 1848 opera "Halka" was at last met with true admiration. This success belatedly launched Moniuszko's career, and he became a national celebrity, immediately embarking on a European tour, meeting Smetana in Prague and Liszt in Weimar. A series of highly successful theatrical works followed, culminating in the composition of "Straszny dwor" ("The Haunted Manor"). While working on the new opera, Moniuszko was inevitably caught up in the growing political ferment which led to the insurrection of 1863. In the aftermath of the insurrection, censorship in Warsaw was severe, and "Straszny dwor" was regarded as excessively patriotic in tone, being withdrawn after a mere three performances in 1865.

Narrative: At first glance, the text of the opera seems quite straightforward, quoting "La dame blanche" in its extensive use of supernatural elements: on leaving their regiment for some well-deserved rest two brothers, Stefan and Zbigniev (tenor/baritone), swear an oath of celibacy, as they desire to spend their entire lives defending their homeland; however, when they visit an old friend of their father's, Miecznik the sword-bearer (bass), the hussars fail not to fall in love with his two daughters, Hanna and Jadwiga (soprano/mezzo-soprano). The brothers' supposed cowardice (of which the girls are familiar through a scheme of the soldiers' aunt, Czesnikowa (contralto)) is tested that very night, as they are asked to spend the night at the supposedly "haunted" manor of Miecznik. However, the various "apparitions" are revealed to be the girls themselves. In the end, the pretence is discovered, and the young people are allowed to marry. This light, highly naturalistic narrative may seem rather traditional, and, indeed, even though Moniuszko introduces a great deal of hidden patriotic overtones, the plot remains somewhat unsatisfactory.

Music: Similar to Erkel's "Hunyadi Laszlo", Moniuszko's opera does not eradicate its Italian and French inspiration and is, in reality, a clever symbiosis of traditional Italianate structures, rich Germanic accompaniments and the national musical language of the composer. The score is, thus, indebted to a number of composers: Weber, Rossini and Flotow readily come to mind. However, Moniuszko never sinks into simple repetition, instead allowing his own rhythmic brilliance (the loosely composed ensembles are unified almost completely by the underlying delightful bass lines), dramatic sensibility (in the Act II finale the composer actually sets two situations - a romantic encounter between the lovers and a comic quarrel between the hunters over the spoils - as the concentrato) and melodic ease (the allegro from the Act II quartet appears ever so frequently in my mind) come through, while also extensively using mazurkas, polonaises, polkas to create a truly Polish setting. Though Moniuszko's attempts to hide a patriotic message in the music backfire due to the comparative bleakness of the main story, the music itself has a remarkable freshness, and the list of highlights is long: the introduction includes a particularly handsome oath of celibacy with percussion on full display; the fortune-telling quartet of Act II features both a string-laden duettino for the sisters and a delightful allegretto, as the girls excitedly gossip about whom their future suitors might be; both Hanna and Stefan are graced with moving scenes, in the case of the former - a Donizettian aria of lovely coloratura figures, in the case of the latter - a haunting lament of his parents' untimely deaths... All in all, a work well worthy of recognition and admiration.

Recording: The 2001 EMI recording of the virtually complete score (a duet seems to have been omitted) benefits from a full Polish musical team, headed by the a fine conductor (Jacek Kasprzyk), a polished chorus and orchestra (the Polish National Opera) and an enthusiastic, highly idiomatic cast.

Miecznik - Adam Kruszewski,
Hanna - Iwona Hossa,
Jadwiga - Anna Lubanska,
Damazy - Krzysztof Szmyt,
Stefan - Dariusz Stachura,
Zbigniew - Piotr Nowacki,
Czesnikowa - Stefania Toczyska,
Maciej (bass), the boys' servant - Zbigniew Macias,
Skoluba (bass), Miecznik's servant - Romuald Tesarowicz.

Hope you'll enjoy :).

Видео Hidden treasures - Stanislaw Moniuszko - Straszny Dwor (1865) - Selected highlights канала LindoroRossini
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24 апреля 2010 г. 3:17:12
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