Mortelmans The Children of the Sea (opera fragments)

[Alan Howe]

A new CD from Phaedra, also featuring music by de Boeck:
https://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/classical/products/8399857--mortelmans-in-flanders-fields-vol-97-the-children-of-the-sea
Beautiful excerpt from Mortelman's opera here (scroll down - red link):
http://www.phaedracd.com/en/cd-s/in-flanders-fields/product/172-92097

[Alan Howe]

http://www.lodewijkmortelmans.be/lm_cat000_en.html
Opera: De Kinderen der Zee

The 'Children of the Sea' is Mortelmans' sole opera. It was probably intended to add luster to the silver jubilee of the Antwerp Royal Flemish Opera in 1918, but World War I precluded that. It was eventually decided to proclaim the 1919-1920 season the jubilee season, and to put two popular Flemish operas on again, Jan Block's'Herbergprinses' (The Inn's Princess) and 'Quinten Massys' by Emile Wambach.
De 'Kinderen der Zee' was premiered on March 27, 1920. Its libretto was written by Rafaël Verhulst (1866-1941), a dramatist,; its subtitle, appropriately, is'dramatisch zangspel in drie bedrijven' (literally 'tragic song-play in three acts').
It is rhymed and has arias, duets, ensembles and choirs. Its publication in 1900, which had been awarded the prize in the 'competition for drama writing' by the city of Antwerp, already mentioned that it 'was being set to music by Lodewijk Mortelmans'.
The action is near the sea, in the 17th century, 'when lighthouses were still lit with real fires'.
From Phaedra IFF96 - Jan Dewilde, SVM

Extract from '1945 Van-Nu-en-strakser-der-Muziek:
When Mortelmans won the 'Prix de Rome' in 1893, the thought of an opera was already in his mind.
He stated that he had been asked to create a work for the Nederlandsch Lyrisch Tooneel, but a suitable libretto was late. The difficulties with regard to the text were all the heavier, since Mortelmans declared that he would not write a traditional opera under any circumstances. He sees himself for the choice between the Wagnerian music drama, and the lyrical drama as Benoit and Fibich conceive it.

[M. Yaskovsky]

Thanks, CD ordered at jpc.de
The Phaedra catalogue with it's series 'In Flandres Fields' has much orchestral music on offer.
BTW: Jozef Israëls, famous Dutch painter: https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/nl/collectie/SK-A-2382

[Alan Howe]

Oh, that's a really lovely painting - thank you.

[Alan Howe]

Good, rip-roaring stuff, this. Not particularly individual, but thoroughly enjoyable. Very well done by the orchestra, by the way - which is a great advantage in the big Wagnerian swells of this music.

[Alan Howe]

...but the best music on the CD are the three excerpts of music by de Boeck - absolutely fabulous Wagnerian stuff, wonderfully sung and played. Worth the price of the CD on their own! The flood of music is quite intoxicating!

[semloh]

That IS a sweet painting! 

The music I have heard by Mortelmans has always been enjoyable, so this will be interesting. Thanks for the info., Alan.