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Huguenots (Les Huguenots), J. Meyerbeer

Opera in five acts; libretto by E. Scribe and E. Deschamps based on Merimee's story "The Chronicle of the Times of Charles IX".
First production: Paris, February 29, 1836.

Characters: Marguerite de Valois, bride of Henry IV of Navarre (soprano), Count of Saint-Brie, governor of the Louvre (baritone), Valentine, his daughter (soprano), comte de Nevers, Catholic (baritone), Count Morever (bass), Raoul de Nangis, Huguenot (tenor), Marcel, his servant (bass), Urban, Marguerite's page (mezzo-soprano), Bois-Rose, Huguenot soldier (tenor).

The action takes place in Touraine and Paris in August 1572.

Action one.
Hall in the castle of the Comte de Nevers. The Count in the circle of his friends, Catholic nobles, adherents of the Guise party. One part of the guests is entertained by games and singing, the other is busy with conversation. Everyone is waiting for a new friend Count Nevers Huguenot Raoul de Nangi, who will soon arrive. Never greets him joyfully. Raul thanks the Count for the honor and for the warm welcome he has received by inviting him to such a brilliant society. At the suggestion of the host, everyone sits down to feast. Since everyone drinks for their lovers, Raul also talks about his romantic meeting. One day, walking alone outside the city, he saw a rich stretcher in which a rich lady was sitting. A crowd of students was chasing the stretcher with the apparent intention of making a mess. He rushed to help. The students fled, and a woman of wonderful beauty appeared before his eyes, who immediately charmed him with the charm of her femininity and kindled the fire of passion in him. He immediately swore to her eternal love and fidelity to the grave. The unknown beauty treated him very favorably, and he is full of hope for reciprocity. His ecstasy was short-lived, as her servants soon arrived, and they parted, but he will always love his lovely stranger. Everyone laughs at his naivety and gullibility. Raoul's faithful old servant Marcel enters. Seeing Raoul feasting with his new comrades, he warns him against befriending Catholics. Raoul apologizes to the guests for Marcel's words, explaining that his servant harbors enmity towards the Guises as an adherent of Henry of Navarre, but that he is an honest and brave servant. Marseille sings in ecstasy the Protestant chant that the Huguenots sing in a moment of danger. This gives rise to ridicule, and enraged Marcel sings a Huguenot song that promises death to all Catholics. At this time, his servant approaches Never with the message that some lady is waiting for him in the chapel. Nevers, believing that the lady appeared on a love date, tells the guests in an unhappy tone that he is tired of these daily declarations of ladies in love, and tells the servant to tell her to wait. But when the servant objects that he sees this lady for the first time, Nevers becomes interested in a stranger and, having apologized to his friends, goes to the chapel.

The guests' curiosity is piqued by the appearance of a mysterious lady. They rush to the window overlooking the chapel, peep and find the visitor very interesting and beautiful. Raul is the last to look out the window and screams "Oh my God!" In the stranger, he recognized the beauty, about the meeting with which he had just told, to the guests. He begins to feel contempt for this woman. In a rage, he rushes to the door to break into the chapel, but the guests hold him back. At this time, Nevers, after seeing the lady to the door, returns to the guests. In sad thoughtfulness, he says to himself that he will fulfill the desire of his bride, Valentina, who had just been with him on the advice of the queen, and asked him generously to refuse marriage to her. As a knight, he must return her word to her, and he will do it. Queen Urban's page appears. Spilling in pleasantries, he gives Raoul a letter from the queen. According to this letter, Raul is obliged to appear in the sent carriage blindfolded for a date. Believing that someone wants to play a joke on him, Raul shows the letter to everyone. But Nevers and the guests, seeing the Queen's coat of arms and seal on the letter, congratulate Raul on the great honor that has befallen him. He is foreshadowed by wealth and honor and is asked not to forget his friends. Raul is confused, not understanding what's going on. Soon people in masks appear, blindfold Raoul's eyes with a handkerchief and, pointing out to him the carriage waiting for him, they drag him along. Marcel tries to keep Raul, but in vain.

Action two.
Castle and garden of Queen Marguerite de Valois in Chenonceau. Margarita, surrounded by court ladies, is finishing her toilette. She rejoices that she is back in her homeland, in this quiet, charming corner, where she can rest and forget about the troubles and civil strife that are tearing the country apart. In a joyful mood, she dreams of silence and peace and is going to reconcile both warring religious parties. Valentine, daughter of the Governor of the Louvre, Saint-Brie, is to serve as a vehicle for the Queen's purposes. A sad Valentine enters and informs the queen that she is no longer Hevepa's bride: the count has given his word to refuse her hand. Margarita is pleased that her wish has come true and announces to Valentina that she will now arrange her marriage to Raul. Valentina can hardly believe her happiness, she is both waiting and afraid of this meeting with Raul. Page Urban appears and reports to the queen about the arrival of some knight with a bandage over his eyes. Soon Raul is brought into the hall blindfolded. The court ladies surround him with curiosity. Margarita tells her retinue to leave her alone with the knight. When everyone leaves, Margarita thanks Raoul for keeping his word and allows him to remove the bandage. At the moment when the bandage falls off, he is blinded by the beauty of Margarita and takes her for a magical vision. He swears to be her knight, and, having learned about her rank, promises to humbly enter into the marriage that she plans for state purposes. The queen tells him that she wants to marry him to Valentine, daughter of the Comte de Saint-Brie, who was still an enemy of Henry's adherents, but now agrees to reconcile and marry Valentine to Raoul. This is the plan of the king, who wishes in this way to put an end to the strife of the parties. Raoul expresses his consent. Dignitaries, Protestant and Catholic nobles gather: among them are the Count of St. Bris, Nevers and Valentine. Margarita, pointing to Raul, informs them of the upcoming long-desired marriage. She informs Saint-Bris and Nevers that the king calls them to his place in Paris on very important matters, but that before going there, they must take an oath no longer to be at enmity with the Huguenots. All those present swear by the cross and the sword to forget mutual enmity and strife. Only Marcel, who is right there in the crowd, silently swears to be forever an implacable enemy of the Catholics and does not enter into any relations with the hypocritical adherents of the Guises. Marguerite invokes God's blessing on the reconciliation that has taken place and then points Raoul to the bride chosen for him, Valentina, who is brought to him by the hand of Saint-Brie. Raul, recognizing in Valentina a frivolous, in his opinion, Nevers guest, refuses his word. Everyone is amazed and outraged by Raul's refusal. Nevers, Saint-Bris and their like-minded people see in this act a deliberate insult that a cunning, hostile adherent of Henry publicly wanted to inflict on them. Deeply distressed, Margarita asks Raul for the reasons for his breach of his promise, but he refuses to give an explanation, saying that he does not dare to reveal the reason. Then Nevers and Saint-Bris challenge Raoul to a duel. Raul accepts the challenge. But here Margarita intervenes; she orders the arrest of Raoul, and orders Saint-Brie and Nevers to immediately go to the call of the king in Paris. They obey her orders, but announce to Raul that their duel will take place at the first new meeting. Excited, Sni-Bri takes her daughter away, vowing to avenge her disgrace. Marcel alone is very pleased that this has happened, and it will be possible to let the enemies feel their revenge.

Action three.
Bank of the Seine in Paris. Ahead are two taverns - Protestants and Catholics. In the background is the entrance to the chapel. On the shore - a cheerful gathering on the occasion of the celebration of the wedding of Never and Valentina. A procession of girls accompanies the wedding procession heading to the chapel. The people part and kneel in prayer. Only the Huguenot soldiers continue to drink, not paying attention to the solemnity of the minute, and sing their battle song. A quarrel with the Catholics begins, from which the gypsies and grisettes distract the people with their songs and dances. Towards the end of the dance, Saint-Brie and Nevers leave the chapel, who, turning to his companion, says that Valentine wished to remain in the temple to pray alone, and that he would soon return for her. Marcel enters and hands Saint Brit a letter from his master. From the letter, Saint-Bri learns that Raul challenges him to a duel today. Saint-Bris tells Marcel that he accepts the challenge. As Marcel leaves, Saint-Brie's associates plot to treacherously attack Raoul during a duel. Meanwhile, it gets dark. The guard orders to extinguish the fire, and the crowd disperses. Marcel overheard Saint-Brie's plot against Raoul, but he was also overheard by Valentine from the chapel where the conspirators were conferring. A faithful servant and a woman in love decide to save Raul. Marseille goes for reinforcements, Valentina decides to wait for the opponents here to warn Raoul of the danger that threatens him, and hides in the chapel. Raoul, St. Bris, and four seconds appear. The rules of the duel are established, and three against three enter the battle. But the treachery conceived by Saint-Bris does not succeed. Reinforcements appear from both duelists at the same time, and the usual dump of Huguenots and Catholics is tied up. The queen appears. The fight ends immediately. The queen is amazed that even in Paris the strife of the parties does not stop. Saint-Bri blames Raoul for everything, but Raoul declares that Saint-Bri is the culprit, who planned to destroy him in battle by treason. Marcel confirms this statement, saying that the plot against Raoul was revealed to him by some lady who was recently here. Seeing Valentina leaving the chapel, Marcel cries out: “Here she is!” St. Bris is horrified that he is betrayed by his own daughter. Raoul expresses his surprise that Valentina decided to save him and expose herself to her father's wrath by not loving him, Raoul, since he himself saw her in Nevers' house. Then the queen explains to Raul that Valentina came to Nevers for his own sake, in order to terminate her hated marriage with the count. St. Bris gloatingly announces that Valentina is now Nevers' wife. At this time, Count Nevers sails in a luxurious boat for his wife, and a solemn wedding procession begins. Raul is in deep despair. The Queen reassures him, advising him to forget everything and reconcile. Raoul retorts that, on the contrary, peace is now out of the question. The wedding procession is removed. The people escort him with songs.

