Le Pays
Encyclopedia
Le Pays is a three act opera
by Guy Ropartz with a libretto
by Charles Le Goffic
. It was composed between 1908 and 1910 and was premiered in 1912 at Nancy. It is an important example of the Breton
cultural renaissance of the early 20th century.
's stage adaptation of Pierre Loti
's novel Pêcheur d'Islande
(An Iceland Fisherman) on the same basic theme. Ropartz asked Le Goffic to adapt his story for the stage.
. Ropartz makes frequent use of leitmotives and also incorporates elements of Breton folk melodies to represent the hero's nostagia for his homeland. The critic Michel Fleury argues that the music is built around four main themes, one of which represents Iceland, and in particular the bog which plays a role in the narrative; one represents the main female character and the emotion of love associated with her; another represents the male character and his nostalia for Brittany. The fourth theme represents stability, associated with the heroine's father.
Autumn: A cottage in Iceland: Tual, a Breton fisherman who has survived a shipwreck, has been recuperating in the home of Jörgen, an old trapper. He is tended by Kaethe, Jörgen's daughter. She suggests that Tual must be nostalgic for his Breton home. Tual reminds her that after he had dragged himself ashore from the shipwreck, he nearly died in the Hrafuaga, a dangerous Icelandic swamp; only Jörgen's timely arrival saved him. All the other fishermen on the ship were drowned, so everyone in Brittany will think him dead and he has no ties there anymore. Tual declares his love for Kaethe. Kaethe is worried that Tual's feelings may be temporary, but says she loves him too. In the absence of a preacher Jörgen "marries" the couple by insisting that Tual dedicate himself to Kaethe by swearing on the "mud of Hrafuaga" that if he ever abandons her it will swallow him up.
Act 2
Spring: The Icelandic shore: Tual dreams of Paimpol
, his home in Brittany, while making a small fishing boat. He sings Breton folk songs. Kaethe says she has seen a sadness in him for his homeland and worries that he will sail back to Brittany. Tual says his boat is too small for anything more than local waters. Kaethe tells him she is pregnant with his child, hoping that this will keep him beside her. Kaethe sings him a Nordic ballad about "Sir Olaf", who was abducted by the Queen of the Fairies. His loyal wife Lady Hilda waited for him for a hundred years, so that they could renew their love and die together. Tual says that they will live and die together like Olaf and Hilda.
Act 3
Spring: The cottage: Kathe muses on Tual's increasingly withdrawn behaviour. Jörgen returns home tipsy after drinking gin and reminisces about Kaethe's late mother, describing how they grew up together. When Tual enters Jörgen mentions that some Paimpol fishermen have arrived at the village of Seidsfjord. Tual is excited and asks if it is easy to get there. Jörgen says that if the Hrafuaga swamp is still frozen, it can be crossed in time to catch them. Tual tries to put the thought out of his mind, but as he sleeps with Kaethe he has a dream of Brittany. In his vision he sees the rolling Breton landscape and the white sails of the Paimpol fishing fleet. He leaves and tries to cross the Hrafuaga. Kaethe watches as the swamp cracks and swallows him.
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...
by Guy Ropartz with a 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 Charles Le Goffic
Charles Le Goffic
Charles Le Goffic was a French poet, novelist and historian whose influence was especially strong in his native Brittany. He was a member of the Académie française.-Biography:...
. It was composed between 1908 and 1910 and was premiered in 1912 at Nancy. It is an important example of the Breton
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
cultural renaissance of the early 20th century.
Libretto
Ropartz stated that he was looking for an opera subject that involved "interiorised action; few events; feelings; few characters; no spectacle." He was given a copy of Le Goffic's short story collection Passions Celtes (1908), and was immediately attracted to the story L'islandaise (The Icelandic Girl), which describes a doomed love affair between the girl and a stranded Breton fisherman. It was based on the lives of the Breton "Icelanders", who fished in Icelandic waters and sometimes stayed there for periods. Ropartz had already created a score for Louis TiercelinLouis Tiercelin
Louis Tiercelin , was a French writer, poet and playwright associated with the Breton cultural renaissance of the early 20th century....
