Castle Agrazant (opera)
Encyclopedia
Castle Agrazant is an opera
composed by Ralph Lyford
. It premiered on 29 April 1926 with Forrest Lamont performing, in Cincinnati. Castle Agrazant won a Bispham Memorial Medal Award
in 1926.
The opera is set in Northern France
in the aftermath of the Ninth Crusade
- specified as 1290 in the program for the opera. Characters include Richard of Agrazant (Riego of Agrazant), a young crusader and religious zealot; and his wife Isabeau. In the story, the husband and crusader, Richard, returns to avenge his persecuted wife, Isabeau.
In the 1926 premier, Olga Forrai performed as Isabeau, Forrest Lamont performed as Richard, and Howard Preston as Geoffrey.
The Opera's performances included a chorus of 65 members and 60 members of the Cincinnati Symphony. The cost to stage the production in 1926 was $15,000 USD (approximately $183,000 in 2010 USD).
The Opera was also broadcast by radio station WLW
in Cincinnati, Ohio
on May 3, 1926.
Count Lisiac, a former suitor of Isabeau, seizes the opportunity
of her husband's absence and her grief to approach Isabeau. When his
attempts fail he turns to violence, assaulting the Castle
Agrazant and kidnapping Isabeau. Isabeau conceals a note giving
details of her abduction before she is taken.
Elsewhere, Richard of Agrazant is returning from Jerusalem. He passes
Lisiac Hall ignorant that his wife is imprisoned there. He arrives at
Castle Agrazant and sees evidence of the assault. He finds his
daughter dead in the cradle, and the note from Isabeau. He pledges
revenge.
Geoffrey becomes inebriated and is more forward with Isabeau. As events
spin out of control, Geoffrey's men debate protecting Isabeau from
Geoffrey. A herald then announces the arrival of traveling
musicians - a monk, a minstrel, and a boy. Geoffrey commands them to
perform but asks Isabeau to select a happy song. She requests a song of
Nazareth, and Richard (disguised as the monk) thereby confirms she has no desire to stay with
Geoffrey.
The Boy then sings of the recent assault of Castle Agrazant, to the astonishment
of Geoffrey and his men. Filled with superstitious dread,
Lisiac orders the musicians cast out. The Monk interjects,
offering to sing a different song - and his voice is recognized
by Isabeau as her Richard's. Richard sings of his love for Isabeau
and remorse at going to Jerusalem and leaving 'far from home
and wife and child'.
Removing his disguise, Richard challenges Geoffrey
and a melee ensues. In the melee, Isabeau is stabbed by
Geoffrey; Geoffrey is run through by Richard's sword.
Richard seizes Isabeau and escapes, followed by the boy and musician.
encourages her to continue on. She weakens further, they do rest,
apparently sleeping for the night. In the morning, Richard uses his helmet
to fetch water and tells of his visit to
Jerusalem. His assessment is that his crusade was in error, he
sacrificed all that was worthy in its pursuit. He breaks his blade.
Placing the fragments on a rock, he returns to Isabeau. Isabeau bemoans
their sad fate and begins to hallucinate that she is comforting her
daughter; she hears the horns of Lisiac approaching. She and
Richard sing a duet extolling the possibility of
living in a brighter realm in the future, forever.
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
composed by Ralph Lyford
Ralph Lyford
Ralph Lyford was an American composer and conductor. Born in Worcester, Massachusetts, he began studies at age 12 and 6 years later graduated from Boston's New England Conservatory of Music and rose to prominence as the managing director of the Cincinnati Opera.He was married to Ella Gillis, a...
. It premiered on 29 April 1926 with Forrest Lamont performing, in Cincinnati. Castle Agrazant won a Bispham Memorial Medal Award
Bispham Memorial Medal Award
The Bispham Memorial Medal Award was an award for operas written in English which was presented annually by the American Opera Society of Chicago from 1921-1932. The award was named for baritone David Bispham, who was a great proponent of performing opera in English in the United States. It was...
in 1926.