Action four.
A room in Never's house. Valentina is sad about the lost happiness, about the fact that, by the will of her father, she had to become the wife of an unloved person. In the struggle between her love for Raoul and her duty to her husband, she prays to God to give her the strength to forget Raul forever. Raoul suddenly appears, seeking death in the enemy's house. His appearance frightens Valentina. She asks him why he came. He replies that he came to see her at least once more and tell her about his suffering, which he can no longer endure. Valentina is afraid that they will be caught here together. Suddenly there are footsteps. Valentina hurriedly hides Raoul in the next room. Enter Sni-Bri and Nevers and their attendants. Saint-Bris announces to his associates that he has called them to reveal to them the project conceived by the Gases and approved by the Medici house. Noticing Valentina, he wants to remove her. But Nevers asks her to leave, saying that after all, she is devoted, just like they are, to the Duke of Guise. Saint-Bris informs the senators of his plan, which is to attack the unarmed Huguenots, enemies of Charles, on the same "Bartholomew's Night", August 24, and kill them all. Senators express their consent. Valentina is horrified by this low conspiracy and fearfully awaits what Nevers will say. Nevers is outraged by this shameful offer and refuses to take part in a secret attack, stating that he is used to fighting enemies openly. In protest, he breaks his sword. Valentina rushes to Never and with enthusiastic determination says that from now on she will entirely belong to him. Out of fear that Nevers would spoil the holy cause, Saint-Brie orders his soldiers to put him under arrest for a day. Nevers responds with contempt to this order and declares that, no matter what, he will not obey the cruel decision. Saint-Bris inflames the conspirators and calms their consciences with indulgences purchased from the pope in advance, releasing the sins of murder. Catholic monks bless the swords to exterminate the Protestants and distribute white scarves to them, which should serve as distinguishing marks for the conspirators during the night massacre. All raise their swords with fanatical ferocity and solemnly swear revenge on the hated Huguenots. As the conspirators leave, Raoul runs to warn his brethren of the impending attack on them. But Valentina stops him and, fearing for his life, begs him to stay. Raul objects that it is his duty to go to his brothers, that he must warn them so as not to become a traitor. Trying to keep him, Valentina decides to express her feelings for him and reproachfully says that he is leaving her at a time when, having forgotten her honor and sacred duty, for the sake of love for him, she is ready to give everything for his salvation. For a while, dreams of the happiness of mutual love make Raul forget about everything, and he invites her to run away with him. She is tormented by remorse and hesitates. Suddenly, an ominous alarm is heard. Raoul, as it were, wakes up from oblivion and, with a cry of horror, rushes to the exit. Valentina blocks his way. Seeing the glow of the fire, Raul quickly pushes her away from him and again rushes to the door, but the door is locked. Valentina screams and falls unconscious. In despair, Raul looks at her, not daring to leave or stay. "No, I'm running!" he exclaims and jumps out the window.

Action five. Picture one.
Hall at the Hotel de Neslay. Ball given in honor of the marriage of Queen Margaret de Valois with Henry of Navarre. At the ball there are the leaders of the Protestant party and the queen herself with her husband. Among the noise of music in the distance, the ringing of the alarm bell is heard. In the midst of the fun, Raoul runs in, pale, in bloody clothes, and informs the assembly about the infernal plan of the Catholics, about the massacre taking place in the streets and about the murder of the head of the Huguenot party, Coligny. He calls his friends to arms and to vengeance. Listeners are amazed by Raul's story. The Huguenot men, grabbing their weapons, hurriedly leave after him, calling for revenge and reprisals against the Catholics.

Picture two.
Near the Protestant church. Huguenot women and children, fleeing persecution, take refuge in the temple. Raul, meeting with the wounded Marcel, learns from him that the enemies surrounded the Huguenots from all sides, killed many, and that the rest gathered in the church, waiting there for their fate. At this time, Valentina joins them. She rejoices that she has finally found Raoul and offers him to save himself by a change of faith. Raul indignantly rejects this proposal. Valentina informs him that she is now free, as Nevers has been killed. Marcel confirms this by saying that Nevers, saving him from the hands of the murderers, himself fell victim to revenge. Since Raul does not want to change his religion, Valentina herself agrees to convert to his faith. Raoul invites Marseille to replace his confessor and bless their marriage. Marcel gladly gives them his blessing and, in religious ecstasy, performs a wedding ceremony on them. At this time, shots are heard and desperate cries of women and children from the church. A crowd of Catholic murderers entered the temple, betraying everything and everyone to fire and sword. Valentina, Raoul and Marcel also find themselves surrounded by a crowd of murderers, to whom they surrender fearlessly and without resistance. The crowd drags them into an alley, threatening them with death if they refuse to renounce their faith. The area is gradually emptying.

Picture three.
Embankment in Paris. Fire. Marcel and Valentina lead the mortally wounded Raoul. St. Bris comes across them with a detachment of soldiers. To the call "Who is this?" Raoul replies "Huguenot". Valentina and Marcel exclaim “We too!” to the repeated question. St. Bris tells the squad to kill them. The soldiers fire a volley and kill all three of them on the spot. Saint-Bris recognizes her daughter at the last minute and falls unconscious on her body.

HISTORY OF CREATION.

Shortly after the production of Robert the Devil, the management of the Parisian theater of the Grand Opera commissioned a new work from Meyerbeer. The choice fell on a plot from the era religious wars based on the novel by P. Merime (1803-1870) "The Chronicle of the Times of Charles IX", which, when it appeared in 1829, was a resounding success. Permanent collaborator of the composer, known French playwright E. Scribe (1791-1861) gave in his libretto a freely romantic interpretation of the events of the famous Bartholomew night from 23 to 24 August 1572. Scribe's play "Huguenots" (which means - comrades in oath) is replete with spectacular stage contrasts and melodramatic situations in the spirit of French romantic drama. The theater writer E. Deschamps (1791-1871) also took part in the creation of the text; the composer himself played an active role.

Under an agreement with the theater management, Meyerbeer undertook to present a new opera in 1833, but due to his wife's illness, he interrupted work and had to pay a fine. The opera was completely finished only three years later. The first performance on February 29, 1836 in Paris was a huge success. Soon began the triumphal procession of the "Huguenots" on the theatrical stages of Europe.

The historical basis of the plot served as a struggle between Catholics and Protestants in the 16th century, accompanied by mass persecution and ruthless mutual destruction. Against this background, the love story of the main characters of the opera, Valentina and Raul, unfolds. Before the moral purity and strength of their feelings, the cruelty of religious fanaticism is powerless. The work has a bright anti-clerical orientation, which was especially acutely perceived by contemporaries; it is permeated by the humanistic idea of ​​the right of every person to freedom of belief, to true happiness.

MUSIC.

"Huguenots" is a vivid example of the French "grand opera". Grandiose mass scenes, spectacular spectacular performances are combined in it with a touching lyrical drama. The contrasting richness of stage images made it possible to combine various stylistic means in music: Italian melodiousness with methods of symphonic development coming from the German school, Protestant chorale with gypsy dances. The romantic elation of expression enhances the tension of musical dramaturgy.

In the overture the melody of a Protestant chorale of the 16th century sounds, which then runs through the entire opera.

In the first act festive atmosphere prevails. The sensitively gallant aria of Nevers with the choir “The Moments of Youth Rush” is sustained in serenely enlightened tones. Raul's arioso "Here is in Touraine" is imbued with courageous determination. The chorus "Pour into the Cup" is a lively drinking song. Raoul's dreamy romance "All the charm is in her" is accompanied by a solo of the ancient string instrument viola d'amour. The contrast is made by the harsh Protestant chorale performed by Marseille. The song “Your death is decided” sounds belligerently, accompanied by visual effects (imitation of shots). Urban's graceful cavatina "From a Pretty Lady" is an example of Italian coloratura. The finale ends with a drinking song.

