La statue
Encyclopedia
La statue is an opera
in three acts and five tableaux
by Ernest Reyer
to the libretto
by Michel Carré
and Jules Barbier
based on tales from One Thousand and One Nights and La statue merveilleuse, an 1810 carnival play (pièce foraine) by Alain-René Lesage
and Jacques-Philippe d'Orneval.
Although in its story opera possesses a certain Orient
al climate, musically it has very little resemblance to its locale, remaining in core of the French music tradition of 18th and early 19th century. It was originally conceived and performed as an opéra comique
(with some spoken dialogue instead of all recitative
s).
on 11 April 1861 and was very successful (Jules Massenet, who at that time himself participated in that performance (playing timpani in the orchestra), described it as "a superb score and tremendous success"). Until the year 1863 it received total of 59 performances, impressive figure for those times. It was then performed in Brussels at La Monnaie in 1865, at the Opéra-Comique in Paris in 1878, Monte Carlo in 1890 and finally in completely revised version the Paris Opéra in 1903 (at that time receiving only just 10 performances). Since that time it has slipped into total oblivion and has not been performed ever since. Although no known commercial recording of it exists, the only recording of its complete music (arrangement for piano sextet) is available at IMSLP.
Act 1 - 53 minutes
Act 2 - 57 minutes (including ballet 37 min. in the second version)
Act 2 - 47 minutes (in the original version of the opera, without ballet)
Act 3 - 34 minutes
, Arabian desert
Act 2: Mecca
Act 3: Arabian desert
Time: Legendary
Amgiad presents himself in the form of a dervish
.
He tells him first everything which he must say about the dervish who, as the rule, is doomed to poverty and wisdom, and then he adds: "the powerful genie Amgiad, the protector and friend of your family, sends me to you to tell you he has pity on thy fate. If you want a little help and follow my advice, I'll get you to the center of the earth where you will find all the riches you can imagine." He exacts then a pledge on Sélim to meet him at the certain place and hour and disappears. With these promises that excite the imagination of an Arab, Sélim comes to senses and rushes in the desert in pursuit of the chimera.
Followed by his faithful slave Mouck, Sélim arrives exhausted at the ruins of the ancient city of Baalbek
. There he meets a young girl beside a fountain (duet "Mais, je veux te connaître"). The girl offers him refreshing drink, and he, after quenching his thirst, feel the natural desire to see features of the young stranger who has been so compassionate. Margyane is her name. She is poor, her mother died when she was young, and now even her father is no more, so she is on the way to join her uncle in the Holy City. The caravan is waiting. She resists his advances at first, but word by word she is overwhelmed by intimate atmosphere and his boldness and her heart slowly yields to him. On request of Sélim she shows him her smile after lifting her veil a little. He declares his love to her. They kiss. But that is too much for her at the moment. Doubting him and afraid, fighting her own passion and natural desires, she withdraw and goes away leaving confused Sélim behind.
In meantime the all watchful Amgiad appears at that same place, as it is exactly the place where they arranged previously their meeting. Once again he assures pledge from Sélim that the treasury is really all what he wants, but being a witness to conclusion of the romantic encounter at the same time warning him of power of love. But disappointed with his not quite successful conquest and deeply unsatisfied Sélim says he is ready and determined. By the power of his magic, Amgiad opens for him the gate to the underground kingdom and Sélim jumps there promptly to fulfill his destiny. In meantime Margyane returns and, not seeing him around anymore, disappointed ("Hélas! il n'est plus là..."), joins the caravan to her far destination.
When Sélim returns, overwhelmed and dazzled, he enthusiastically reports to his servant what he just saw:
Down there, among other wonders, stand twelve statues carved in gold and diamonds and the thirteenth pedestal empty still with the statue missing but more he looked at it the more it occurred of unparalleled richness and beauty. That thirteenth statue worth not enough of whole treasure even a king would pay will be granted to him, Sélim, if he agrees to marry an innocent and poor girl whom he will then be obliged to deliver there, pure and chaste. That promise he granted to the spirits of earth, not realizing as yet awaiting him a twist.
