''Chopin'' is a four-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 ...

by Giacomo Orefice (1865–1922) to a libretto by , premiered in Milan in 1901. The opera, which is "a wildly inaccurate account" of the life of

Frédéric Chopin Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period who wrote primarily for Piano solo, solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown ...

, is based entirely on his music, orchestrated by Orefice. The vocal score indicates the sources of the music, which include Chopin's

sonata In music a sonata (; pl. ''sonate'') literally means a piece ''played'' as opposed to a cantata (Latin and Italian ''cantare'', "to sing"), a piece ''sung''. The term evolved through the history of music, designating a variety of forms until th ...

s, polonaises, mazurkas and nocturnes.

Roles

Synopsis

The overture is based on Chopin's '' Fantasy on Polish Airs'', Op. 13. Act I is set in a village in Poland at Christmas time. Chopin declares his love to Stella (who is, like all the opera's characters except Chopin himself, entirely fictional). In Act II, set in Paris, Elio tells a group of children about the history and struggles of Poland, inspiring Chopin to fly to the piano and write a

nocturne A nocturne is a musical composition that is inspired by, or evocative of, the night. History The term ''nocturne'' (from French '' nocturne'' "of the night") was first applied to musical pieces in the 18th century, when it indicated an ensembl ...

. Chopin's new love, Flora, is also present. Act III is set in

Majorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest of the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, seventh largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. The capital of the island, Palma, Majorca, Palma, i ...

, where the real Chopin spent the winter of 1838-9 with

George Sand Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin de Francueil (; 1 July 1804 – 8 June 1876), best known by her pen name George Sand (), was a French novelist, memoirist and journalist. Being more renowned than either Victor Hugo or Honoré de Balz ...

. In this version Chopin is there with Flora and their daughter, who dies after a thunderstorm and is mourned by the local population. In Act IV, Stella arrives in Paris from Poland just in time for Chopin to expire in her arms.

Reception

The opera was premiered in the Teatro Lirico, Milan, on 25 November 1901.

The Musical Times ''The Musical Times'' was an academic journal of classical music edited and produced in the United Kingdom. It was originally created by Joseph Mainzer in 1842 as ''Mainzer's Musical Times and Singing Circular'', but in 1844 he sold it to Alfr ...

reported that "this rather curious lyrical stage-work" was "a distinct success." A production in Paris in 1905 was not well received by the critic Arthur Pougin, who commented "It is an idea, perhaps ingenious but certainly bizarre, to create an opera score by borrowing the elements of various works by a genius who, throughout his life, never dreamt of writing for the theatre", and concluded that Orifece had committed "a sacrilege". A modern assessment suggests that the opera is "in essence a

kitsch ''Kitsch'' ( ; loanword from German) is a term applied to art and design that is perceived as Naivety, naïve imitation, overly eccentric, gratuitous or of banal Taste (sociology), taste. The modern avant-garde traditionally opposed kitsch ...

contribution to the last vestiges of late 19th-century romanticized

bohemianism Bohemianism is a social and cultural movement that has, at its core, a way of life away from society's conventional norms and expectations. The term originates from the French ''bohème'' and spread to the English-speaking world. It was used to ...

and to the Italian '

scapigliatura ''Scapigliatura'' () is the name of an artistic movement that developed in Italy after the Risorgimento period (1815–71). The movement included poets, writers, musicians, painters and sculptors. The term Scapigliatura is the Italian equivalent ...

'". The opera was performed at the Opera Wrocławska in

Wrocław Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...

, Poland, in 2010 as part of the Chopin bicentenary celebrations."Opera 'Chopin' by Giacomo Orefice"
on Chopin2010 website, accessed 5 August 2014

References

;Notes ;Sources * Anon (1902). "Foreign Notes" in ''

The Musical Times and Singing Class Circular ''The Musical Times'' was an academic journal of classical music edited and produced in the United Kingdom. It was originally created by Joseph Mainzer in 1842 as ''Mainzer's Musical Times and Singing Circular'', but in 1844 he sold it to Alfr ...

'', vol. 43, no. 707 (Jan. 1, 1902), pp. 50–52 * Ashbrook, William (n.d.).
Chopin
, in ''

The New Grove Dictionary of Opera ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' is an encyclopedia of opera. It is the largest work on opera in English, and in its printed form, amounts to 5,448 pages in four volumes. The dictionary was first published in 1992 by Macmillan Reference, L ...

'' online, . Accessed 5 August 2014 * Lanza, Andrea (n.d.)
Orefice, Giacomo
, in ''

Grove Music Online ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language '' Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and t ...

'', . Accessed 5 August 2014 * Orefice, Giacomo (1904).
Chopin: Opera in 4 atti
' (vocal score), Milan: Edoardo Sonzogno (

IMSLP The International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP), also known as the Petrucci Music Library after publisher Ottaviano Petrucci, is a subscription-based digital library of public domain, public-domain sheet music, music scores. The project use ...

, accessed 5 August 2014). * Pougin, Arthur (1905)
"Semaine théatrale"
in ''

Le Ménestrel ''Le Ménestrel'' (, ''The Minstrel'') was an influential French music journal published weekly from 1833 until 1940. It was founded by Joseph-Hippolyte l'Henry and originally printed by Poussièlgue. In 1840 it was acquired by the music publishe ...

'', 18 June 1905, pp. 195–6, accessed 6 August 2014. (In French). * Zamoyski, Adam (2010). ''Chopin: Prince of the Romantics''. London: HarperCollins.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chopin 1901 operas Fiction set in 1838 Fiction set in 1839 Italian-language operas Mallorca in fiction Operas Operas set in Spain Operas set in Paris Operas set in Poland Operas by Giacomo Orefice Operas based on real people Operas set in the 19th century Cultural depictions of Frédéric Chopin