Second act is divided into two well-defined sections. The first is dominated by a feeling of bliss and tranquility. With a dazzling virtuoso brilliance, Margarita's aria "In the native land" captivates. The music of the second section of the act, at first solemnly majestic (the appearance of Catholics and Protestants), soon becomes intensely dramatic. The unisons of the oath - the quartet with the choir "And the sword of battle" sound with restraint and harshness. The final choral scene is imbued with stormy-rapid movement, now excitedly anxious, now actively volitional.

Dramaturgy of the third act based on sharp contrasts. The militant invocative song of the Huguenot soldiers is accompanied by a choir imitating the sound of drums. The developed duet of Valentina and Marcel from a feeling of alertness, hidden expectation leads to a courageous-strong-willed upsurge. An energetic septet with a marching rhythm is crowned with a wide melodic climax. In a dynamic quarrel scene, four different choirs clash: Catholic students, Huguenot soldiers, Catholic women and Protestants. The final scene is united by the joyful melody of the Bright Days choir.

Fourth act- the pinnacle in the development of the lyrical-romantic line of the opera. Valentina's romance "Before Me" reveals the purity and poetry of her appearance. An ominously harsh scene of conspiracy, leading to a dramatic climax - the consecration of swords, has a different flavor. The passionate duet of Valentina and Raul is dominated by cantilena of wide breathing.

In the fifth act drama unfolds. Raul's aria "Fires and murders everywhere" is full of excited recitation. The gloomy choir of killers is accompanied by harsh timbres of brass instruments. In the scene in the temple, the themes of the Protestant chant and the choir of their persecutors, the Catholics, collide.

To a libretto (in French) by Augustine Eugène Scribe, revised by Émile Deschamps and the composer himself.

CHARACTERS:

Marguerite of Valois, sister of King Charles IX of France, bride of Henry IV (soprano)
URBAN, her page (mezzo-soprano)
Catholic nobles:
COMTE DE SAINT BRITS (baritone)
COMTE DE NEVER (baritone)
COUNT MOREVER (bass)
Catholics:
COSSE (tenor)
MERU (baritone)
TORE (baritone)
TAVAN (tenor)
VALENTINA, daughter de Saint-Brie (soprano)
RAOUL DE NANGI, Huguenot (tenor)
MARCEL, Raoul's servant (bass)
BOIS ROSE, Huguenot soldier (tenor)

Action time: August 1572.
Location: Touraine and Paris.
First performance: Paris, February 29, 1836.

It was the opera Les Huguenots that made Meyerbeer in 1836 the king of opera, not only in Paris, but practically everywhere. Meyerbeer had enough detractors of his talent even during his lifetime. Richard Wagner called Meyerbeer's libretto "a monstrous potpourri, historically romantic, sacredly frivolous, mysteriously bronze, sentimental-swindling mishmash" and even after Meyerbeer rose to prominence and could no longer be so easily pushed around, constantly attacked him from all sorts of blasphemy (although once, having committed an honest act rare for him, he admitted that the fourth act of the Huguenots always deeply worried him). It did not occur to Wagner that his characterization of such librettos could be fully applied to his own librettos. At the same time, the librettos of Wagner himself, no matter how sharply criticized by contemporaries they were, were never taken so seriously as to frighten adherents of other political views and official censors. The Huguenots, on the other hand, were taken quite seriously, and opera directors in many cities where the Catholic faith was respected had to mask the religious conflict that the opera deals with. In Vienna and St. Petersburg, the opera was performed under the name "Guelphs and Ghibellines", in Munich and Florence - as "Anglicans and Puritans", in the latter city also as "Renato di Kronwald".

Today it is difficult to take the pseudo-story told by Meyerbeer and Scribe seriously, and - more importantly - the musical effects of the opera seem to have lost much of their impact. In France, the opera is still often staged. But in Germany it goes much less frequently. As for Italy, England and the United States of America, here it can hardly be heard at all. Private Rooms some of them are sometimes included in concert programs, and also exist in recordings. Thus, some of the music of the opera is still heard today, but it seems very doubtful that a gala performance could now take place in any major US opera house, for which a cast similar to that performed by in 1890 at the Metropolitan Opera, when the ticket price rose to two dollars. The program for this "evening of seven stars", as it was announced in the announcement, included such names as Nordica, Melba, the two De Reschke, Plancon and Maurel. As early as 1905, Caruso, Nordica, Sembrich, Scotty, Walker, Jornet and Plancon could be heard in The Huguenots. But those days are gone forever, and perhaps the Huguenots are with them.

OVERTURE

The overture consists of a series of repetitions ("variations" is too strong a word) with dramatic contrast in dynamics, tessitura and orchestration, the Lutheran chorale "Ein feste Burg" ("Mighty Stronghold"). This magnificent tune is used many times later in the action to illustrate dramatic collisions.

ACT I

The time in which the action of the opera takes place is the time of bloody wars in France between Catholics and Protestants on the basis of religious fanaticism. Their succession was interrupted by an alarming pause in 1572, when Marguerite of Valois married Henry of Bourbon, thus uniting the leading Catholic and Protestant dynasties. But the massacre that took place on Bartholomew's night put an end to the hopes of the Huguenots for their dominance. The opera begins with the events that took place shortly before Bartholomew's Night.

Comte de Nevers, a Catholic nobleman, one of the leaders of the young Catholic noblemen, receives guests in his family castle, located a few leagues from Paris, in Touraine. Everyone is having fun. Nevers is the only one present who has a strong-willed character, and he urges those present to be tolerant of the expected guest, despite the fact that he is a representative of the Huguenot party. Nevertheless, when Raoul de Nangis, a handsome but clearly provincial-looking man, is introduced to the public, Nevers guests make not too kind remarks about his Calvinist appearance.

The feast begins, and an enthusiastic choir sings the praises of the god of food and wine. The next toast is offered to the beloved of each of those present, but Nevers admits that since he is about to get married, he must reject this toast: he finds this circumstance rather embarrassing. The ladies seem to persuade him more passionately before his arguments are known to the viewer. Then Raul is obliged to tell his heart secret. He talks about how he once protected an unknown beauty from harassment by dissolute students (meaning - Catholics). His aria ("Plus blanche que la blanche hermine" - "Whiter than the white ermine") is notable for the use of a forgotten instrument - the viola d'amour, which gives it a very special flavor. Since then, Raul's heart has belonged to this stranger - a romantic gesture that only elicited indulgent smiles from his highly experienced listeners from among those present at the feast.

Raoul's servant, Marcel, a venerable old warrior, does not like at all that his master makes such acquaintances, and he tries to warn him against this. He bravely sings the Lutheran chant "The Mighty Stronghold" and proudly admits that it was he who in the battle left a scar on the face of one of the guests, Kosse. The latter, being a peace-loving person by nature, invites the old soldier to drink together. Marseille, that indomitable Calvinist, refuses, but instead offers something more interesting - "Song of the Huguenot", a passionate and courageous anti-Papist war song, characterized by repeated bang-bang syllables, denoting bullet explosions with which Protestants crush Catholics.

The fun is interrupted when the owner is called to hand him a letter from a certain young lady who has come to the garden. Everyone is sure that this is Nevers' next love affair, which continues, despite the fact that his engagement has already taken place. The lady, as it turns out, has gone into the chapel and is waiting for him there. Guests are seized by an irresistible temptation to peep and eavesdrop on what is happening there. Raoul, together with others, having witnessed the meeting of Nevers with a lady, is amazed to recognize in the lady who came to Nevers that very unknown beauty, to whom he made a vow of love. He has no doubt: this lady is the beloved of the Comte de Nevers. He vows revenge. He does not listen to Never when he, returning after this meeting, explains to the guests that his visitor - her name is Valentina - is the protégé of the princess engaged to him, but now she has come to ask him to terminate their engagement. Nevers, although deeply distressed, reluctantly agreed to this.

The fun is interrupted again: this time it is another messenger from another lady. This messenger is the page Urban. He is still so young that his role in the opera is entrusted to mezzo-soprano. In his cavatina ("Une dame noble et sage" - "From one lovely lady"), once very popular and admired by listeners, he reports that he has a message from an important person. It turns out that it is not addressed to Never, as everyone assumed, but to Raul, and it contains a request to Raoul to arrive where he is called, in a palace carriage, and without fail blindfolded. Looking at the envelope, Nevers recognized the seal of Marguerite of Valois, the king's sister. This royal token of respect to the young Huguenot is venerated by the assembled Catholic nobles, who immediately shower Raoul with courtesies and flattering praises, assure him of their friendship, and congratulate him on having been so highly honored. Marcel, Raul's servant, also gives his voice. He sings "Te Deum", and the words that Samson defeated the Philistines sound like an expression of his belief in the victory of the Huguenots over the Catholics.