(Amgiad himself in disguise), and when at last Sélim is allowed to see the face of his wife, he recognizes her at once: Alas! The girl he met in the desert, Margyane, whom he loves and who now loves him in return! At the climax of the whole scene he, deeply and mysteriously shaken to all present, recollects suddenly, to his horror, the promise he once granted to the underground guardians that he must now fulfill under the pain of eternal punishment: to surrender his new and only love as a payment for the treasure he previously so desired. He does not dare as yet to make the full admission of his horrible situation to Margyane, however, as the act ends.
), a desperate fight undertakes in the soul of Sélim between his love for Margyane and the promise he had made to Amgiad and underground spirits. He now confesses to her, asking for forgiveness, cursing his former folly and desire for riches, now conjuring his fidelity, pledging that he is determined, by all cost, to keep her instead. In the middle of his struggle, when he convinced her of his love (their second love duet), Amgiad appears suddenly, as previously under the disguise of the dervish, coming now to claim his prey. They are left alone. But no threats, no arguments from Amgiad, no scary voices of underground spirits warning him of eternal punishment for breaking his vow are enough for Sélim to betray his love now. Seeing such determination Amgiad is almost ready to leave when Margyane, who witnessed half of their conversation and horrific voices, suddenly bars his exit, demanding that he rather should take her, that she does not desire to be an object for breaking such terrible vow, stating that she, from pure love to him, will rather willingly sacrifice herself than be the cause of his eternal punishment. Sélim draws his dagger, ready to defend her with his own life. But one sign of hand from Amgiad is enough to stop such silly move short: he then plunges Sélim in a gentle sleep taking away tearful Margyane.
Sélim wakes up soon after they left, barely remembering what happened to him. Now underground voices announce that since he fulfilled his pledge after all, and the magical thirteenth statue belongs to him. To his horror he fully recollects and, discovering Margyane gone, full of love and rage, cursing his previous folly and desire, he takes his servant and they rush to collect the promised riches, but with the wild determination to smash the statue which cost him so dearly. But at the crucial moment when he is about to strike the fatal blow of destruction, he sees rising empty pedestal and Margyane herself standing there, smiling and promptly falling into his arms. Among general jubilation, Amgiad appears in magnificent costume of the genie, the master of all jinni, and he says these words, which form the conclusion and the moral of the fable:
Il est un trésor
Plus rare que l’or
De toute la terre,
Plus pur que le jour:
C’est le doux mystère
Qu’on appelle amour.
(It is a treasure
Rarer than gold
Of all the Earth.
More pure than the day:
It's sweet mystery
Called love.)
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...
in three acts and five tableaux
Tableau vivant
Tableau vivant is French for "living picture." The term describes a striking group of suitably costumed actors or artist's models, carefully posed and often theatrically lit. Throughout the duration of the display, the people shown do not speak or move...
by Ernest Reyer
Ernest Reyer
Ernest Reyer, the adopted name of Louis Étienne Ernest Rey, was a French opera composer and music critic .- Biography :...
to the libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
by Michel Carré
Michel Carré
Michel Carré was a prolific French librettist.He went to Paris in 1840 intending to become a painter but took up writing instead. He wrote verse and plays before turning to writing libretti. His libretto for Mirette was never performed in France but was later performed in English adaptation in...
and Jules Barbier
Jules Barbier
Paul Jules Barbier was a French poet, writer and opera librettist who often wrote in collaboration with Michel Carré...
based on tales from One Thousand and One Nights and La statue merveilleuse, an 1810 carnival play (pièce foraine) by Alain-René Lesage
Alain-René Lesage
Alain-René Lesage was a French novelist and playwright. Lesage is best known for his comic novel The Devil upon Two Sticks , his comedy Turcaret , and his picaresque novel Gil Blas .-Youth and education:Claude Lesage, the father of the novelist, held the united...
and Jacques-Philippe d'Orneval.
