Opera Books
THE OPERA
EDITED BY
ALBERT HILLERY BERGH
VOLUME IV.
1909
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D’Albert.
Eugen Francis Charles
d’Albert was born in Glasgow on April 10, 1864. His father (who, in
spite of the French family name, was a German) was a composer of dance
music. Young d’Albert studied first with his father, and later with
Paner, Sir John Stainer, Sir Arthur Sullivan and Front, completing his
musical education under Liszt. D’Albert’s wonderful technique in piano
playing was apparent in his early youth, and from 1881 to 1896 he lived
the life of a piano virtuoso, appearing frequently in concerts, and
making the tours of the Continent, England and America.
Besides many important orchestral works and pieces for the piano,
d’Albert has composed nine operas. Among the best known of these are
The Ruby (1893); The Departure (1900); Tiefland
(1903), and Flauto Solo (1905).
In 1892 d’Albert was married to Teresa Carreno, also a celebrated
pianist. Their marriage was not a happy one, and they were divorced in
1895. His present wife is Hermine Fink, the singer. The winter home of
the d’Alberts is in Berlin, and their summers are spent at their country
place on Lake Maggiore. All of Eugen d’Albert’s operatic work shows
richness of
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harmony, effective instrumentation and thematic beauty. He exercises
great restraint in composition, and produces a consequent sanity of
effect that is in striking contrast with many of the musical excesses of
to-day.
Opera in three acts
and a prologue by d’Albert. Libretto adapted by R. Lothar from Guimera’s
novel.
Characters: Sebastiano, a rich landowner; Tommaso, an old man;
Moruccio, Martha, Pepa, Antonia, Rosalie, Nun and Pedro, in the service
of Sebastiano; the Priest.
Place, the High Pyrenees and the Catalonian Valley. Time, the
Sixteenth Century. First produced at Prague in 1903.
The shepherd Pedro has long lived a solitary life in the rocky
fastnesses of the Pyrenees, seldom seeing anyone except his
fellow-shepherd, Nando. He sighs for a wife, and thinks his wish is
about to be gratified when his master, Sehastiano, who lives in the
valley, brings Martha, an orphan, whom he has forced to live with him,
up to the mountains to marry her off to the guileless Pedro.
Pedro accompanies them to the valley, where the mill-hands know
that Martha is Sebastiano’s mistress, and that their master must, of
necessity, marry a rich woman. So they scorn the unsuspecting Pedro,
whom Martha is to marry. Sebastiano comes again to see Martha at night,
but she avoids him by not going to her room, nor does she go with Pedro,
although she is sure that he knows nothing of her relations with
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Sebastiano. It is through jealousy of the little girl, Nun, the only
person who has made friends with Pedro, that Martha learns to love
Pedro. When Martha explains to Tommaso that she was Sebastiano’s
mistress against her will, the old man advises her to tell Pedro all.
The valley life becomes annoying to the simple Pedro, and he wants to
return to his solitude in the mountains. Martha wishes to go with him,
but Sebastiano lords it over her and will not let her go. Then she shows
up Sebastiano as her seducer. He angrily attacks Pedro, but is
overpowered by the servants.
Sebastiano’s prospective bride hears of his conduct and breaks her
engagement. With intensified passion he wishes to have Martha again, but
she loves her husband, and sends Nun to warn him against Sebastiano.
Pedro hastens to protect Martha and kills Sebastiano. Then in his strong
arms he carries Martha to his mountain home.
Last updated April 20, 2007