Koanga

"Koanga" is an opera with music by Frederick Delius, his third opera, written between 1896 and 1897, and a libretto by Charles F. Keary, inspired partly by "The Grandissimes" of George Washington Cable. Inspiration also came from Delius' own experiences as a young man when his family sent him to work in Florida. Delius himself thought well of the opera compared to its predecessors, "Irmelin" and "Fennimore and Gerda", because of the incorporation of dance scenes and his treatment of the choruses. [Redwood, Christopher, "Delius in the Opera House" (June 1984). "The Musical Times", 12 (1696): 319, 321.] The first performance of the opera was at Elberfeld on March 30 1904, and was the first of Delius' operas to be performed. It was also the most labor-intensive with regard to the libretto, which was continually being revised. The opera was posthumously published in 1935.

Sir Thomas Beecham directed a revival of "Koanga" on 23 September 1935 at Covent Garden. A later revival was in 1972 for the Camden Festival at Sadler's Wells, London, conducted by Sir Charles Groves. Douglas Craig and Andrew Page had worked extensively on revisions to a performing edition, which was used for the first complete commercial recording conducted by Groves. Robert Threlfall has examined revisions to the text of "Koanga" in its various editions. [Threlfall, Robert, "The Early History of 'Koanga'" (September 1974). "Tempo" (New Ser.), 110: 8-11.] More recent revisions to the libretto have been by Olwen Wymark.

The single most famous musical passage from the opera contains the melody known as "La Calinda", which is the only part of the score that has remained famous in the concert hall. Eric Fenby, Delius' amanuensis, has spoken of the opera as follows:

"Koanga" is one of those singular works that attract attention in Delius's development but which stand apart from the rest of his music. Usually, once a work was written, Delius's interest in it would wane. It would then be renewed and be relived temporarily every time he heard it again. For "Koanga", however, he showed concern as though it held some secret bond that bound him to his youth in Florida. It was the one work he deplored in old age he was never likely to hear again. And so it proved. A dark grandeur pervades the score which, whilst yielding to hankerings after Wagner, recalls the tragic gusto of Verdi. The elements of time, place and plot allowed him a range of textures and moods wider than in his other operas." ^{[citation needed]}

The first US staging of "Koanga", and of any Delius opera, was by the Opera Society of Washington in late 1970 and early 1971. [cite news | url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,942408,00.html | title=Ante Bellum Aida | publisher="Time" | date=4 January 1971 | accessdate=2007-08-12] [Loewens, Irving, "Reports: Washington" (1971). "Musical Times", 112 (1537): 265.] London's Pegasus Opera Company staged "Koanga" in April 2007 at Sadler's Wells Theatre. [cite news | url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/885c22a2-ec2d-11db-a12e-000b5df10621.html | title=Koanga, Sadler’s Wells, London | publisher="Financial Times" | author=Richard Fairman | date=16 April 2007 | accessdate=2007-08-12] [cite news | url=http://music.guardian.co.uk/classical/livereviews/story/0,,2062700,00.html | title=Slaves to the rhythm | publisher="The Observer" | author=Anthony Holden | date=22 April 2007 | accessdate=2007-08-12]

William Randel has studied the relationship of the opera and its libretto to the original story of Cable. [cite journal | url=http://ml.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/citation/LII/2/141 | last=Randel | first=William | title="Koanga" and Its Libretto | journal=Music & Letters | volume=52 | issue=2 | pages=141-156 | date=April 1971 | accessdate=2008-05-18]

Roles

* Koanga, an African Prince and Voodoo Priest
* Palmyra, a mulatto, maid and half-sister to Clotilda
* Don José Martinez, a planter
* Simon Perez, Don José's overseer
* Clotilda, Don José's wife
* Rangwan, a Voodoo Priest
* Uncle Joe, an old slave
* Renée, Hélène, Jeanne, Marie, Aurore, Hortense, Olive, Paulette; the Planter's daughters
* Negro I
* Negro II
* Chorus of Negro Slaves

ynopsis

The opera is in three acts, with a prologue and an epilogue. The setting is a Mississippi River plantation in Louisiana, during the second half of the 18th century.

In the Prologue, Uncle Joe is about to tell the tale of Koanga and Palmyra, at the request of the planters’ daughters.

When the story proper unfolds in Act I, it is years earlier. Palmyra, the maid to Clotilda (the wife of the plantation owner Don José Martinez), watches Simon Perez, the plantation overseer, rouse up the slaves for their labours. Perez declares his love for Palmyra, but she brushes aside such sentiments. Martinez arrives, and Perez tells him of the arrival of a new slave. The new slave is Koanga, a captured African prince. Koanga invokes his gods to avenge his betrayal. Perez states that Koanga would rather die than be a slave, but Martinez suggests that Palmyra can be used to change his sentiments. Koanga and Palmyra are introduced, and become attracted to each other. Perez becomes angry at this turn of events. Clotilda is appalled at this herself, as Palmyra is her half-sister.

Act II begins with preparations for the wedding of Koanga and Palmyra. Clotilda consults with Perez as to how to stop this wedding. Perez tells Palmyra the truth about her birth, but she remains determined to marry Koanga. Just as the wedding ceremony is about to occur, Perez kidnaps Palmyra. Koanga then fights with Martinez and prevails in the man-to-man struggle. Koanga escapes to the swamp and invokes magic to bring disease contagion to the plantation. However, he has a vision of Palmyra’s suffering, which causes him to return to the plantation. When he arrives, Perez is trying to embrace Palmyra. Koanga kills Perez, but is in turn captured and executed. Palmyra mourns for Koanga, and then takes her own life.

In the Epilogue, the planter's daughters respond to Uncle Joe’s story, as the sun rises.

Recording

* EMI Classics 585 142 2 (2003 reissue): Eugene Holmes, Claudia Lindsey, Raimund Herincx, Keith Erwin, Jean Allister, Simon Estes; John Alldis Choir; London Symphony Orchestra; Sir Charles Groves, conductor

References

External links

* [http://www.boosey.com/pages/opera/moredetails.asp?musicid=3684 Boosey & Hawkes page on "Koanga"]
* [http://www.boosey.com/pages/cr/news/further_info.asp?NewsID=11403 Boosey & Hawkes page on Pegasus Opera production of "Koanga"]