Although in its story opera possesses a certain Orient
Orient
The Orient means "the East." It is a traditional designation for anything that belongs to the Eastern world or the Far East, in relation to Europe. In English it is a metonym that means various parts of Asia.- Derivation :...
al climate, musically it has very little resemblance to its locale, remaining in core of the French music tradition of 18th and early 19th century. It was originally conceived and performed as an opéra comique
Opéra comique
Opéra comique is a genre of French opera that contains spoken dialogue and arias. It emerged out of the popular opéra comiques en vaudevilles of the Fair Theatres of St Germain and St Laurent , which combined existing popular tunes with spoken sections...
(with some spoken dialogue instead of all recitative
Recitative
Recitative , also known by its Italian name "recitativo" , is a style of delivery in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms of ordinary speech...
s).
Performance history
The opera received its premiere at the Théâtre LyriqueThéâtre Lyrique
The Théâtre Lyrique was one of four opera companies performing in Paris during the middle of the 19th century . The company was founded in 1847 as the Opéra-National by the French composer Adolphe Adam and renamed Théâtre Lyrique in 1852...
on 11 April 1861 and was very successful (Jules Massenet, who at that time himself participated in that performance (playing timpani in the orchestra), described it as "a superb score and tremendous success"). Until the year 1863 it received total of 59 performances, impressive figure for those times. It was then performed in Brussels at La Monnaie in 1865, at the Opéra-Comique in Paris in 1878, Monte Carlo in 1890 and finally in completely revised version the Paris Opéra in 1903 (at that time receiving only just 10 performances). Since that time it has slipped into total oblivion and has not been performed ever since. Although no known commercial recording of it exists, the only recording of its complete music (arrangement for piano sextet) is available at IMSLP.
Versions
La statue is known to have two versions. Both versions have three acts in common, but in the revised one the most of music from act 2 was substantially altered, the comic element being completely removed. Also in later version ballet was added in place of the cut vocal music: the Duo bouffe (between Kaloum and Amgiad), Margyane's Romance, and Selim's Cavatina. Scenes of choral music was significantly altered or cut. Only the second part of that act, starting from Margyane's Strophes and the Finale was mostly preserved. Also, in revised version, the Mouck's couplets from the first act and the small incidental role for Ali (the second tenor) from the second act were eliminated.Timing
Based on approximate estimate from playback of the vocal and piano reduction scores, total timing of the piece is as follows:Act 1 - 53 minutes
Act 2 - 57 minutes (including ballet 37 min. in the second version)
Act 2 - 47 minutes (in the original version of the opera, without ballet)
Act 3 - 34 minutes
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 11 April 1861 (Conductor: Adolphe Deloffre Adolphe Deloffre Louis Michel Adolphe Deloffre was a French violinist and conductor active in London and Paris, who conducted several important operatic premieres in the latter city, particularly by Charles Gounod and Georges Bizet.... ) |
|---|---|---|
| Margyane | 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... |
Marie-Julie Baretti |
| Sélim | 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... |
Jules-Sébastien Monjauze |
| Mouck | tenor | Adolphe Girardot |
| Amgiad | bass (or baritone) | Mathieu-Émile Balanqué |
| Kaloum-Barouck | baritone (or comic bass) | Émile Wartel Émile Wartel Louis Émile Wartel was an opera singer and teacher active in Paris. He was the son of the musicians François Wartel and Thérèse Wartel.-Life and career:... |
| Ali | tenor | Jean-Blaise Martin |
Instrumentation
- WoodwindsWoodwind instrumentA woodwind instrument is a musical instrument which produces sound when the player blows air against a sharp edge or through a reed, causing the air within its resonator to vibrate...
: 2 fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
s (incl. piccoloPiccoloThe piccolo is a half-size flute, and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. The piccolo has the same fingerings as its larger sibling, the standard transverse flute, but the sound it produces is an octave higher than written...