ACT II

In the garden of her family castle in Touraine, Marguerite Valois is waiting for Raoul de Nangis. The ladies-in-waiting sing and praise the delights of rural life, as does the princess herself. Marguerite - this is clear from the scene that is taking place - sent for Raoul to arrange the marriage of this prominent Protestant with Valentina, daughter of the Comte de Saint-Bris, one of the leaders of the Catholics. This union of a Catholic woman with a Huguenot, rather than the marriage of a girl with some other Catholic, could put an end to civil strife. And it was she, Marguerite of Valois, who demanded from Valentina that she get the termination of her engagement to the Comte de Nevers, which Valentina willingly fulfilled, because she was in love with Raoul, her recent protector. And now, being with the princess, Valentina, not yet knowing whom Margarita promises her as a wife, expresses her unwillingness to be a meaningless pawn in this political struggle, and for a long time this has been the lot of girls from aristocratic families.

The page Urban arrived at the palace. He is in joyful excitement, as he accompanies a handsome gentleman, besides, everything is so unusual: the guest is blindfolded. This page, reminiscent of Cherubino, is in love with Valentina and Margarita at the same time, and, one might say, with the whole feminine. But everything in it is somewhat rougher than in Cherubino - rougher to the same extent that Meyerbeer's music is rougher than Mozart's. The impression that Urban makes on women is reflected in his antics of Peeping Tom (eng. "Peeping Tom" - "too curious person"): he spies on the girls bathing so seductively in the scene in the background and so teasingly showing off their charms to the audience and while singing the choir.

And at a sign from the princess, Raoul is brought in blindfolded. He is left alone with Margarita. Now only he is allowed to remove the handkerchief from his eyes. A woman of extraordinary beauty appears before his eyes. He doesn't know it's a princess. The beauty of a noble lady prompts him to take a solemn oath to faithfully serve her. Margarita, for her part, assures him that there will certainly be an opportunity to use his services.

It is only when Urban returns to announce that the entire court is about to arrive that it becomes clear to Raoul whom he has sworn to serve faithfully. And when the princess tells him that Raoul's service should be to marry the daughter of the Count of St. Bris for political reasons, he readily agrees, even though he has never seen this girl before. The courtiers enter to the tune of the minuet; they stand on both sides of the stage - Catholics and Huguenots, with Nevers and Saint-Bris leading the Catholics. The princess is brought several letters; she reads them. In the name of King Charles IX, she demands that the Catholics not be absent from Paris, since they must participate in the implementation of some important (but not explained) plan. Before leaving, the princess insists that both parties take an oath to keep the peace between them. Catholics and Protestants swear. The choir of Catholics and Huguenots ("And with a sword") is the most impressive in this act.

The Comte de Saint Bris brings his daughter Valentina, whom Raoul is supposed to marry. With horror, recognizing in her the lady that he saw at Nevers during their feast in his castle, and still considering her beloved Nevers, Raoul categorically declares that he will never marry her. Saint-Brie and Nevers (who, we remember, refused the engagement) are offended; Catholics and Protestants draw their swords. Blood can only be avoided thanks to the intervention of the princess, who reminds that the gentlemen must urgently go to Paris. In the majestic finale, in which passions flare up rather than die out, Raoul is determined to go to Paris. Valentina loses consciousness from everything she hears and sees. Enraged, de Saint-Brie publicly swears revenge on the contemptible heretic. Marseille sings his chorale "The Mighty Stronghold".

ACT III

If you visit the Pre-au-Clair district of Paris today, you will find it heavily built up, with the Boulevard Saint-Germain as its main bustling street. However, in the 16th century there was still a large field, on the edge of which there was a church and several taverns. It is here that the third act begins with a cheerful chorus of townspeople rejoicing at the day off. A group of Huguenots also perform a spectacular number - a choir that imitates the sound of drums. In it, they speak contemptuously of the Catholics and praise their famous leader, Admiral Coligny. This is followed by a third choral number, a choir of nuns singing "Ave Maria", which precedes the procession heading to the church. Raul, as we know, disowned Valentina, and now she is again engaged to Nevers; they are preparing for the wedding. As the procession, which includes the bride, the groom and the father of the bride, enters the church, Marcel, who has squeezed his way through the crowd, rather unceremoniously addresses the Comte de Saint-Brie, the father of the bride; a collision is avoided only thanks to the confusion that occurred due to the performance of a group of gypsies, entertaining the townspeople and Huguenot soldiers with their songs.

Finally, all wedding ceremonies are completed, and the guests leave the church, leaving the newlyweds alone so that they can pray. Marseille takes the opportunity to convey his message to the Comte de Saint-Bris, which contains a challenge to a duel from Raoul. A friend of Saint Brit, Morever, expresses the idea that there are other ways to deal with Raul than a dangerous duel, and the surest way is to strike with a dagger, that is, murder. They retire to the church to discuss a plan on how to carry it out.

After the curfew signal has dispersed the crowd, the conspirators exit the church discussing the final details of their treacherous plan. A moment later, Valentina rushes in in dismay: praying in a remote corner of the chapel, she heard everything these Catholics were talking about. Valentina still loves the man who rejected her and wants to warn him of the danger hanging over him. Fortunately, Marcel, Raoul's servant, is nearby, and she turns to him to warn his master of the danger. But Marcel says it's too late: Raoul is no longer at home, he had to go to Paris. After their long duet, Valentina returns to the church again. Meanwhile, Marcel is determined to protect his master and vows that if need be, he will die with him.

Marseille does not have to wait long. Main characters come (each brings two seconds with him), and in the ensemble that now sounds like a concert number, everyone swears to adhere strictly to the rules of honor in the upcoming duel. However, Marcel knows that Morever and other Catholics are waiting nearby for the right moment to treacherously engage in a duel, and he loudly knocks on the door of a nearby tavern, shouting "Coligny!" Huguenot soldiers run to his cry. On the other hand, Catholic students also respond to the cry, many women gather. A massacre breaks out, more and more people are involved in it, blood is shed.

Fortunately, at this time, Marguerite Valois passes here, and she again manages to prevent an even greater massacre. She announces to both parties that they have broken this oath. Marcel informs her that he learned about the treacherous attack of the people of Saint-Brie from a woman whose face is covered with a veil. And when Valentina leaves the church and Saint-Bri takes off her veil, everyone freezes amazed: Saint-Brie - from the fact that his daughter betrayed him, Raoul - that it was this girl who served him such a service and saved him. He is in love with her again.

Well, what about our fiancé, Nevers? His alleged father-in-law, the Comte de Saint-Brie, carefully concealed his insidious plan from him, and here he is, Nevers, always smiling and unsuspecting, sails along the Seine on a festively decorated ship to claim his bride. Marriage is always an occasion for people (or at least opera choirs) to pour out more peaceful feelings, and the scene thus ends with the general merriment of the people, including those same gypsies who have now returned, having heard of the upcoming wedding celebrations and hoping for rewards for their songs. The Huguenot soldiers refuse to take part in the fun; they express their dissatisfaction. But those who are truly in mourning are the leading sopranos and tenors: Valentina is heartbroken at having to marry a man she hates, while Raoul is furious at the mere thought of his beloved leaving for his rival . All these various emotions provide excellent material for the finale of this action.

ACT IV

August 24, 1572, the eve of the Bartholomew night - the night of the terrible massacre. Valentina in the house of her new husband, alone, indulges in painful thoughts about her lost love. There is a knock on the door - and Raoul appears in the boudoir. Risking his life, he made his way into the castle in order to see his beloved for the last time, to tell her the last “Farewell!” and, if need be, die. Valentina is in turmoil: she tells Raoul that Nevers and St. Bris can come here at any moment. Raoul hides behind a curtain.

The Catholics are gathering. From the Comte de Saint-Brie they learn that Catherine de Medici, the Queen Mother, has ordered the general extermination of the Protestants. It has to happen that very night. This will be the most convenient moment, as the leaders of the Huguenots will gather this evening at the Hotel de Nesle to celebrate the marriage of Marguerite of Valois and Henry IV of Navarre. Nevers, one of the rare noble baritones in the history of opera, declines an offer to participate in such a disgraceful affair; he breaks his sword with a dramatic gesture. St. Bris, believing that Nevers might betray their plan, ordered him to be taken into custody. Never is taken away. A second impressive oath scene follows, titled "The Blessing of the Swords". As a result, the Comte de Saint-Bris distributes to his followers white scarves, which were brought into the hall by three monks, so that the Catholics who tied them during the upcoming massacre could be distinguished from the Protestants.

All this, however, was witnessed by Raul. He heard St. Bris give detailed orders as to who should take what positions at the first stroke of the bell of Saint-Germain's church, and that at the second stroke the massacre should begin. As soon as everyone has dispersed, Raul quickly jumps out of his hiding place to run to his own, but all the doors are locked. Valentina runs out of her room. Their long duet sounds, which at one time excited even Richard Wagner himself. Raul seeks to warn his Protestant friends as soon as possible. In vain are the prayers of Valentina, who is horrified at the thought that Raul will be killed; tears, reproaches, confessions are in vain. But when she tells him of her love, he is touched and asks her to run away with him. But here comes the bell. With his blow, a sense of duty flares up in Raul, a terrible picture of the upcoming massacre opens to his inner eye. When the bell sounds a second time, he brings Valentina to the window, from where she opens a heartbreaking sight unfolding in the streets. Raul jumps out the window. Valentina falls unconscious.