's stage adaptation of Pierre Loti
Pierre Loti
Pierre Loti was a French novelist and naval officer.-Biography:Loti's education began in his birthplace, Rochefort, Charente-Maritime. At the age of seventeen he entered the naval school in Brest and studied at Le Borda. He gradually rose in his profession, attaining the rank of captain in 1906...
's novel Pêcheur d'Islande
An Iceland Fisherman
An Iceland Fisherman is a novel by French author Pierre Loti. It depicts the romantic but inevitably sad life of Breton fishermen who sail each summer season to the stormy Iceland cod grounds...
(An Iceland Fisherman) on the same basic theme. Ropartz asked Le Goffic to adapt his story for the stage.
Music
Ropartz's style is influenced by the form of Wagner's music dramas and the structural innovations of César FranckCésar Franck
César-Auguste-Jean-Guillaume-Hubert Franck was a composer, pianist, organist, and music teacher who worked in Paris during his adult life....
. Ropartz makes frequent use of leitmotives and also incorporates elements of Breton folk melodies to represent the hero's nostagia for his homeland. The critic Michel Fleury argues that the music is built around four main themes, one of which represents Iceland, and in particular the bog which plays a role in the narrative; one represents the main female character and the emotion of love associated with her; another represents the male character and his nostalia for Brittany. The fourth theme represents stability, associated with the heroine's father.
Characters
- Kaethe, an Icelandic girl - soprano
- Tual, a Breton fisherman - tenor
- Jörgen, Kaethe's father - baritone
Synopsis
Act I.Autumn: A cottage in Iceland: Tual, a Breton fisherman who has survived a shipwreck, has been recuperating in the home of Jörgen, an old trapper. He is tended by Kaethe, Jörgen's daughter. She suggests that Tual must be nostalgic for his Breton home. Tual reminds her that after he had dragged himself ashore from the shipwreck, he nearly died in the Hrafuaga, a dangerous Icelandic swamp; only Jörgen's timely arrival saved him. All the other fishermen on the ship were drowned, so everyone in Brittany will think him dead and he has no ties there anymore. Tual declares his love for Kaethe. Kaethe is worried that Tual's feelings may be temporary, but says she loves him too. In the absence of a preacher Jörgen "marries" the couple by insisting that Tual dedicate himself to Kaethe by swearing on the "mud of Hrafuaga" that if he ever abandons her it will swallow him up.
Act 2
Spring: The Icelandic shore: Tual dreams of Paimpol
Paimpol
Paimpol is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France.It is a tourist destination, especially during the summer months when people are attracted by its port and beaches.-Population:...
, his home in Brittany, while making a small fishing boat. He sings Breton folk songs. Kaethe says she has seen a sadness in him for his homeland and worries that he will sail back to Brittany. Tual says his boat is too small for anything more than local waters. Kaethe tells him she is pregnant with his child, hoping that this will keep him beside her. Kaethe sings him a Nordic ballad about "Sir Olaf", who was abducted by the Queen of the Fairies. His loyal wife Lady Hilda waited for him for a hundred years, so that they could renew their love and die together. Tual says that they will live and die together like Olaf and Hilda.
Act 3
Spring: The cottage: Kathe muses on Tual's increasingly withdrawn behaviour. Jörgen returns home tipsy after drinking gin and reminisces about Kaethe's late mother, describing how they grew up together. When Tual enters Jörgen mentions that some Paimpol fishermen have arrived at the village of Seidsfjord. Tual is excited and asks if it is easy to get there. Jörgen says that if the Hrafuaga swamp is still frozen, it can be crossed in time to catch them. Tual tries to put the thought out of his mind, but as he sleeps with Kaethe he has a dream of Brittany. In his vision he sees the rolling Breton landscape and the white sails of the Paimpol fishing fleet. He leaves and tries to cross the Hrafuaga. Kaethe watches as the swamp cracks and swallows him.