The Miserly Knight
- Baron, the Miserly Knight (baritone )
- Albert, his son (tenor )
- Duke (baritone )
- Jew (Tenor)
- Servant ( bass)
The Miserly Knight (Russian Скупой рыцарь ) is a one-act opera in three images of Sergei Rachmaninoff, op 24, composed in the years 1903-05.
Literary template is Pushkin's tragedy of the same name from the little tragedies, created 1830. The other three tragedies had already been set to music by other composers ( The Stone Guest by Dargomyzhsky, Mozart and Salieri by Rimsky - Korsakov and the feast in time of plague by César Cui ). The blank verse template, apart from a small reduction (about 40 lines ), taken approximately one to one as a libretto. The performance lasts about an hour. According to the template contains the opera no female voices.
It premiered along with the incurred at the same time act play Francesca da Rimini in 1906 at the Bolshoi Theatre under the direction of Rachmaninoff instead. Probably Rachmaninov had the post at the Bolshoi Theatre in 1904 because of it believed to perform these two operas contained in the emergence can. Even today, both one-act play, if they are ever played here and there, listed together, as well as combinations with other one-act plays, especially Puccini, occur. The title role was written for the time in Russia the star becoming Fyodor Chaliapin, who was also intended for the premiere, the role but then gave after a private preview performance with piano accompaniment by Felix Blumenfeld, because he was of the opinion, " the word is not in the sound reproduced. " Apparently he told Rimsky -Korsakov's view, the orchestra dominates at the expense of the song.
Rachmaninoff had in 1902 attended the Bayreuth Festival; according to the scope of the orchestra in size with three-to four-fold wood, including color concise darker instruments such as two English horns and two bass clarinets and - typical of Rachmaninov - extended percussion with bass drum, triangle, cymbals and fanfare, and a harp. The Wagnerian leitmotif technique is not missing.
Rachmaninov, often critical of his works and revised a number of them during his life or shortened, stated in an interview with an American newspaper in 1927, the miser Ritter ( after works such as the Second Piano Concerto was written ) was the first proper beginning of his been life.
Action
The work is set in medieval England.
1 image ( in the tower of the castle ):
Albert Knight helmet was damaged in one of his numerous tournaments and also a splendid robe lacks. But his father, a wealthy baron is very stingy and no money. Albert ponders with his servant, nor where money would be to obtain. The Jewish moneylender ( in the original text referred to only as a Jew ) who has lent him before, is summoned, but will give nothing without a deposit. Since Albert has no pledges, the moneylender proposes instead to poison the Baron to receive their inheritance. Albert throws him out indignantly.
Second image ( in the basement of the castle ):
The Baron delights in the gold -filled chests and imagines what power the money could bring him. To celebrate the filling of the sixth chest he lights candles in front of each chest. At the same time he worries about the gold when his son would inherit it, and probably waste.
3 image ( in the palace of the Duke ):
Albert complains to the Duke about the poor funding by the father. This has summoned the Baron asks for your son. The Baron takes refuge in all sorts of lies to his son not to have to present. Since the Duke insists, he finally claimed the son would want to kill and steal from him. Then crashes Albert, who has heard everything, from the next room and accused him of lying. The Baron then throws down the gauntlet, the Albert receives. However, the Duke takes off his glove and sends him out. When he blames the Baron because of his behavior, it dies in concern for his money.
Recordings
( the singer in the order of Baron Albert, Duke, Jew, servant)
Audio
- Boris Dobrin, Lev Kuznetsov, Sergei Yakovenko, Alexei Usmanov, Ivan Budrin. Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra, Gennady Rozhdestvensky. Melodija circa 1971
- Mikhail Krutikow, Vladimir Kudryashov, Vladislav Werestnikow, Alexander Arkhipov, Pyotr Gluboky. Orchestra of the Bolshoi Theatre, Andrei Chistyakov. Le Chant du Monde 1993
- Sergei Aleksaschkin, Sergej Larin, Vladimir Chernov, Ian Caley, Anatoly Kotscherga. Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Neeme Järvi. German Grammophon 1996
- Mikhail Guschow, Vsevolod Griwnow, Andrei Baturkin, Borislav Molchanov, Vitaly Efanow. Russian State Orchestra, Valery Polyansky. Chandos Records 2003
Video
- Sergei Leiferkus, Richard Berkeley - Steele, Albert Schagidullin, Vyacheslav Wojnarowski, Maxim Mikhailov. London Philharmonic Orchestra; Vladimir Jurowski. Recording from Glyndebourne in 2004, Opus Arte DVD.
- Opera by Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff
- Opera in the Russian language
- Opera by Title
- Opera from the 20th century