The opera is set in Northern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in the aftermath of the Ninth Crusade
Ninth Crusade
The Ninth Crusade, which is sometimes grouped with the Eighth Crusade, is commonly considered to be the last major medieval Crusade to the Holy Land. It took place in 1271–1272....
- specified as 1290 in the program for the opera. Characters include Richard of Agrazant (Riego of Agrazant), a young crusader and religious zealot; and his wife Isabeau. In the story, the husband and crusader, Richard, returns to avenge his persecuted wife, Isabeau.
In the 1926 premier, Olga Forrai performed as Isabeau, Forrest Lamont performed as Richard, and Howard Preston as Geoffrey.
The Opera's performances included a chorus of 65 members and 60 members of the Cincinnati Symphony. The cost to stage the production in 1926 was $15,000 USD (approximately $183,000 in 2010 USD).
The Opera was also broadcast by radio station WLW
WLW
WLW is a clear channel talk radio station located in Cincinnati, Ohio, run by Clear Channel Communications. The station broadcasts locally on 700 kHz AM...
in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
on May 3, 1926.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast 29 April 1926 (Conductor: Ralph Lyford) |
|---|---|---|
| Isabeau | soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody... |
Olga Forrai |
| Richard of Agrazant | tenor Tenor The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2... |
Forrest Lamont |
| Geoffrey of Lisiac | baritone Baritone Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or... |
Howard Preston |
| A young boy | Fern Bryson | |
| An old minstrel | Italo Picchi | |
| A herald | Moody DeVeaux | |
| A knight of Lisiac | Herman Wordemann |
Act 1
Isabeau is mourning the death of her newborn daughter, alone.Count Lisiac, a former suitor of Isabeau, seizes the opportunity
of her husband's absence and her grief to approach Isabeau. When his
attempts fail he turns to violence, assaulting the Castle
Agrazant and kidnapping Isabeau. Isabeau conceals a note giving
details of her abduction before she is taken.
Elsewhere, Richard of Agrazant is returning from Jerusalem. He passes
Lisiac Hall ignorant that his wife is imprisoned there. He arrives at
Castle Agrazant and sees evidence of the assault. He finds his
daughter dead in the cradle, and the note from Isabeau. He pledges
revenge.
Act 2
Isabeau is feted at Lisiac Hall, but takes no part in the celebrations.Geoffrey becomes inebriated and is more forward with Isabeau. As events
spin out of control, Geoffrey's men debate protecting Isabeau from
Geoffrey. A herald then announces the arrival of traveling
musicians - a monk, a minstrel, and a boy. Geoffrey commands them to
perform but asks Isabeau to select a happy song. She requests a song of
Nazareth, and Richard (disguised as the monk) thereby confirms she has no desire to stay with
Geoffrey.
The Boy then sings of the recent assault of Castle Agrazant, to the astonishment
of Geoffrey and his men. Filled with superstitious dread,
Lisiac orders the musicians cast out. The Monk interjects,
offering to sing a different song - and his voice is recognized
by Isabeau as her Richard's. Richard sings of his love for Isabeau
and remorse at going to Jerusalem and leaving 'far from home
and wife and child'.
Removing his disguise, Richard challenges Geoffrey
and a melee ensues. In the melee, Isabeau is stabbed by
Geoffrey; Geoffrey is run through by Richard's sword.
Richard seizes Isabeau and escapes, followed by the boy and musician.
Act 3
Richard enters, assisting Isabeau. She asks to rest and Richardencourages her to continue on. She weakens further, they do rest,
apparently sleeping for the night. In the morning, Richard uses his helmet
to fetch water and tells of his visit to
Jerusalem. His assessment is that his crusade was in error, he
sacrificed all that was worthy in its pursuit. He breaks his blade.
Placing the fragments on a rock, he returns to Isabeau. Isabeau bemoans
their sad fate and begins to hallucinate that she is comforting her
daughter; she hears the horns of Lisiac approaching. She and
Richard sing a duet extolling the possibility of
living in a brighter realm in the future, forever.