ACT V

The Huguenots is a very long opera, and in many of its productions the last three scenes are simply omitted. They are, however, necessary to complete storylines this story. In addition, they contain several wonderful musical episodes.

Scene 1. Eminent Huguenots are celebrating - by the way, with the participation of the ballet - the marriage of Marguerite and Heinrich at the Hotel de Nesle. Raoul, already wounded, interrupts the fun with terrible news about what is happening in the streets of Paris: Protestant churches are in flames, Admiral Coligny is killed. After an excited chorus, the assembled draw their swords and follow Raoul into the streets to join in the battle.

Scene 2. In one of the Protestant churches, surrounded by Catholics, Raoul, Valentina and Marcel reunited; the latter is badly wounded. Raoul is eager to return to the streets to fight. Valentina convinces him to take care of his own salvation. He has such an opportunity: if he ties himself a white scarf and goes with her to the Louvre, he will find there the intercession of Marguerite of Valois, now queen. But since this is tantamount to becoming a Catholic, Raul refuses to do so. Even the news that the noble Nevers, trying to prevent bloodshed, fell at the hands of his fellow believers and that now Raoul can marry Valentine, does not convince him to save his life by sacrificing principles. Eventually Valentina declares that her love for him is so great that she renounces her Catholic faith. The lovers kneel before Marcel, begging him to bless their union. Marseille blesses the marriage of a Catholic and a Protestant. From the church comes the singing of the choir, singing - this time too - "The Mighty Stronghold".

The sound of the choir is rudely interrupted by the furious, jubilant cries of Catholics breaking into the church. The three main characters kneel in prayer. It sounds like they're being bullied. Marcel expressively describes the vision of paradise that opened to his inner gaze. The Huguenots refuse to renounce their faith; they continue to sing their chorale. Then the Catholic soldiers drag them out into the street.

Scene 3. By some miracle, Valentina, Raoul and Marcel manage to elude their pursuers, and among other bravely fighting Protestant warriors, Valentina and Marcel help the mortally wounded Raoul; they make their way along one of the embankments of Paris. Out of the darkness appears Saint-Brie at the head of a military detachment. In a commanding voice, he asks who they are. Despite all the desperate attempts of Valentina to force Raoul to remain silent, he proudly shouts out: “Huguenots!”. St. Bris orders his soldiers to fire. A volley is heard. Approaching the dead, the count discovers with horror that one of the victims is his own daughter. But too late: with her last breath, she says a prayer for her father and dies.

It happens again that Margarita Valois passes through these same places. She is terrified, seeing three corpses in front of her and recognizing the bodies. This time, her efforts to keep the peace were in vain. The curtain falls as the Catholic soldiers still vow to destroy all Protestants.

Henry W. Simon (translated by A. Maykapar)

History of creation

Shortly after the production of Robert the Devil, the management of the Parisian theater of the Grand Opera commissioned a new work from Meyerbeer. The choice fell on a plot from the era of religious wars based on the novel by P. Merime (1803-1870) "The Chronicle of the Times of Charles IX", which, when it appeared in 1829, was a resounding success. The composer's regular collaborator, the famous French playwright E. Scribe (1791–1861), gave in his libretto a freely romantic interpretation of the events of the famous St. Bartholomew's Night from 23 to 24 August 1572. Scribe's play "Huguenots" (which means - comrades in oath) is replete with spectacular stage contrasts and melodramatic situations in the spirit of French romantic drama. The theater writer E. Deschamps (1791–1871) also took part in the creation of the text; the composer himself played an active role.

Under an agreement with the theater management, Meyerbeer undertook to present a new opera in 1833, but due to his wife's illness, he interrupted work and had to pay a fine. The opera was completely finished only three years later. The first performance on February 29, 1836 in Paris was a huge success. Soon began the triumphal procession of the "Huguenots" on the theatrical stages of Europe.

The historical basis of the plot was the struggle between Catholics and Protestants in the 16th century, accompanied by mass persecution and ruthless mutual destruction. Against this background, the love story of the main characters of the opera, Valentina and Raul, unfolds. Before the moral purity and strength of their feelings, the cruelty of religious fanaticism is powerless. The work has a bright anti-clerical orientation, which was especially acutely perceived by contemporaries; it is permeated by the humanistic idea of ​​the right of every person to freedom of belief, to true happiness.

Music

"Huguenots" is a vivid example of the French "grand opera". Grandiose mass scenes, spectacular spectacular performances are combined in it with a touching lyrical drama. The contrasting richness of stage images made it possible to combine various stylistic means in music: Italian melodiousness with methods of symphonic development coming from the German school, Protestant chorale with gypsy dances. The romantic elation of expression enhances the tension of musical dramaturgy.

The overture features the melody of a 16th-century Protestant chorale, which then runs through the entire opera.

The first act is dominated by a festive atmosphere. The sensitively gallant aria of Nevers with the choir “The Moments of Youth Rush” is sustained in serenely enlightened tones. Raul's arioso "Here is in Touraine" is imbued with courageous determination. The chorus "Pour into the Cup" is a lively drinking song. Raoul's dreamy romance "All the charm is in her" is accompanied by a solo of the ancient string instrument viola d'amour. The contrast is made by the harsh Protestant chorale performed by Marseille. The song “Your death is decided” sounds belligerently, accompanied by visual effects (imitation of shots). Urban's graceful cavatina "From a Pretty Lady" is an example of Italian coloratura. The finale ends with a drinking song.

The second act falls into two clearly defined sections. The first is dominated by a feeling of bliss and tranquility. With a dazzling virtuoso brilliance, Margarita's aria "In the native land" captivates. The music of the second section of the act, at first solemnly majestic (the appearance of Catholics and Protestants), soon becomes intensely dramatic. The unisons of the oath - the quartet with the choir "And the sword of battle" sound with restraint and harshness. The final choral scene is imbued with stormy-rapid movement, now excitedly anxious, now actively volitional.

The dramaturgy of the third act is based on sharp contrasts. The militant invocative song of the Huguenot soldiers is accompanied by a choir imitating the sound of drums. The developed duet of Valentina and Marcel from a feeling of alertness, hidden expectation leads to a courageous-strong-willed upsurge. An energetic septet with a marching rhythm is crowned with a wide melodic climax. In a dynamic quarrel scene, four different choirs clash: Catholic students, Huguenot soldiers, Catholic women and Protestants. The final scene is united by the joyful melody of the Bright Days choir.

The fourth act is the pinnacle in the development of the lyric-romantic line of the opera. Valentina's romance "Before Me" reveals the purity and poetry of her appearance. An ominously harsh scene of conspiracy, leading to a dramatic climax - the consecration of swords, has a different flavor. The passionate duet of Valentina and Raul is dominated by cantilena of wide breathing.

In the fifth act comes the denouement of the drama. Raul's aria "Fires and murders everywhere" is full of excited recitation. The gloomy choir of killers is accompanied by harsh timbres of brass instruments. In the scene in the temple, the themes of the Protestant chant and the choir of their persecutors, the Catholics, collide.

M. Druskin

Les Huguenots is Meyerbeer's best opera, a vivid example of French grand opera. The Russian premiere took place only in 1862 at the Mariinsky Theater (for censorship reasons, it was banned for a long time from staging) directed by Lyadov. The heavily altered production that had previously been shown on the stage of the Italian Opera in St. Petersburg was called “Guelphs and Ghibellines”). There are many bright pages in the opera: the duet of Valentina and Raul from 4 acts. “Oh ciel! Оu courez-vous?», Urban's aria (2 days) and others. A major event was the production of La Scala in 1962, conductor Gavazzeni, soloists Sutherland, Simionato, Corelli, Cossotto, Giaurov, Tozzi, Ganzarolli). Among the best performers of the role of Raoul today is the American singer R. Leach.

Discography: CD - Decca. Conductor Boning, Marguerite (Sutherland), Valentina (Arroyo), Raoul (Vrenios), Comte de Saint-Brie (Baquier), Comte de Nevers (Cossa), Urban (Touranjo), Marseille (Guzelev).

The action takes place in France in Touraine and Paris in 1572.

1 act.
In Touraine, guests gathered at the ball of the noble Catholic Comte de Nevers. The Huguenot Raoul de Nangis is to come and the host wants to meet him as cordially as possible, in order to promote reconciliation between Catholics and Huguenots. The young man who entered tells the guests about a beautiful stranger whom he once protected from the mob on the street. Suddenly, he sees the same girl waiting for the owner of the castle. Raul is in despair, convinced that the stranger is de Nevers' lover. The page of Princess Margarita Urban appears and gives Raul an invitation letter. He must appear on a secret date with a noble lady (Raul does not guess who it is), provided that his eyes are blindfolded.

