Santa Chiara - An opera by Prince Albert's brother

[BerlinExpat]

On Saturday 2nd April in Deutschlandfunk Kultur at 19:05 CET

Duke Ernst II. of Sachsen-Coburg and Gotha
,,Santa Chiara"
Romantic opera in three acts

Charlotte – Lena Kutzner, Sopran
Bertha – Marianne Schechtel, Mezzosopran
Victor – Patrick Vogel, Tenor
Alexis – Johannes Mooser, Bariton
Aurelius – Rafael Helbig-Kostka, Tenor
Alphonse – Tomasz Wija, Bassbariton
Herbert – Mikko Järviluoto, Bass

Chor des Staatstheaters Meiningen
Meininger Hofkapelle
Leitung. Philippe Bach

[Mark Thomas]

How interesting. The Duke wrote several operas and some other occasional pieces and was regarded as quite an accomplished amateur composer. He was a supporter of both Liszt and Raff in the 1850s and Santa Chiara is supposedly the best of his works.

[Alan Howe]

The Overture can be heard here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcmqexu0eOY

Apparently the opera dates from 1854.

Meyerbeer, anyone? I don't mind if I do!

[ewk]

Some weeks ago, I read a review of the premiere in Meiningen in a leading German newspaper ("Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung") which found the work quite amusing but relatively silly and musically rather uninteresting – nonetheless a worthwhile resurrection, if only as a witness of its time. The review opens with the statement

"Hätte es im neunzehnten Jahrhundert schon Vorabendserien gegeben: Ernst II., Herzog von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha, nebenbei Komponist, wäre einer ihrer größten Fans und vielleicht auch Zulieferer geworden. Während sein jüngerer Bruder Albert in das englische Königshaus einheiratete und die mitteldeutsche Provinz für die Metropole London verließ, um sein Leben an der Seite von Queen Victoria zu verbringen, blieb Ernst in Gotha und machte das Beste daraus."

If there had been pre-prime-time serials in the 19th century: Ernst II., duke of Sachsen-Coburg and Gotha, part-time composer, would have been a great admirer and perhaps supplier of them. While his younger brother Albert married into the English royality and left the Middle German province for the metropolis of London to spend his life alongside Queen Victoria, Ernst stayed in Gotha and made the best out of it.

I am eager to read what you will think of it, having heard the broadcast.

https://www.faz.net/aktuell/feuilleton/buehne-und-konzert/theater-meiningen-zeigt-oper-von-queen-victorias-schwager-17825150.html

[eschiss1]

If memory serves, Liszt conducted some of his music (and may have arranged some of it)? Anyhow, intriguing, thanks! (A revised vocal score and a full score of the overture are here: IMSLP.)

[ewk]

According to the review cited above, Liszt even conducted the Premiere of said opera.

On a side note, I just saw that the Overture Alan has posted above is performed by the Thüringen Philharmonie Gotha-Suhl (today Thüringen Philharmonie Gotha-Eisenach) – the orchestra of the duke's residence town.

[Ebubu]

Definitely not the expected "unsung masterpiece", if one can judge by the Overture...

[Alan Howe]

Agreed. Might be fun, though, providing it's not over-long.

[BerlinExpat]

It has been trimmed!

[Rainolf]

Ernst II. composed his operas in piano score, the orchestration was done by professional musicians of his court orchestra. The duke was an admirer of Richard Wagner, so he asked Wagner to orchestrate Santa Chiara. Wagner refused this, so the task was left to the Coburg concert master, Traugott Krämer. 

[Alan Howe]

So it's actually a joint enterprise!

[Mark Thomas]

How interesting.

[Jonathan]

Returning to Liszt briefly, he did arrange part of Duke Ernst's opera "Tony", specifically the Jagdchor und Steyrer (catalogued as S404) and also the rather lovely Die Graberinsel der Fursten zu Gotha. I don't think "Tony" is the same work as under discussion here although sometimes things were published with alternative names.

[eschiss1]

Worldcat gives Tony (or Tonÿ), alternate name "Der Wildschütz", as another romantische Oper (by Duke Ernst) in drei Aufzügen, published in this case around 1853 by Spina of Vienna. IMSLP only has Liszt's arrangement uploaded, but adds that Tonÿ was premiered in 1849, a few years earlier than Santa Chiara. It's possible the works are related (e.g. one might be an earlier version? or no relation. Don't know, that is) (from what little information we have at the moment?), but they're not identical.

[BerlinExpat]

No mention of "Wildschütz" here"

Ernst II as a composer of operas
(From "Herzog Ernst II. und seine Leidenschaft für das Theater")

Duke Ernst II was one of the last representatives of the long tradition of composing princes. For five operas he designed the melodies and then had them elaborated and orchestrated by his court conductors:
• Zayre, grand opera, first performance 1846 in Gotha
• Tony, romantic opera, first performance in Weimar in 1849 (already in 1848 under the name "The Retribution" premiered in Coburg, was then rewritten)
• Casilda, great romantic opera with ballet, premiered in Gotha in 1851
• Santa Chiara, romantic opera, premiered in Gotha in 1854
• Diana von Solange, grand opera, first performance in 1858 in Coburg
While the first two operas were not successful, "Santa Chiara" can be designated as Ernst II's main work. For this the Duke worked with well-known musicians and poets: The libretto came from the successful playwright Charlotte Birch-Pfeiffer. Gustav Freytag also reviewed it and rounded it dramaturgically. (He removed the fourth act finding it superfluous) Franz Liszt - at that time court conductor in Weimar - conducted the first performance on April 2, 1854 in Gotha. Heinrich Brückner created the stage design. Giacomo Meyerbeer received the score for final revision and also published the work for the Paris stage, where it was played several times at the 1855 Universal Exposition, and major houses took it on. The opera was performed a total of 50 times in major German cities and 60 times at the Paris Opéra alone.
The sheet music was published by Henry Littolfs Verlag in Braunschweig.