Auckland Philharmonia Opera in Concert: Die tote Stadt

The APO's Opera in Concert for 2023 is Die tote Stadt by Erich Korngold – the story of a man paralysed by grief after the death of his wife and his transformational encounter with a theatre dancer, the spitting image of the wife.

Erich Korngold completed the work in 1920. He was just 22 years old.

It’s based on a short novel written in 1892 by Belgian writer Georges Rodenbach, Bruges-la-morte. The libretto is by Korngold himself and his father Julius Korngold, together working under the pseudonym Paul Schott.

Such was Korngold’s reputation at the time, even for a man at such a young age, that the German opera houses were falling over themselves to stage the world premiere and in the end it opened in two opera houses – Hamburg and Cologne – simultaneously on 4 December 1920. From there it became one of the most popular operas of the decade. However the Nazi regime banned the opera on account of Korngold’s Jewish ancestry and it slipped into obscurity. Only in the last couple of decades or so has it found its way back into the occasional repertoire of opera houses around the world.

Performers

Aleš Briscein (Paul)
Manuela Uhl (Marietta, Marie)
Richard Šveda (Frank, Fritz)
Deborah Humble (Brigitta)
Julie Lea Goodwin (Juliette)
Brigitte Heuser (Lucienne)
Oliver Sewell (Gaston, Victorin)
Andrew Grenon (Count Albert)
New Zealand Opera Chorus, chorus master Claire Caldwell
Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra
Giordano Bellincampi, conductor

This is a semi-staged performance in Auckland Town Hall. The stage director is Frances Moore.

Synopsis

Act 1

The setting of the opera is the city of Bruges, described throughout as deserted, gloomy, forever stuck in the past, a dead city. And we open in a room in the house of Paul, who is still in mourning for his dead wife Marie. The room serves as a temple to her memory and contains, among other relics, a large portrait of Marie, a lute that she used to play, and a glass case containing a lock of her hair.

Paul’s servant Brigitta brings his friend Frank into the room saying that this is the first time anyone other than Paul or her has been into the room. She explains that Paul has had a sudden change of nature and has demanded that the room be opened up.

Paul arrives and sends Brigitta away to get roses for the room. He tells Frank that he has seen a woman who looks exactly like Marie and senses that she has been brought back from the dead. Frank is wary and advises Paul to let the dead sleep in peace.

The doppelganger, Marietta arrives. After introductions and some conversation, Paul invites her to sing. This is perhaps the most famous aria of the opera, usually known as Marietta’s Song or Marietta's Lied. It’s the song of a faithful lover who has to die. Paul sings the second verse which tells of the resurrection of the lover.

The singing of others is heard from the street and Marietta explains that they are her friends from the theatre ... she is a dancer, performing the role of the ghost nun Hélène in Meyerbeer’s opera Robert le diable. She makes a move to join them but he pleads with her to stay. She then notices the portrait of Marie and looks at it in amazement, recognising herself. “Who am I meant to be?”, she asks. Paul takes this as a sign that the dead wife is warning him of something and becomes pensive. Marietta leaves.

A change comes over the room and we slip into Paul’s dream. The figure of Marie steps out of the painting and asks “Are you still true to me?” “My hair will never die, it will keep watch in this house...”. She foretells that Paul will transfer his love to Marietta. He then sees Marietta dancing seductively in the theatre.

Act 2

We open with a recap of that final scene of Act 1: Marie sings to Paul, “Life holds you, the other woman attracts you. Look, look and understand.”

We then have an orchestral interlude which, according to Korngold’s scenario, “reproduces the impressions awakened by the dead city of Bruges in Paul’s mind.”

The scene is night, a bleak, deserted quay beside one of Bruges’ canals. Behind is a convent and to one side Marietta’s house.

Paul enters. He is now in a relationship with Marietta and is tormented about his own behaviour prowling around her house. Brigitta appears following a group of nuns. She has left his employ; fled from sin.

Frank enters and tells Paul to let Marietta go. Turns out he has been bewitched by her himself and he has a key to her house. Paul snatches it off him. Frank leaves and Paul retreats to the shadows.

A party arrives by boat on the canal ... it’s Marietta’s theatre troupe: Victorin, Fritz, Juliette, and Lucienne, out drinking, singing and laughing. They have with them a theatre patron Count Albert who is paying for the party tonight and they are looking for Marietta.

She appears and joins the party. She requests a song from Fritz and he obliges with the aria ‘Mein Sehnen, mein Wähnen’ – “My yearnings, my fantasies return as in dreams.”

Marietta is aroused and flirts with all the men. For fun and with some eroticism she starts to perform her dance as the ghost of the nun Hélène from the opera Robert le diable.

The music becomes ominous and Paul, who’s been watching all the while, rushes in to stop her. The troupe try to restrain him but the party mood has been broken and Marietta suggests they all leave.

Paul rebukes Marietta for flirting with everybody including Frank. He confesses that in loving her he is loving Marie. He’s all over the place in his emotions. He knows he has sunk low but now feels redeemed and that he and Marietta are finished. She consoles him and flirts and tempts once more. He is confused ... still desiring her. She talks him into confessing love for her and to a trist in his own house, “the house of the dead” as she calls it.

Act 3

We are back in Paul’s house as in Act 1. Marietta appears in a morning gown. She taunts the portrait of Marie: “Where is your power now?”.

The singing of children is heard from the street – they are preparing for a holy procession that is to take place that day.

Paul enters and is distressed to be confronted with Marietta’s presence in his house (even though he invited her!). He is once more troubled by his own attraction to her.

Sounds from the procession intrude and Marietta goes to the window to watch. Paul pulls her away, aware of the scandal it would cause if people saw her. He feels chastened by the holy nature of the procession and experiences a surge of piety. She ridicules him for that.

He detaches himself from her and involves himself in the procession. She tries to tempt him away but he resists, professing a religious fervour. This enrages her.

She finds the lock of hair belonging to Paul’s dead wife Marie. Paul screams “Don’t touch that. That is sacred!” She mocks him with it, dancing. They fight and he strangles her with with the lock of hair. “Now she resembles her completely” he says in horror.

There’s a short orchestral interlude and Paul wakes up. It turns out that everything from the very end of Act 1 to now has been a long dream. The body is gone. Everything is as before in Act 1.

Marietta, still alive, returns to collect her umbrella which she had left behind. She is gently flirtatious but Paul remains impassive. She leaves and Frank enters. He realises that Paul has been transformed and asks him to leave Bruges with him. Paul reprises Marietta’s song from the first act and then leaves the room forever, vowing also to finally abandon his grief for his dead wife.

Libretto

(courtesy of Tony Harpur of the Orpheus Ireland website)

Act 1    Act 2    Act 3

 

Recorded by RNZ Concert in Auckland Town Hall, 8 July 2023
Sound Engineer: Adrian Hollay
Producer: Tim Dodd