2 act.
Marguerite, seeking to reconcile the Catholics and the Huguenots, decided to marry the prominent Protestant Raoul de Nangi to the daughter of the Catholic Comte de Saint-Bri, Valentina. After all, she herself marries the Protestant king Henry of Navarre. Valentina is the same stranger that Raoul was talking about. She was supposed to marry Nevers and came to him to ask him to refuse to marry her, for she accepted Margarita's proposal with all the greater willingness that she herself fell in love with Raul after their chance meeting.

Meanwhile, Raul comes on a date to a noble lady who sent him a note. Having removed the bandage, he sees the beautiful princess and assures that he is ready for anything for her. Margarita announces her will to everyone - Raul must marry the daughter of a Catholic count, Valentina! The young man agrees with the decision of the future queen. But, having seen the girl who was intended for him, and recognizing in her a secret visitor to the castle de Nevers, tormented by jealousy, he indignantly rejects the offer. Enraged, de Saint-Bris vows revenge on Raoul.

3 act.
In Paris, near the chapel on the banks of the Seine, people are walking. Everyone is waiting for the marriage of Valentina with Never (after being rejected by Raoul, she is again preparing for the wedding with Never). Marcel, Raoul's servant, having found de Saint-Bris, sends him a challenge to a duel from Raoul. The fight will take place today. De Saint-Brie, on the advice of Morever and with the assistance of his Catholic friends, decides to vilely kill Raoul. Their conversation accidentally hears Valentine and reports this to Marcel. Marcel hurries to the place of the duel. But it's too late. It has already begun. Marseille calls for help from the Protestants, Saint-Brie from the Catholics. The massacre begins. However, the sudden appearance of Margarita, who happened to be passing by, prevents a violent fight. Marcel tells that the vile murder of Raoul was prevented by Valentine. He curses fate for his mistake in relation to the girl, and Valentina leaves for the wedding celebration.

4 act.
Valentine in the Palace of Nevers. She mourns her fate. Raoul, who has sneaked in to her, comes to ask for forgiveness and say goodbye. The arrival of Catholic nobles forces him to hide. Involuntarily, he overhears a terrible conversation and becomes a witness to a treacherous conspiracy - today, on the night of St. Bartholomew, all the Huguenots must be destroyed. Only Nevers refuses such treachery and breaks his sword in protest. He is arrested. Having sworn an oath to each other and taking white scarves, with which it will be possible to distinguish Catholics from Huguenots in the dark, the conspirators disperse in anticipation of the bell signaling the beginning of the massacre. Raul runs out of his hiding place. Valentina confesses her love to him. She fears for his fate. But he must be with his co-religionists, and with the blows of the bell he hastens to inform them of the danger.

Act 5
Henry of Navarre and Marguerite of Valois are getting married in Paris. A bell is heard. Suddenly, a bloody Raul bursts into the hall and reports on the terrible massacre that has begun. The holiday is interrupted. Protestants took refuge in the monastery, Expecting that the walls of the temple will stop the pursuers. Marcel and Valentina join Raul. Wanting to save the young man, Valentina invites him to put on a white scarf - a conventional sign of the conspirators, and run to the queen. Never is dead! Now they can be together, but only if he changes his faith - this is the decision of Margaret of Navarre. The young man hesitates, but the stern Marcel gives him strength. Raul refuses to betray his comrades, and then the girl solemnly accepts his faith. They ask Marcel to bless their marriage. But then de Saint-Bris and his associates attack the temple, a volley is heard. Many of the unfortunates who have taken refuge in the monastery fall dead. Raoul is injured. Marcel and Valentina try to help him. Saint-Bri appears and asks who are they? "Huguenots!" Raoul replies proudly. The soldiers shoot at them. Dying, Valentina manages to forgive her father who ran up to her. From the Louvre, a cortege with Marguerite is approaching the monastery. Before her, a terrible picture opens up ...

There is hardly anything more operatic than Meyerbeer's Huguenots! As the quintessence of the genre grand opera with all its standard paraphernalia, this opus fully reflects the ideas of the public of that time that there is an opera production as such. Hence the success, and growing from performance to performance. As rightly noted, G. is “an example of a romantic interpretation of history as a situation” (Muginshtein). It has everything that has been developed by the opera genre over the previous centuries: bright theatricality, powerful dramaturgy, magnificent choirs and ensembles, ballet, impressive orchestral sounds, various solo numbers, vocal virtuosity. At the same time, the composition exposed the limits to which such "opera" can reach, marching precisely on this well-trodden path, which was proved by further practice (by the French Gounod and Thomas, the Italian by Verdi).

If we talk about the historical canvas, then the librettists created a completely original narrative, only formally tied to the well-known fact underlying Merimee's novel.

Meyerbeer's opera musically contains many remarkable pages. Its main leitmotif is the Lutheran chant, which forms the basis of the short overture. His motif later appears in dramatic places in the opera.

In the 1st act, Raul's "exit" "Sous ce beau ciel de la Touraine" is bright. It should also be noted Raoul's brilliant scene "Non loin des vieilles tours ..." with a virtuoso romance Plus blanche que la blance hermine(accompanied by the ancient instrument viola d'amour), in which he talks about meeting a stranger. Here, the upper E-flat is a difficult task for every tenor who takes on this part. Marcel's militant "Song of the Huguenot" performed by Marcel ("Piff, paff...") is original, and Urban's page cavatina "Nobles seugneurs, salut!... une dame noble et sage" is very popular.

In the 2nd act, the virtuoso aria of Margarita attracts attention O beau pays de la Touraine, rondo of the page "Non, non, non, vous n'avez jamais ...". The aria of Margarita is painted in pastel colors. Meyerbeer here very sensitively uses the subtle orchestral colors of the flute and harp. The duet of Margarita and Raul is melodic. It is impossible not to mention the scene of general indignation that concludes the act, solved in the form of a virtuoso stretta “O transport! o demence!" (Margarita, Valentina, Raoul, Urban, Marseille, Saint-Brie, Nevers, court ladies and nobles).

Act 3 is full of various genre crowd scenes, dances and choirs, including the famous march of the Huguenot soldiers "Rataplan" (this episode brings to mind the "Rataplan" from Verdi's "Force of Destiny"). Brilliant mastery is shown by Meyerbeer in the septet (the so-called “septet of the duel”) “En mon bon droit j’ai confiance” (Raoul, Marseille, Saint-Bri, Tavanne, Kos, Retz, Meryu), impressive for its filigree musical elaboration.

The strongest impression is made by the 4th act, which begins with an excited orchestral introduction. This is followed by Valentina's soulful Romance "Parmi les pieurs". The central episode of the act is the massive Conspiracy Scene and the rite of passage of swords, where the composer reaches a great dramatic intensity. Then comes the explanation of Valentina and Raul. Their massive duet scene Oh Ciel! Ou courez vous!- a true masterpiece of melodic and sensual beauty, which once delighted even Wagner and Tchaikovsky.

Let us quote one of the statements of Pyotr Ilyich about the "Huguenots":

"Huguenots" is one of the most beautiful operas in the entire lyrical (opera - E.Ts.) repertoire, and not only a musician by profession, but also any more or less educated amateur, this excellent music is dear, with its most amazing, superior among all works of this kind , the love scene of Act IV, with its excellent choirs, with its full of novelty and original instrumentation, with its impetuous and passionate melodies, with its skillful musical characterization of Marseille, Valentine, the religious fanaticism of Catholics and the passive courage of the Huguenots.

In act 5, tension and contrasts increase even more, but in music this is not felt as strongly as in the unsurpassed 4th. Therefore, sometimes, the 5th act at some productions was subjected to stopping, although all the storylines were cut off. However, even here there are enough episodes full of spiritual fulfillment and drama, for example, the trio of Marcel, Raul and Valentina "Savez-vous qu'en".

The composition of the premiere performance was brilliant. Conducted Khabeneck, starring shone Nurri(Raul), K. Falcon(Valentine) Levasseur(Marseilles). The opera quickly gained European fame. Until 1914, in Paris alone, she withstood more than a thousand performances. In 1837, the German premiere took place in Cologne; in 1839, the opera was staged in Vienna (under the title Gibbelins in Pisa) and New York; in 1837-40). A significant event was the performance of Covent Garden in 1848 under the direction of M. Costa with the participation Mario, Viardot, Tamburini. The brilliant performer of the role of Valentina was Schroeder-Devrient(1838, Dresden; 1842, Berlin, etc.). D. was also very fond of this part. Grisi, Patty. In 1863 in London, she shone in this role Lucca.

