''Arald'' is a 1942 Romanian-language 1-act

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

Nicolae Bretan Nicolae Bretan (; 25 March 1887 – 1 December 1968) was a Romanian opera composer, baritone, conductor, and music critic. Biography Bretan was born in Năsăud. He studied at the Gheorghe Dima Music Academy, Conservatory of Cluj (1906–190 ...

. The libretto, written by the composer, is from

Mihai Eminescu Mihai Eminescu (; born Mihail Eminovici; 15 January 1850 – 15 June 1889) was a Romanians, Romanian Romanticism, Romantic poet, novelist, and journalist from Moldavia, generally regarded as the most famous and influential Romanian poet. Emin ...

's poem "Strigoii" ("The Ghosts"), and tells a darker version of the

Orpheus In Greek mythology, Orpheus (; , classical pronunciation: ) was a Thracians, Thracian bard, legendary musician and prophet. He was also a renowned Ancient Greek poetry, poet and, according to legend, travelled with Jason and the Argonauts in se ...

myth. The piece received its belated world premiere on May 12, 1982 at the Romanian Opera, Iași.Gagelmann, Hartmut. ''Nicolae Bretan: His Life—His Music.'' Translated by Beaumont Glass. Pendragon Press, Hillsdale, NY, 2000. p. 121: "World premiere: May 12, 1982 at the Romanian Opera, Iași. … Characters of the drama: … Voice type: … Cast of the world premiere: …"

Roles

Instrumentation

''Arald'' is scored for the following instruments: * 2

flutes The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...

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oboes The oboe ( ) is a type of double-reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common type of oboe, the soprano oboe pitched in C, ...

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clarinets The clarinet is a single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches. The clarinet family is the largest woodwin ...

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bassoons The bassoon is a musical instrument in the woodwind family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuosity ...

* 4

horns Horns or The Horns may refer to: * Plural of Horn (anatomy) * Plural of Horn (instrument), a group of musical instruments all with a horn-shaped bells * The Horns (Colorado), a summit on Cheyenne Mountain * Horns (novel), ''Horns'' (novel), a dar ...

, 3

trombones The trombone (, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's lips vibrate inside a mouthpiece, causing the air column inside the instrument to ...

tuba The tuba (; ) is the largest and lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece (brass), mouthpiece. It first appeared in th ...

timpani Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion instrument, percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a Membranophone, membrane called a drumhead, ...

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orchestras or ...

strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

Synopsis

A poet sings in prologue, extolling the virtues of the warrior Arald. As the curtain rises, Arald brings the body of his bride, Maria, to the feet of a pagan Seer. He begs him to bring her back to life, pledging his service to the Seer and the pagan gods in return. The Seer summons the elements and invokes Arald's heroic past and his love for Maria, giving Arald a potion that turns him into a ghost. Maria wakes and she and Arald join in song. As the dawn breaks, the two lovers embrace and are swallowed up by the earth, leaving the Seer behind.Gagelmann, p. 115

References

1942 operas Romanian-language operas Operas by Nicolae Bretan Operas {{Opera-stub