Jeppe: The Cruel Comedy
Encyclopedia
Jeppe: The Cruel Comedy is a 2001 opera
created and commissioned by librettist-director Claes Fellbom
with composer
Sven-David Sandström
, based on Ludvig Holberg
's play, Jeppe of the Hill (Jeppe paa Bjerget eller den forvandlede Bonde), updated to a contemporary setting, with television
as a major theme. Its creation was to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Folkoperan
, for which Fellbom is managing director. It ran there for more than forty performances. Fellbom translated his libretto into English and directed the first English language
production at the Indiana University Bloomington
School of Music
in February 2003, where Sandström is on the faculty. This production ran four performances (7, 8, 14, 15), which is the standard run of all Indiana University opera productions.
and was the 370th production of the Indiana University Opera Theater. It was designed by C. David Higgins with lighting by Michael Schwandt. Original star Michael Weinius performed two of the four evenings, alternating with student Taylor Hightower.
singing primarily in his upper register, who is found drunk on a hill by Erik and Josh, employees of media mogul Harry Schoenberg. Schoenberg had rejected Jeppe's manuscript some twenty years earlier, and now Schoenberg plans to place him in his own reality TV show in which Jeppe believes that he is in Heaven
in the 1920s, in which he intends to abuse the writer by having him wake up in Schoenberg's bed next to his wife, Beatrice, a violin
ist whose relationship with her husband has soured since he forced her to get an abortion
, after which she has never played. Beatrice is Fellbom's creation and has no equivalent in Holberg's original. To complicate things even further, Jeppe's wife, Dolly, a bus driver
, who has accused Jeppe of being impotent, is having an affair with Erik, who, along with Josh (an accountant
), is one of the camera operator
s on the show. The other principal characters include La Diva, the star of Shoenberg's American Civil War
musical, and Luna, Jeppe's bartender, a neo-hippie who claims that her name was given to her by Jimi Hendrix
touching her mother's abdomen at Woodstock.
Unlike many operas, the action and visuals often have a severe contrast to the text. In one scene, the text says that Schoenberg is physically hurting Jeppe when in fact, he is not.
Near the end of the opera, Erik dons a cowboy hat
and demonically screams at Jeppe in a fashion more akin to rock music
than opera. In the American premiere, the role was played by Nathan Baer, the only principal not doubled over the four performances, whose approach to the role in this scene suggested Oingo Boingo
's Danny Elfman
. Further, rock music
is interpolated by Luna and the patrons of her tavern, quoting Janis Joplin
's "Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes-Benz
."
Jeppe initially meets Beatrice when she accidentally knocks him over with her bicycle
, which she rides in a jogging suit, an unusual example of a woman wearing pants in an opera and still playing a woman. In the original production, the women wore dresses throughout with the exception of this scene.
The opera ultimately ends happily with Jeppe and Beatrice getting together, and Schoenberg publishing Jeppe's novel.
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...
created and commissioned by librettist-director Claes Fellbom
Claes Fellbom
Claes Fellbom is a Swedish film director, screenwriter, and composer, and a librettist and opera stage director. He is the founder and managing director of Folkoperan....
with composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
Sven-David Sandström
Sven-David Sandström
Sven-David Sandström is a Swedish composer best known for his compositions operas, oratorios, battets, and choral works, as well as orchestral works.Sandström studied art history and musicology at Stockholm University...
, based on Ludvig Holberg
Ludvig Holberg
Ludvig Holberg, Baron of Holberg was a writer, essayist, philosopher, historian and playwright born in Bergen, Norway, during the time of the Dano-Norwegian double monarchy, who spent most of his adult life in Denmark. He was influenced by Humanism, the Enlightenment and the Baroque...
's play, Jeppe of the Hill (Jeppe paa Bjerget eller den forvandlede Bonde), updated to a contemporary setting, with television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
as a major theme. Its creation was to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Folkoperan
Folkoperan
Folkoperan is an opera house in Stockholm, Sweden, founded by Claes Fellbom in 1976. It is located in Stockholm at Hornsgatan 72 in a popular southern district of Stockholm called Södermalm....
, for which Fellbom is managing director. It ran there for more than forty performances. Fellbom translated his libretto into English and directed the first English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
production at the Indiana University Bloomington
Indiana University Bloomington
Indiana University Bloomington is a public research university located in Bloomington, Indiana, in the United States. IU Bloomington is the flagship campus of the Indiana University system. Being the flagship campus, IU Bloomington is often referred to simply as IU or Indiana...
School of Music
Jacobs School of Music
The Jacobs School of Music of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, is a music conservatory established in 1921. Until 2005, it was known as the Indiana University School of Music...
in February 2003, where Sandström is on the faculty. This production ran four performances (7, 8, 14, 15), which is the standard run of all Indiana University opera productions.
American premiere
The American premiere, translated and directed by Fellbom, was conducted by David EffronDavid Effron
David Effron is an American conductor and educator. After earning a Bachelor of Music degree in piano from the University of Michigan and a Master of Music degree in piano from Indiana University, he worked as an assistant to Wolfgang Sawallisch at the Cologne Opera...
and was the 370th production of the Indiana University Opera Theater. It was designed by C. David Higgins with lighting by Michael Schwandt. Original star Michael Weinius performed two of the four evenings, alternating with student Taylor Hightower.