It should be noted that there were certain political obstacles in the distribution of the opera. So, for example, Russian censorship forbade the demonstration on stage of any kind of conspiracies, especially with the participation of royalty and affecting religious topics. For the first time in Russia, the composition was performed in Odessa by a German troupe (1843). The Italian troupe staged the opera in a heavily altered form under the title "Guelphs and Gibbelins" in St. Petersburg only in 1850 with the participation of Giulia Grisi, Mario, Tamburini. Only in 1862 did the Russian premiere of the opera take place at the Mariinsky Theater under the direction of K. Lyadov with Setov as Raul. The opera was staged at the Bolshoi Theater in 1866 (conductor I. Shramek). The work was very popular in Russia and practically did not leave the theater stages both in the capital and in private enterprises in the provinces (Kazan, Saratov, Novgorod, Kharkov, Tiflis, Odessa, Perm, etc.). In the part of Raul shone M.I.Mikhailov, N. Figner, Alchevsky, Ershov. Wonderful Margarita was Mravina, brilliant Valentina, sharply competing with M. Figner, was V. Cuza. Opera historian E. Stark describes one of the performances of The Huguenots with the participation of N. Figner and Cuza as follows:

“During the duet, Figner whispers:
- Valentina Ivanovna, don't give so many voices, you're drowning me out.
She, as if nothing had happened, continuing the scene, dismissively replies:
- And you push yourself!
Say, I’m not Medea Ivanovna for you, who already knows where she can remove herself, and nominate you ... ”

G. - have not left the stage for more than a century and a half. Until the turn of the 19th - early 20th centuries. the opera belonged to the most performed repertoire. Let us note the performances at La Scala (1899, conductor Toscanini, Raoul - De Marchi), at the Vienna Opera (1902, conductor Mahler, Raoul - Slezak). In 1905 Caruso performed it on the stage of the Metropolitan.

In the 20th century it is set quite regularly, although somewhat less frequently. On the one hand, interest in Meyerbeer's pompous style has fallen. On the other hand, prosaic reasons interfere - the production is technically very complicated, and it is not so easy to select the "magnificent seven" performers. In this sense, the performance of the Metropolitan in 1894 under the direction of bevignani with Melba, Nordics, J.de Reshke, Planson, Morel, S.Skalki and E.de Reshke. It is quite rivaled by the production of La Scala in 1962, conducted by Gavazzeni in which they sang Corelli, Sutherland, Simionato, Tozzi, Ganzarolli, Cossotto, Gyaurov.

It is curious, but G., very often appeared on domestic stages. The first Soviet production took place in 1922 at the Zimin Free Opera with Pavlovskaya, brothers Pirogov. In 1925 the opera was staged at the Bolshoi Theater (conductor Nebolsin, director Lossky, with Ozerov, Derzhinskaya, Katulskaya and etc.). In 1935 a new production with an updated translation was staged at the Mariinsky Theater (conductor Dranishnikov, director Smolich, with Neleppa, Pavlovskaya, Stepanova). In 1951 the theater again turned to this opera (conductor S. Yeltsin).

From foreign performances of the 20th century. one can also note the productions of Covent Garden in 1927 (conductor Belezza, as Raul - D. O'Sullivan), Arena di Verona Festival (1933, conductor Wotto With Lauri-Volpi as Raul). By the way, O'Sullivan was one of the best performers of this part in those years. He made his debut with it at the Grand Opera (1913), sang it at Parma (1922), Rome's Costanzi Theater (1923), La Scala (1924) and others.

Currently, G. sometimes appear on the stage. Among the performances of the 2nd half of the 20th century. (apart from those already mentioned) we note the productions in New York (1969, Carnegie Hall, concert performance, conductor R. Giovavinetti, with the participation Sils), concert performance in Vienna (1971, conductor E. Marzendorfer, with Gedda), Barcelona (1971), Sydney (1981, with Sutherland), Deutsche Oper Berlin (1987, conductor Lopez Cobos, director due, in the role of Raoul - R. Lich), Montpellier (1990, opening of the opera house, conductor S. Diederik). IN last years- in Bilbao (1999, conductor A. Allemandi, with the participation of M. Giordani), in New York (2001, Carnegie Hall, concert performance, conductor I. Kveler, with the participation of Giordani, O. Makarina, K. Stoyanova and others .), in Frankfurt (2002, conductor G.J. Rumstadt, again with Giordani, as well as D. Damrau), in Metz (2004, conductor B. Podic), in Liege (2005, conductor J. Lacombe) and others. In 2010, G. were performed in Annandale-on-Hudson (New York State, Fisher Center for the Performing Arts).

There are relatively few recordings of the opera. The version by conductor R. Boning is considered a textbook: СD Dec. 1970 (studio) – soloists A.Vrenios, D.Sutherland, M.Arroyo, N.Gyuzelev, Y.Turanjo, G.Baquier, D.Kossa and others. Te Kanawa And Auger. In 1991, a production of Dew at the Deutsche Oper was recorded on video (conductor S. Scholtes).

Illustration:
Giacomo Meyerbeer.

1 - Hereinafter typed in italics the word refers the reader to the corresponding entry in the Opera Dictionary. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to use such references until the full text of the dictionary is published.

Features of dramaturgy and music of the opera "Huguenots". The inconsistency of the artistic appearance of Meyerbeer

The humanistic idea of ​​the opera Les Huguenots, its brilliant theatricality, links with modernity and with national artistic traditions aroused the admiration of many prominent people of France, including Balzac and George Sand. However, most of the leading European musicians (Rossini, Schumann, Wagner, Serov) reacted sharply negatively to Meyerbeer. The reason for this lies in the inconsistency of the creative image of Meyerbeer himself.

Unlike Berlioz, Wagner, Schumann and many other romantic composers, Meyerbeer was not in ideological opposition to modern society. The sphere of his activity was the Parisian "Grand Opéra", which enjoyed the support of the "golden bags". Meyerbeer did not think, like Wagner, about a radical reform of the musical theater. He did not expose the spiritual squalor of bourgeois culture, as Berlioz, Schumann, Liszt did in the journalistic works, did not rebel against it in his work. He deliberately compromised, trying to reconcile the progressive artistic aspirations with the reactionary views of the environment on which his career depended.

This duality characterizes the ideological conception of even the best work of Meyerbeer - "Huguenots" (to an even greater extent - "Prophet"). Raising the topical issues of our time - the theme of the struggle against clerical reaction for freedom of thought and feelings - gravitating towards the heroic embodiment of these topics, Meyerbeer, together with Scribe, nevertheless interpreted them in the spirit of that superficial entertainment and hedonism that are characteristic of the art of French bourgeois society during the Restoration and July Monarchy.

And Meyerbeer's music is marked by compromise and inconsistency in artistic decisions.

On the one hand, it delights with its innovative features. In an effort to embody the most convex and colorful stage image, Meyerbeer discovered many previously unknown expressive properties of musical art.

He achieved especially strong artistic effects in numerous mass scenes, among which the picture of the bloody battle of Bartholomew stands out.

Among his contemporaries, Meyerbeer had no rivals in the art of constructing major musical and dramatic forms. In this he surpassed Rossini, whose William Tell served as a model for him. Among the masterpieces of his operatic composition is the scene of the Catholic conspiracy from the second act of The Huguenots, where a wonderful internal unity is created through the through orchestral development and a single tonal plan (E-A-E).

In the bright folk scenes of the third act (as well as in a number of other mass scenes), the composer managed to combine scattered contrasting stage episodes into one musical whole.

Many other musical effects he discovered for the first time testify to the composer's ingenious theatrical flair. Meyerbeer's romantic, sometimes sophisticated, harmonic language developed in close connection with the stage image. As an example, one can point to the bold harmonies through which the composer repeatedly characterizes Catholics in the Huguenots. Thus, the mystical coloring of the scene in the chapel is created by the plagal juxtaposition of chords:

The consecration of swords in the episode of the Catholic conspiracy is built on unusual and sharp-sounding, colorful juxtapositions:

In the final picture of the mass pogrom, the ominous images of Catholic murderers are expressed in an archaic motif on the piercing sound of trumpets:

Sometimes, along with the simplest tonic-dominant combinations, Meyerbeer resorts to extremely complex, even polytonal combinations, as, for example, in the opera Camp in Silesia, where the simultaneous sounding of different keys characterized the joint exit of various military regiments *.

* Camp in Silesia (1844) is a Singspiel written for Berlin. Meyerbeer retained contact with Germany in the Parisian period. In 1842 he was appointed chief musical director at the Prussian court.

The historical flavor of the Huguenot music is also achieved by the sound of a genuine Protestant chorale of the 16th century, which characterizes the Huguenots in the opera. The listener is also transported to a distant era by the ancient instrument viola d "amour, which accompanies Raoul's romance (in the first act).

In the instrumentation, Meyerbeer especially discovered a subtle dramatic flair. Together with Berlioz's, it constituted an entire epoch in the history of orchestral music. Along with ancient instruments, Meyerbeer also uses the latest, such as the saxophone. He introduces an organ to achieve a special power of sound, uses trombones and bassoons, as Berlioz did to depict diabolical fantastic images (in "Robert the Devil").

TO strengths Meyerbeer's music also includes a wide implementation of the latest achievements of the musical art of France, Germany and Italy.

