Daphne (opera)
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| Operas by Richard Strauss |
|---|
Guntram (1894) |
Daphne is an opera in one act by Richard Strauss, his 13th opera, subtitled "A Bucolic Tragedy in One Act". The German libretto was by Joseph Gregor. The opera is based loosely on a myth from Ovid's Metamorphoses, and also includes elements taken from The Bacchae by Euripides. The opera premiered at Dresden on October 15, 1938, originally intended as a double bill with Friedenstag, but as the scale of Daphne grew, that idea was abandoned.[1] The conductor of the first performance was Karl Böhm, to whom the opera was dedicated.
Contents |
[edit] Roles
| Role | Voice type | Dresden Premiere, October 15, 1938 (Conductor: Karl Böhm) |
|---|---|---|
| Peneios, a fisherman | bass | Sven Nilsson |
| Gaea, his wife | contralto | Helene Jung |
| Daphne, their daughter | soprano | Margarete Teschemacher |
| Leukippos, a shepherd | tenor | Martin Kremer |
| Apollo | tenor | Torsten Ralf |
| Four shepherds | baritone, tenor, basses | Ganafa Roelele |
| Two maids | sopranos |
[edit] Synopsis
The chaste girl Daphne sings a hymn of praise to nature. She loves the sunlight as trees and flowers do, but she has no interest in human romance. She cannot return the love of her childhood friend Leukippos, and she refuses to put on the ceremonial clothes for the coming festival of Dionysos, leaving Leukippos with the dress she has rejected.
Daphne's father Peneios tells his friends he is certain that the gods will soon return among men. He advises preparing a feast to welcome Apollo. Just then a mysterious herdsman appears. Peneios sends for Daphne to care for the visitor.
The strange herdsman tells Daphne that he has watched her from his chariot, and repeats to her phrases from the hymn to nature she sang earlier. He promises her that she need never be parted from the sun, and she accepts his embrace. But when he begins to speak of love she becomes fearful and runs out.
At the festival of Dionysos, Leukippos is among the women wearing Daphne's dress, and he invites her to dance. Believing him to be a woman she agrees, but the strange herdsman stops the dance with a thunderclap and says she has been deceived. Daphne answers that both Leukippos and the stranger are in disguise, and the stranger reveals himself as the sun-god Apollo. Daphne refuses both her suitors, and Apollo pierces Leukippos with an arrow.
Daphne mourns with the dying Leukippos. Apollo is filled with regret. He asks Zeus to give Daphne new life in the form of one of the trees she loves. Daphne is transformed, and she rejoices in her union with nature. This transformation scene (metamorphosis), opulently silvery in the string section, has been long neglected as an excerpt.
[edit] Selected recordings
| Year | Cast: Daphne, Leukippos, Appolo, Paneios, Gaea |
Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra |
Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | Rose Bampton, ?, ?, ? ? |
Erich Kleiber, ??? |
Preiser Records |
| 1950 | Anneliese Kupper, Hans Hopf, Georg Hann, Res Fischer, ? |
Eugen Jochum, Bavarian State Orchestra and chorus |
Audio CD: |
| 1964 | Hilde Gueden, Fritz Wunderlich, James King, Paul Schoffler Vera Little |
Carl Bohm, Vienna Symphony Orchestra and Vienna State Opera chorus |
Audio CD (with cuts): Deutsche Grammophon 445 322-2 |
| 1984 | Lucia Popp, Peter Schreier, Reiner Goldberg, Kurt Moll, Ortrun Wenkel |
Bernard Haitink, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra |
Audio CD (First uncut complete recording): EMI Classics [2] |
| 2005 | Renee Fleming, Michael Schade, Johan Botha, Kwangchul Youn, Anna Larsson |
Semyon Bychkov, West Deutscher Rundfunk (WDR) orchestra and men’s chorus |
Audio CD: Decca B0005 182-02 |
| 2005 | June Anderson, Robert Sacca, Scott Mac Allister, Daniel Lewis Williams, Birgit Remmert |
Stefan Anton Reck, Teatro La Fenice orchestra and chorus |
Audio CD (live performance): Dynamic 499/1 DVD (live performance): |
[edit] References
- ^ Christopher J. Thomas, "Daphne. Richard Strauss". The Opera Quarterly, 2, 146-148 (1984).
- ^ Kenneth Birkin , Review of Haitink recording of Richard Strauss: Daphne. Tempo (New Ser.), 150, pp. 50-51 (September 1984).