Roles
- Jeppe Verflucht...Taylor Hightower, Michael Weinius
- Harry Schoenberg...Andrew Hendricks, Jonathan StinsonJonathan StinsonJonathan Stinson is an American lyric baritone and composer who has appeared with several companies throughout the US, including Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Kentucky Opera, Opera Memphis, Opera New Jersey, Cleveland Opera, Central City Opera, Springfield Regional Opera, Ohio Light Opera, and the...
- Erik...Nathan Baer
- Josh...Nathan Bick, Joshua Whitener
- La Diva...Teresa S. Herold, Angela Shadwick
- Dolly Verflucht...Lindsey Falduto, Kate LindseyKate LindseyKate Lindsey is a mezzo-soprano opera singer from the United States.Lindsey holds a Bachelor of Music Degree with Distinction from Indiana University. Her many awards include the 2007 Richard F. Gold Career Grant, the 2007 George London Award in memory of Lloyd Rigler, the 2007 Lincoln Center...
- Luna...Sophie Louise Roland, Margaret Nilsson
- Beatrice Schoenberg...Reyna Carguill, Maija Lisa Currie http://www.maijalisacurrie.com
- Beatrice violin fantasy...Sarah Kapustin http://www.sarahkapustin.com/
- Chorus...Alison Bacich, Gregory Brookes, Chris Carducci, Grant Clarke, Ulises Dubon, Carelle Flores, Sara Flores, Michael Forbes, Rachel Fulton, Roger Henry, Rachel Olsen, Yoon-Kyung Park, Hanna Penn, Emily Ross-Johnson, Marc Schapman, Jacob Sentgeorge, Scott Six, Samuel Spade, Emily Solt, Maria Rebecca Stoehr
Synopsis
The story deals with a writer named Jeppe Verflucht, whose surname means "cursed", played by a baritoneBaritone
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...
singing primarily in his upper register, who is found drunk on a hill by Erik and Josh, employees of media mogul Harry Schoenberg. Schoenberg had rejected Jeppe's manuscript some twenty years earlier, and now Schoenberg plans to place him in his own reality TV show in which Jeppe believes that he is in Heaven
Heaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
in the 1920s, in which he intends to abuse the writer by having him wake up in Schoenberg's bed next to his wife, Beatrice, a violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist whose relationship with her husband has soured since he forced her to get an abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
, after which she has never played. Beatrice is Fellbom's creation and has no equivalent in Holberg's original. To complicate things even further, Jeppe's wife, Dolly, a bus driver
Bus driver
A bus driver, bus operator or omnibus driver is a person who drives buses professionally. Bus drivers typically drive their vehicles between bus stations or stops. They often drop off and pick up passengers on a predetermined route schedule. In British English a different term, coach drivers, is...
, who has accused Jeppe of being impotent, is having an affair with Erik, who, along with Josh (an accountant
Accountant
An accountant is a practitioner of accountancy or accounting , which is the measurement, disclosure or provision of assurance about financial information that helps managers, investors, tax authorities and others make decisions about allocating resources.The Big Four auditors are the largest...
), is one of the camera operator
Camera operator
A camera operator or cameraman is a professional operator of a film or video camera. In filmmaking, the leading cameraman is usually called a cinematographer, while a cameraman in a video production may be known as a television camera operator, video camera operator, or videographer, depending on...
s on the show. The other principal characters include La Diva, the star of Shoenberg's American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
musical, and Luna, Jeppe's bartender, a neo-hippie who claims that her name was given to her by Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
touching her mother's abdomen at Woodstock.
Unlike many operas, the action and visuals often have a severe contrast to the text. In one scene, the text says that Schoenberg is physically hurting Jeppe when in fact, he is not.
Near the end of the opera, Erik dons a cowboy hat
Cowboy hat
The cowboy hat is a high-crowned, wide-brimmed hat best known as the defining piece of attire for the North American cowboy. Today it is worn by many people, and is particularly associated with ranch workers in the western and southern United States, western Canada and northern Mexico, with...
and demonically screams at Jeppe in a fashion more akin to rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
than opera. In the American premiere, the role was played by Nathan Baer, the only principal not doubled over the four performances, whose approach to the role in this scene suggested Oingo Boingo
Oingo Boingo
Oingo Boingo was an American new wave band. They are best known for their influence on other musicians, their soundtrack contributions and their high energy Halloween concerts. The band was founded in 1972 as The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, a performance art group...
's Danny Elfman
Danny Elfman
Daniel Robert "Danny" Elfman is an American composer, best known for scoring music for television and film. Up until 1995, he was the lead singer and songwriter in the rock band Oingo Boingo, a group he formed in 1976...
. Further, rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
is interpolated by Luna and the patrons of her tavern, quoting Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin
Janis Lyn Joplin was an American singer, songwriter, painter, dancer and music arranger. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company and later as a solo artist with her backing groups, The Kozmic Blues Band and The Full Tilt Boogie Band...
's "Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
."
Jeppe initially meets Beatrice when she accidentally knocks him over with her bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
, which she rides in a jogging suit, an unusual example of a woman wearing pants in an opera and still playing a woman. In the original production, the women wore dresses throughout with the exception of this scene.
The opera ultimately ends happily with Jeppe and Beatrice getting together, and Schoenberg publishing Jeppe's novel.