Der Wald
The forest is an opera by the British composer Ethel Smyth in 1902, has also written the German libretto. They even called the one-act piece as a musical drama, but actually it is more of a mix of music and drama typical German Romantic opera with a prologue and epilogue dar. It was premiered on April 9, 1902 at the Court Opera in Berlin.
The late-romantic works into the world of nature mysticism. The time of the event is the Middle Ages. The mistress of the forest sought a young woodcutter and drives him into trouble with their request. Connected is the drama with strong social criticism, in which the hierarchies are turned upside down.
The forest is so like the other two early operas by Ethel Smyth, Fantasio and The Wreckers, yet the romance arrested. In some places one could consider it a work of Robert Schumann or Brahms.
Important people of the plot
- Landgraf Rudolf
- Iolanta, his mistress
- Henry, a young woodcutter
- Peter, a forest worker
- Florets, his daughter, Henry fiancee
- A peddler with a bear
- Farmers, hunters
- Choir of the forest spirits
Performance history
The forest is by Fantasio the second opera of the composer. That she wrote the libretto in German, is the opinion of John Yohalem of the Metropolitan Opera at Smyth ' intent to bring this work back to German homes to be heard. After the First Order at the premiere in Weimar in 1898 she was again reported a success despite the hostile German -British sentiment as a result of the Boer War. The work was no real consent in Germany and was first performed in July 1902 in London at the Royal Opera House in England. With taking place in March of the following year premiere at the Metropolitan Opera in New York was there for the first time the work of a woman on stage. The reviews in the New World were very positive. For example, the New York World on March 12, 1903
" After an hour of ultra - modern music, strident, formless, passionate musicthat stirred the blood with clangor of brass, the shrieks of strings, the plaint of woodwinds and disdained to woo the senses with flower -soft melodic phrase, the audience at the Metropolitan Opera House clamored for the composer and held its breath When She Appeared. A fragile creature, feminine to her fingertips in rather old- fashioned gown of black silk, red roses in her dark hair and a courtesy like grandmother used to make ... She was Ethel M. Smyth, a young Englishwoman, Whose one -act opera, The forest had just received its first American presentation .... "
" After an hour of ultra - modern, high-pitched, formless, passionate music that stirred the blood with brass sounds and had frightened with strings screaming, in which the application of the woodwinds and Flowers mild, melodic phrase have recruited the spurned sense responded the audience at the Metropolitan Opera House clamoring for the composer and held her breath when she appeared. A fragile nature, feminine to the fingertips in a rather old-fashioned dress of black silk, with red roses in her dark hair and a courtesy, like grandmother made it ... She was Ethel M. Smyth, a young Englishwoman whose one-act play, The forest, had just received his first American presentation. ... "
Elsewhere it was said:
" The singers were called again and again before the curtain, and Miss Smyth had an ovation of some ten minutes from ... you almost drowned in flowers ... Miss Smyth heard music of the German school decided on. It shows the influence of Wagner, but imitating him in any way ... "