), 2 oboeOboeThe oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
s, 2 clarinetClarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
s, 2 bassoonBassoonThe bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher. Appearing in its modern form in the 19th century, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral, concert band and chamber music literature...
s - BrassBrass instrumentA brass instrument is a musical instrument whose sound is produced by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips...
: 4 French horns, 4 trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
s, 4 tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
s - TimpaniTimpaniTimpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet...
, percussion - StringsString orchestraA string orchestra is an orchestra composed solely or primarily of instruments from the string family. These instruments are the violin, the viola, the cello, the double bass , the piano, the harp, and sometimes percussion...
, 2 harpHarpThe harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
s
Place and Time
Act 1: DamascusDamascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
, Arabian desert
Act 2: Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
Act 3: Arabian desert
Time: Legendary
Act 1
A young Arab of the town of Damascus, Sélim, very rich and very voluptuous, is bored, because he exhausted with the fortune his father left him the source of any pleasure. Now, with others, he is seen engaged in opium smoking (Choir "Ô vapeur embaumée"). Overwhelmed with languor, without illusions, and soon running out of money, Sélim is not quite sure what folly to engage next, when the mighty genieGenie
Jinn or genies are supernatural creatures in Arab folklore and Islamic teachings that occupy a parallel world to that of mankind. Together, jinn, humans and angels make up the three sentient creations of Allah. Religious sources say barely anything about them; however, the Qur'an mentions that...
Amgiad presents himself in the form of a dervish
Dervish
A Dervish or Darvesh is someone treading a Sufi Muslim ascetic path or "Tariqah", known for their extreme poverty and austerity, similar to mendicant friars in Christianity or Hindu/Buddhist/Jain sadhus.-Etymology:The Persian word darvīsh is of ancient origin and descends from a Proto-Iranian...
.
He tells him first everything which he must say about the dervish who, as the rule, is doomed to poverty and wisdom, and then he adds: "the powerful genie Amgiad, the protector and friend of your family, sends me to you to tell you he has pity on thy fate. If you want a little help and follow my advice, I'll get you to the center of the earth where you will find all the riches you can imagine." He exacts then a pledge on Sélim to meet him at the certain place and hour and disappears. With these promises that excite the imagination of an Arab, Sélim comes to senses and rushes in the desert in pursuit of the chimera.
Followed by his faithful slave Mouck, Sélim arrives exhausted at the ruins of the ancient city of Baalbek
Baalbek
Baalbek is a town in the Beqaa Valley of Lebanon, altitude , situated east of the Litani River. It is famous for its exquisitely detailed yet monumentally scaled temple ruins of the Roman period, when Baalbek, then known as Heliopolis, was one of the largest sanctuaries in the Empire...
. There he meets a young girl beside a fountain (duet "Mais, je veux te connaître"). The girl offers him refreshing drink, and he, after quenching his thirst, feel the natural desire to see features of the young stranger who has been so compassionate. Margyane is her name. She is poor, her mother died when she was young, and now even her father is no more, so she is on the way to join her uncle in the Holy City. The caravan is waiting. She resists his advances at first, but word by word she is overwhelmed by intimate atmosphere and his boldness and her heart slowly yields to him. On request of Sélim she shows him her smile after lifting her veil a little. He declares his love to her. They kiss. But that is too much for her at the moment. Doubting him and afraid, fighting her own passion and natural desires, she withdraw and goes away leaving confused Sélim behind.
In meantime the all watchful Amgiad appears at that same place, as it is exactly the place where they arranged previously their meeting. Once again he assures pledge from Sélim that the treasury is really all what he wants, but being a witness to conclusion of the romantic encounter at the same time warning him of power of love. But disappointed with his not quite successful conquest and deeply unsatisfied Sélim says he is ready and determined. By the power of his magic, Amgiad opens for him the gate to the underground kingdom and Sélim jumps there promptly to fulfill his destiny. In meantime Margyane returns and, not seeing him around anymore, disappointed ("Hélas! il n'est plus là..."), joins the caravan to her far destination.
