November 15, 2010
Opera - Have You Seen Niobe Yet?
Often considered to be a forgotten masterpiece, the opera Niobe was written by Agostino Steffani who lived in Italy between 1654 and 1728. Steffani was greatly acclaimed in his day and his work admired for its originality by luminaries such as Handel. The opera was performed for the first time in Munich in 1688 but fell out of favor with audiences for many years – only being resurrected in recent times.
The story of Niobe is based on one of Ovid’s tales – Metamorphoses and centers around the vain and proud Queen Niobe and her eventual downfall. Niobe is the Queen of Thebes and her boastful nature angers the gods. Her punishment is brutal including the slaughter of her own children but the opera itself is filled with magical love scenes via a subplot and even hints of comedy.
Characters in the opera include Queen of Thebes Niobe in a soprano part and Anfione the King of Thebes, sung by a male soprano. Poliferno (bass) is an evil magician with a grudge against the King and Clearte (counter-tenor) is the King’s advisor who is secretly in love with Niobe. Another main character is Prince Creonte from Thessalonia who is tricked into attacking Thebes by Poliferno, this part is also sung by a counter-tenor.
The first Act sees Anfione the King abdicating and handing the crown over to his Queen, Niobe. Anfione appoints Clearte as her advisor not realizing that this man is secretly in love with his wife. The love-story subplot comes in the form of two characters Tiberino a prince and Manto a daughter of a priest. They meet outside the walls of Thebes and fall in love.
As he has a grudge against the former king, magician Poliferno tricks prince Creonte of Thessalonia into attacking Thebes. Anfione saves Thebes by singing to the walls and miraculously charming them into rising up higher, preventing access. Amazed Niobe compares her husband to the gods for this feat but blind priest Tiresias argues with her saying that her boastful nature will anger the gods. In an ensuing argument Tiresias calls on the gods for revenge against Niobe.
In the second Act Niobe continues to fill Anfione’s head with the idea that he must be a god. Poliferno arranges for Creonte to come to Thebes to overthrow the former king. Poliferno uses his magical powers and has the king taken away by spirits. Poliferno then helps Creonte to disguise himself as the god Mars, which results in Niobe falling in love with Creonte in his god-like guise.
Act three begins with Poliferno convincing Niobe and Creonte that the gods are angry with them, Poliferno then flees with Creonte breaking the sorcery and Niobe realises she has been taken in. Peace reigns once again in Thebes but on seeing Manto invoke the goddess Latona to bless her love with Tiberino Niobe becomes angry saying that offering should be made to her as she is a deity by her marriage to Anfione.
Punishment by the gods is swift with the palace burning down and Niobe’s children being killed. Anfione commits suicide at the sight of his dead children and all this is too much for Niobe who in her despair turns to stone. Creonte is crowned king of Thebes and gives his blessing to the marriage between Tiberino and Manto but Poliferno is banished from the kingdom for his wicked ways.
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October 23, 2009
Opera Culture in Bulgaria
World-famous Bulgarian opera singers like Boris Hristov, Nikolay Gyaurov, Rayna Kabaivanska, Nikola Gyuzelev, Gena Dimitrova were born in the first half of the 20th century. They have made Bulgaria famous and have proved the world, that the Bulgarian nation gives birth to great people. And all that in hard times for the nation, times after a slavery that had lasted five centuries, which doomed the Bulgarians to poverty, ignorance. Several had known the art of the opera these days. The beginning was back in 1980, when three Bulgarian musicians organized the first opera group in Bulgaria, only 2 years after the Liberation. An edict was published in 1892 and the group was disbanded. Pros and cons arguments about the Bulgarian opera turned into a three decade “war”. And as if the prophetical words of Petko Naumov in the “Den” newspaper /1908/ could be heard – “More self-confidence, skeptical gentlemen, more respect to the figures of music, who devoted themselves to a deed, that is going to make Bulgaria proud. ”
In 1922, the enthusiastic singers succeeded and won the debate. A state opera had been built, named “The Nation’s Opera”. A fast opera boom had begun. And in spite of Bulgaria being behind the steel curtain of communism from 1944 till 1989, a time when Bulgarians were forbidden to go abroad to the capitalistic countries, the opera singers Boris Hristov, Nikolay Gyaurov, Rayna Kabaivanska, Nikola Gyuzelev, Gena Dimitrova became popular not only in Bulgaria, but worldwide. They had managed to impress the world with their art, skills and creativeness. Music does not oblige to separationism - that is what they proved to the world. All of them highlight their love to Bulgaria.
Boris Hristov (1914 – 1933), the great Bulgarian bass, was born in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, but had grown up in Sofia. He said: “All, that I have done, I have done in the name of my fatherland, Bulgaria!”.
Nikolay Gyaurov (1929 – 2005), a world-famous bass, was born in Velingrad, Bulgaria. He once said: “My art would matter, if it could show the foreigners, that our country has a respectable culture. That is why I always had the caption “Bulgaria” on the back of my clothes”.
Nikola Guyzelev was born in 1936 in Pavlikeni, Bulgaria. He has an artistic world-famous voice, which proves his Bulgarian identity.
Rayna Kabaivanska (1934) was born in Bourgas, Gena Dimitrova (1941 – 2005) was born in Beglej village, the region of Pleven, Bulgaria. Both of them have world-famous soprano voices. They held classes, where they taught young talented Bulgarian opera singers.
Professor Hristo Brumbarov, who discovered Gena Dimitrova’s talent, said: “That is a voice, that appears one time in hundred years.”
It is said, that Nikolay Gyaurov is a genius, whose voice comes from the depths of the Earth, from the depths of the soul.
Rayna Kabaivanska sings with an exemplary voice and taste, with elegant and exemplary interpretation, with the charisma of a great singer.
Nikola Guyzelev, a singer and an actor with aristocratic figure, possesses a voice with a beautiful and noble timber.
These legendary opera singers, inheritors of Orpheus, have helped to improve the spiritual and cultural development of nations. Nowadays, these names seem to be forgotten by the young ones, who are being affected by the new styles of music. These great names, pitifully, nowadays are only mentioned in some pages in art books or anniversaries. Despite the ignorance of the young ones, these names are going to stay eternal.
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