Finally, Cyrano’s character resembles that of a Romantic hero-poet, such as Lord Byron. Evidently, Cyrano has read some of these works, and riffs on them freely when speaking to Roxane. In a love sonnet, the speaker usually professes his sincere, immortal love for a beautiful woman. During the 1600s, new translations of the classical poet Petrarch resulted in a “boom” in love sonnets. The love verses that Cyrano delivers to Roxane throughout the play imitate the convention of the Petrarchan sonnet. The play also alludes to various genres and styles of European literature. Descartes was instrumental in the rise of the Enlightenment, and in books like Principles of Philosophy, he popularized the philosophical method known as systematic doubt, positing that the only entity that one can be sure exists is the mind-this sounds something like Cyrano’s rugged, independent worldview. During the Siege of Arras, Cyrano reads from a book by the great French philosopher René Descartes-presumably the book is the Principles of Philosophy. It’s easy to see this dynamic in Cyrano, as the wealthy and powerful characters regard the cadets of Gascon as foolish and crude.Ĭyrano de Bergerac alludes to many famous European books. People from the Gascon region of France-bordering Spain-were considered uncouth, similar to the stereotypes associated with American Southerners. Even in the 1640s, many Parisians-the dominant cultural group of France-regarded people from other parts of France with suspicion and amusement. For centuries, the provinces of France had been only loosely connected, and it wasn’t until the 1600s that these provinces began to be grouped together into a strong, stable state. Finally, it’s important to keep in mind that Cyrano takes place at a time when France was still building its identity as a modern nation-state. The siege was largely a failure-indeed, it wasn’t until 1654 (around the time when the final act of Cyrano is set) that France succeeded in conquering Arras. In 1640, France attempted to invade the Spanish province of Arras, and for more than a year, French soldiers tried to starve out Spanish troops in their fortresses. At times, France invaded Spanish territory in an effort to expand its borders. During the reign of Louis XIII, France clashed with its neighbor, Spain, in a series of battles throughout the 1630s and 40s. His most trusted advisor-and, supposedly, the “Grey eminence” of the French court-was Cardinal Richelieu, whose name is synonymous with power and prestige in Cyrano. Louis was widely regarded as a weak and ineffectual king, more interested in decadent parties than nation building. The majority of the play is set in 1640, when Louis XIII was King of France. Live broadcast from the Met (not commercially released, available from archive.It’s important to understand some French history when reading Cyrano.Deutsche Grammophon 4688259 (DVD): Roberto Alagna, Nathalie Manfrino, Richard Troxell, Nicolas Rivenq, Marc Barrard, Jaël Azzaretti Orchestre National de Montpellier Marco Guidarini, conductor (2003).CPO 5210620: Manuela Uhl, Jennifer Arnold, Susanna Bernhard, Roman Sadnik, Wolfgang Newerla, Simon Pauly, Paul McNamara, Matthias Klein, Bernd Gebhardt, Konstantin Heintel Chorus of Kiel Opera Kiel Philharmonic Orchestra Markus L.Opera d'Oro, a division of Allegro Corporation (OPD 1411): William Johns, Olivia Stapp, Ezio di Cesare Maurizio Arena, conductor recorded in Turin 1975.Roles Roles, voice types, premiere cast Role In May 2017 it was presented anew at the Metropolitan Opera with Roberto Alagna in the title role, and soprano Jennifer Rowley as the female lead Roxane in her Metropolitan Opera role debut. The US premiere was on, when the opera was presented at the Metropolitan Opera with Plácido Domingo in the title role. However, the same analysis also mentioned that "the opera has moments of definite effectiveness and exquisite poetry". Gatti criticised the composer as fearing "to seem too melodramatic", and the opera for being "overdecorated and labored" and containing "difficult and tortuous vocal writing". In recent years, most productions have returned to the original French text, which was used in the Paris premiere.Ĭontemporary commentary on the opera by Guido M. Īlthough Alfano originally set the text in French, the premiere was sung in Italian, as were many early Italian productions. The first performance in Paris was on at the Opéra-Comique. The opera received its first performance at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma on 22 January 1936, conducted by Tullio Serafin, with Maria Caniglia and José Luccioni. Cyrano de Bergerac is a four-act opera with music by Franco Alfano, and libretto by Henri Caïn, based on Edmond Rostand's 1897 drama Cyrano de Bergerac.
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