When Sélim returns, overwhelmed and dazzled, he enthusiastically reports to his servant what he just saw:
Down there, among other wonders, stand twelve statues carved in gold and diamonds and the thirteenth pedestal empty still with the statue missing but more he looked at it the more it occurred of unparalleled richness and beauty. That thirteenth statue worth not enough of whole treasure even a king would pay will be granted to him, Sélim, if he agrees to marry an innocent and poor girl whom he will then be obliged to deliver there, pure and chaste. That promise he granted to the spirits of earth, not realizing as yet awaiting him a twist.
Act 2
In the next act we are transported into the Holy City of Mecca, to the mansion of an old rich merchant of olives, Kaloum-Barouck, where wedding ceremony is under way. Following the advice of the "dervish," Sélim did ask to marry the niece of Kaloum-Barouck. The long and elaborate ballet scene follows. When the ceremony is concluded in the presence of the QadiQadi
Qadi is a judge ruling in accordance with Islamic religious law appointed by the ruler of a Muslim country. Because Islam makes no distinction between religious and secular domains, qadis traditionally have jurisdiction over all legal matters involving Muslims...
(Amgiad himself in disguise), and when at last Sélim is allowed to see the face of his wife, he recognizes her at once: Alas! The girl he met in the desert, Margyane, whom he loves and who now loves him in return! At the climax of the whole scene he, deeply and mysteriously shaken to all present, recollects suddenly, to his horror, the promise he once granted to the underground guardians that he must now fulfill under the pain of eternal punishment: to surrender his new and only love as a payment for the treasure he previously so desired. He does not dare as yet to make the full admission of his horrible situation to Margyane, however, as the act ends.
Act 3
Sélim is traveling in the desert with his servant and newly wed wife, Margyane. Among violent storm (simoomSimoom
Simoom is a strong, dry, dust-laden local wind that blows in the Sahara, Palestine, Israel, Jordan, Syria, and the deserts of Arabian Peninsula. Alternative spellings include samiel, sameyel, samoon, samun, simoun, and simoon...
), a desperate fight undertakes in the soul of Sélim between his love for Margyane and the promise he had made to Amgiad and underground spirits. He now confesses to her, asking for forgiveness, cursing his former folly and desire for riches, now conjuring his fidelity, pledging that he is determined, by all cost, to keep her instead. In the middle of his struggle, when he convinced her of his love (their second love duet), Amgiad appears suddenly, as previously under the disguise of the dervish, coming now to claim his prey. They are left alone. But no threats, no arguments from Amgiad, no scary voices of underground spirits warning him of eternal punishment for breaking his vow are enough for Sélim to betray his love now. Seeing such determination Amgiad is almost ready to leave when Margyane, who witnessed half of their conversation and horrific voices, suddenly bars his exit, demanding that he rather should take her, that she does not desire to be an object for breaking such terrible vow, stating that she, from pure love to him, will rather willingly sacrifice herself than be the cause of his eternal punishment. Sélim draws his dagger, ready to defend her with his own life. But one sign of hand from Amgiad is enough to stop such silly move short: he then plunges Sélim in a gentle sleep taking away tearful Margyane.
Sélim wakes up soon after they left, barely remembering what happened to him. Now underground voices announce that since he fulfilled his pledge after all, and the magical thirteenth statue belongs to him. To his horror he fully recollects and, discovering Margyane gone, full of love and rage, cursing his previous folly and desire, he takes his servant and they rush to collect the promised riches, but with the wild determination to smash the statue which cost him so dearly. But at the crucial moment when he is about to strike the fatal blow of destruction, he sees rising empty pedestal and Margyane herself standing there, smiling and promptly falling into his arms. Among general jubilation, Amgiad appears in magnificent costume of the genie, the master of all jinni, and he says these words, which form the conclusion and the moral of the fable:
Il est un trésor
Plus rare que l’or
De toute la terre,
Plus pur que le jour:
C’est le doux mystère
Qu’on appelle amour.
(It is a treasure
Rarer than gold
Of all the Earth.
More pure than the day:
It's sweet mystery
Called love.)