The Ghosts of Versailles

"The Ghosts of Versailles" is an opera in two acts, with music by John Corigliano to an English libretto by William M. Hoffman. The Metropolitan Opera had commissioned the work from Corigliano in 1980 in celebration of its 100th anniversary, with the premiere scheduled for 1983. Corigliano and Hoffman took as the starting point for the opera the play "La Mère coupable" ("The Guilty Mother") by Pierre Beaumarchais.cite news | author=Allan Kozinn | title=Rushing in Where Copland Feared to Tread | url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CEEDD1E3FF936A25751C1A967958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all | work=New York Times | date=15 December 1991 | accessdate=2008-06-20] They took seven years to complete the opera, past the initial deadline. The opera received its premiere on December 19th, 1991 at the Metropolitan Opera, with the production directed by Colin Graham. The premiere run of seven performances was sold out. [cite news | author=Edward Rothstein | title=For the Met's Centennial, A Gathering of Ghosts | url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE5D8173DF932A15751C1A967958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all | work=New York Times | date=21 December 1991 | accessdate=2008-06-20] [cite news | author=Allan Kozinn | title=Why Met's "Ghosts"Will Be Disembodied Until 1994-95 Season | url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE0DC163AF930A25752C0A964958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all | work=New York Times | date=13 January 1992 | accessdate=2008-06-20] The original cast included Teresa Stratas, Håkan Hagegård, Renée Fleming, Gino Quilico, and Marilyn Horne. The Metropolitan Opera revived the opera in the 1994-1995 season. [cite news | author=Edward Rothstein | title=A Young Opera Heavy With the Past | url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CEED71431F936A35757C0A963958260 | work=New York Times | date=5 April 1995 | accessdate=2008-06-20]

Corigliano considers this work a "grand opera buffa" because it incorporates both elements of the Grand Opera style (large chorus numbers, special effects) and the silliness of the opera buffa style. Commentators have noted how the opera satirises and parodies accepted operatic conventions. [cite news | author=Bernard Holland | title="The Ghosts of Versailles" Fills The Tumbrels With Conventions | url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE7DA163FF932A05751C1A967958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all | work=New York Times | date=31 December 1991 | accessdate=2008-06-20] [cite news | author=Edward Rothstein | title=At the Met, Ghosts Come to Applaud "Ghosts" | url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE3DC1338F936A35752C0A964958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all | work=New York Times | date=5 January 1992 | accessdate=2008-06-20]

Lyric Opera of Chicago staged the opera in the 1995-1996 season in the first performances outside of the Metropolitan Opera, in a revised version. Opera Theatre of Saint Louis is scheduled to produce the opera in its 2009 season, in partnership with [http://www.vancouveropera.ca Vancouver Opera] , which will present the Canadian and west coast premiere in its 2011-12 season, and with the Wexford Festival. The Metropolitan Opera is scheduled to produce "The Ghosts of Versailles" in its 2009-2010 season, with the cast scheduled to include Angela Gheorghiu as Marie Antoinette [cite news | author=Rupert Christiansen | title= Met's new man is aiming for the stars | url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2006/06/24/bmopera24.xml&sSheet=/arts/2006/06/24/ixartleft.html | work=Telegraph | date=24 June 2006 | accessdate=2008-06-20] and Kristin Chenoweth as Samira [cite news | author=Matthew Gurewitsch | title=Broadway Babies Give a Grand Old Lady a Hand | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/04/arts/music/04gure.html?_r=1&sq=&pagewanted=all | work=New York Times | date=4 February 2007 | accessdate=2008-06-20] .

Roles

ynopsis

The opera is set in the afterlife existence of the Versailles court of Louis XVI. In order to cheer up the ghost of Marie Antoinette, who is upset about having been beheaded, the ghost of the playwright Beaumarchais stages an opera (obviously based on "La Mère coupable", although described by Beaumarchais as a new composition) using the characters and situations from his first two Figaro plays.

In this new opera-within-an-opera, Count Almaviva is in Paris as Ambassador from Spain. Together with his trusty manservant Figaro, he tries to rescue Marie Antoinette from the French Revolution. When things go awry, Beaumarchais himself enters the opera and — with the invaluable help of Figaro's wife Susanna — rescues the queen.

Act I
The ghosts of the court of Louis XVI arrive at the theatre of Versailles. Bored and listless, even the King is uninterested when Beaumarchais arrives and declares his love for the Queen. As Marie Antoinette is too haunted by her execution to reciprocate his love, Beaumarchais announces his intention to change her fate through the plot of his new opera 'A Figaro for Antonia.'

The cast of the opera-within-the-opera is introduced. Following the familiar escapades of the Figaro characters, Almaviva has divorced the Countess after she had a son, Leon, with Cherubino. Leon wants to marry Florestine, Almaviva's illegitimate daughter, but the Count has forbidden the union as retribution for his wife's infidelity and has promised Florestine instead to Bégearss.

Figaro enrages the Count by warning him that his trusted Bégearss is in fact a revolutionary spy. Figaro is fired, but overhears Bégearss and his servant Wilhelm hatching a plot to arrest the Count that evening at the Turkish Embassy when he sells the Queen's necklace to the English Ambassador. Figaro intercepts the plot by infiltrating the party, dressed as a dancing girl. During the outrageous performance of the Turkish singer Samira, Figaro steals the necklace from the Count before the sale can take place, and runs away.

Act II
Figaro returns only to defy Beaumarchais's intention that he returned the necklace to the queen, as he wants to sell it to help the Almavivas escape. To put the story back on course, Beaumarchais enters the opera and shocks Figaro into submission by allowing him to witness the unfair trial of Marie.

The Count, swayed by his wife's wishes, rescinds his offer to Bégearss of his daughter's hand. Even though Figaro gives him the necklace, Bégearrs is enraged and sends the Spaniards to the prison where Marie Antoinette lingers.

Beaumarchais and Figaro, the only two to escape, arrive at the prison to try to rescue the Almavivas. They are shortly followed by Bérgeass whom Figaro denounces to the revolutionaries, revealing that he has kept the necklace rather than using it to feed the poor. Bégearss is carried off, the Almavivas escape to America and Beaumarchais is left with the keys to the Queen's cell. But the power of his love has made the Queen accept her fate and she refuses to let Beaumarchais alter the course of history. Marie is executed, and the pair is united in Paradise.

Recordings

The only recordings are a VHS of a televised production performed by the Metropolitan Opera in 1993 and a Constant Linear Velocity (CLV) LaserDisc of the same performance. The LaserDisc, published by Deutsche Grammophon, also includes a monochrome printed libretto. The LaserDisc version of the opera provides a digital sound track plus enhanced video resolution over the VHS recording. [cite journal | url=http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0027-4380(199403)2%3A50%3A3%3C1057%3ATGOVMO%3E2.0.CO%3B2-S | last=Croissant | first=Charles | title=Video Review: John Corigliano, "The Ghosts of Versailles" | journal=Notes (2nd Ser.) | volume=50 | issue=3 | pages=1057-1058 | date=March 1994 | accessdate=2008-05-18]

References

External links

* [http://www.usopera.com/operas/ghosts.html US Opera page on "The Ghosts of Versailles"]