More than a quarter of a century passed between Meyerbeer's first and last major Parisian opera, a time saturated with musical innovation in Europe. Each of Meyerbeer's operas reflected the latest stage of his development. Thus, the musical language of "Robert the Devil" is still to a large extent connected with the circle of images and intonations of the romantic singspiel and Rossini's operas. The music of the "Huguenots" speaks of the enormous influence of the dramaturgy of "William Tell" and the symphonism of Berlioz. It is noticeable that the "Prophet" was created after the author got acquainted with the works of Liszt and Wagner. In The African Woman, completed in 1864, shortly before the composer's death*,

the latest trends in French lyric opera are clearly felt (the predominance of refined lyricism, exotic "oriental" tendencies, harmonic sophistication, characteristic of this genre).

The music of the Huguenots is based on a variety of stylistic sources. Here are the Italian bel canto, and the French recitation, and the German symphonic development, and the orchestral findings of Berlioz, and some of the techniques of romantic opera in Germany. So, for example, the drinking song of the knights (in the first act) or the song of the Huguenot soldier of Marseille is associated with the musical style of comic genres. This music is distinguished by its closeness to the folk song structure, the simplest harmonies, dance or marching rhythms:

The Italian coloratura dominates in the parts of the page Urban (picture in the first act), Margarita (introduction and aria of the second act). The subtlety of the French operatic recitation is palpable in the recitative scenes.

In some episodes of the opera, Meyerbeer achieves great expressiveness. One of his musical peaks is the magnificent love scene of the fourth act, which was highly appreciated by P.I. Tchaikovsky:

“Excellent music with its most amazing love scene, which is superior among all works of this kind, with its excellent choirs, with its full of novelty and original methods of instrumentation, with its impetuously passionate melodies, with its skillful musical characterization of Marseille, Valentina, religious fanaticism of Catholics and passive the courage of the Huguenots,” he wrote.

Threads stretch from the love duet of the fourth act to Berlioz's Romeo, to Verdi's Aida and Wagner's Tristan.

And, however, with the indisputable theatrical merits of Meyerbeer's music and its innovative features, progressive musical circles did not forgive her compromise. This music arose more often as a result of a brilliant calculation than as a result of artistic inspiration, and the fluency in all modern expressive means often acquired a superficially eclectic character in Meyerbeer. A truly symphonic development is rare in his operas. There are few bright, individual, purely musical images in them. “Music, motley like a harlequin dress, because it’s all from pieces,” A. N. Serov wrote about Meyerbeer, “From pieces a la Weber, from pieces a la Rossini, a la Auber, a la Spohr, a la tutti quanti” .

Characteristic of Meyerbeer is the frequent mixing of sharply expressive moments with banal ones. False pathos, melodramatic sensibility erupt from him even in the most intense places (as, for example, in the last duet between Valentina and Raoul). Indicative in this respect is the overture, built as a variation on the theme of the Protestant chorale. In the strict, majestic sound of the chorale, sentimental turns, alien in style, suddenly appear, and in the last variation the theme takes on the character of a gallop or a circus march:

Unexpected features of Meyerbeer's artistic individuality appear in his comic opera Dinora (1859). This opera is full sense the words are the opposite of the lushly theatrical, motley music of Meyerbeer's previous compositions. Her music is marked by stylistic completeness, subtle transmission of lyricism. Folk scenes built on folklore elements are also original. Exquisite instrumental paintings depicting night landscapes anticipate impressionism. Fantastic images also receive original refraction.

Grand opera, connected with the social and civil traditions of the national theater of France, received a complete expression in the works of Meyerbeer - Scribe. A significant stage in the development of these national traditions ended in their work. By the beginning of a new period that arose after the revolution of 1848, the grand opera genre had exhausted itself. Nevertheless, the historical and heroic images of Meyerbeer's works, their magnificent dramatic composition, vivid theatricality and musical effectiveness have had a great influence on contemporary composers and musicians of subsequent generations, both in their strengths and weaknesses in their artistic aspects.

Opera "Huguenots" - best work Meyerbeer, which was written in 1835. The opera premiered on February 29, 1836. The duration of the piece was four hours. The opera made a strong impression on the audience. This is due to the professional acting of actors, magnificent bright scenery, complex intrigue. It was all these elements that made the opera really popular.

The work "Huguenots" consists of five acts. The events take place during the bloody wars in France. The first act tells how Catholics and Protestants fight. But their war was interrupted in 1752, when Marguerite of Valois married Henry of Bourbon and united Catholic and Protestant families. But the bloody St. Bartholomew's night completely destroyed the hopes of the Huguenots for their supremacy.

One of the leaders of the Catholic nobles, Count de Nevers, meets guests in his palace, which is located near Paris, in Touraine. All guests relax and have fun. Nevers asks all guests to be tolerant of the expected guest, despite the fact that he is a Huguenot. And so, when Raoul de Nangi is introduced to those present, the guests cannot restrain themselves and not very kindly discuss the appearance of Nangi. The fun begins, toasts are made, and now a toast sounds for the beloved of each guest. But Nevers refuses such a toast, as his heart is occupied. He says that he once saved the beauty from the harassment of students. Since that moment, Never's heart has been occupied by a stranger.

The feast is interrupted, as a letter was brought to the owner from a lady who is waiting for him in the garden. All the guests are convinced that this is another Nevers love affair that continues regularly despite the fact that he is engaged. The guests want to eavesdrop on the conversation and find out who really came. It turned out that that lady is a beautiful stranger who owns the heart of Never. But he convinces everyone that this lady is the protege of the girl to whom he is engaged, and she came to ask for the termination of the engagement, to which Nevers agrees. Soon another messenger arrives - this time to Raul. A message from the king's sister, she demands that Raul come to the indicated place with his eyes closed.

The second act takes us to the castle of Marguerite Vaula, who is waiting for the arrival of Raoul de Nangis. She wants to marry him to Valentina, the daughter of one of the leaders of the Catholics. This marriage was to end civil conflicts. Margarita also demanded from Valentina that she refuse her engagement to Count Nevers. Valentina was even delighted with such a request, as she is in love with Raul. But she does not know whom Margarita invited her to marry, she shows her dissatisfaction with the fact that she does not want to be a mere pawn. Finally, Raoul is brought in blindfolded. He remains alone with Margarita. He is amazed by her beauty, and does not know that she is a princess. She takes an oath to obey all her orders. When the princess's page returns, Raul realizes whom he swore to serve. He learns that he must marry a girl he has never even seen. Raoul agrees. The Comte de Saint-Bris brings his daughter Valentina, and Raoul realizes that this is the same girl who was supposed to marry Nevers. He categorically refuses to marry her. Saint-Brie and Neve are already preparing to fight, but they are stopped by the princess. Raoul decides to go to Paris, Valentina loses consciousness, and her angry father promises to take revenge on the heretic.

In the third act, we learn that Valentina and Nevers are preparing for the wedding. Marcel comes to the church for the wedding itself, who tells Valentina's father a message from Raul. This is a challenge to a duel. Saint Brit's friend Morever says the duel is too dangerous, because there are other ways to get rid of Raoul, like killing him. They leave to discuss the plan in detail. Valentina enters the church to pray and overhears Morever and Saint Bris talking. Even though Raoul has rejected her, she wants to save him. She reports the evil plans to Marcel, but he says that Raul has already left for Paris. Marcel comes to the tavern to deal with the Catholics, the fight begins. Here Princess Margaret passes by, and she stops the bloodshed. Maresle tells her that the veiled woman overheard the conversation between Saint-Bris and Morever. When the veil is removed, everyone sees Valentina. Saint-Bris is amazed that his daughter betrayed him, and Raoul is grateful to her for saving him. He is in love with her again.

Act 4 shows us a sad Valentina, who yearns for her lost love. Here Raul bursts into the house to say goodbye to Valentina. Catholics learn about the general extermination of Protestants. Nevers refuses to take part in this and is taken away. St. Bris distributes white scarves to his followers so that during the battle, Catholics and Protestants can be distinguished. Raul is watching the whole scene. He wants to warn all his friends, but all the doors are closed. Valentina confesses her feelings to him, Raul is amazed. He shows a terrible sight out the window and jumps out of it. Valentina faints.

The final fifth act tells how the Huguenots celebrate the wedding of Margaret and Heinrich. Raul interrupts the feast with sad news about what is happening on the street. The church is surrounded by enemies Valentine, Raul, Marcel. Valentina says that her feelings for Raul are so great that she renounces her Catholic faith. Miraculously, all three manage to escape from their pursuers. But, unfortunately, they are killed. Margarita drives by and sees three corpses, this time she is powerless.

Montserrat Caballe. Aria of Marguerite - opera "Huguenots"

Zara Dolukhanova Page Cavatina Nobles seigneurs salut!

Sergei Lemeshev sings Raoul's romance from Meyerbeer's opera "Huguenots"