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    GSMD Summer Scenes Programme Note and Synopses Director's Note

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    This performance features scenes from Stephen McNeff's new opera Pedro Pàramo, adapted from Juan Rulfo's 1955 Mexican novel of the same name. The director's note explains that the novel is a multi-layered ghost story set against the backdrop of Mexican social history from the late 19th century to 1955. Scenes from Pedro Pàramo will be performed alongside extracts from operas by Smetana, Bellini, Britten, Janáček, Monteverdi, Donizetti, and Rossini to explore the novel's atmospheric and bewildering qualities. The synopses provide overviews of scenes from each work to be performed.

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    GSMD Summer Scenes Programme Note and Synopses Director's Note

    Uploaded by

    guidolmb8449
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    This performance features scenes from Stephen McNeff's new opera Pedro Pàramo, adapted from Juan Rulfo's 1955 Mexican novel of the same name. The director's note explains that the novel is a multi-layered ghost story set against the backdrop of Mexican social history from the late 19th century to 1955. Scenes from Pedro Pàramo will be performed alongside extracts from operas by Smetana, Bellini, Britten, Janáček, Monteverdi, Donizetti, and Rossini to explore the novel's atmospheric and bewildering qualities. The synopses provide overviews of scenes from each work to be performed.

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    This performance features scenes from Stephen McNeff's new opera Pedro Pàramo, adapted from Juan Rulfo's 1955 Mexican novel of the same name. The director's note explains that the novel is a multi-layered ghost story set against the backdrop of Mexican social history from the late 19th century to 1955. Scenes from Pedro Pàramo will be performed alongside extracts from operas by Smetana, Bellini, Britten, Janáček, Monteverdi, Donizetti, and Rossini to explore the novel's atmospheric and bewildering qualities. The synopses provide overviews of scenes from each work to be performed.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    32 views4 pages

    GSMD Summer Scenes Programme Note and Synopses Director's Note

    Uploaded by

    guidolmb8449
    This performance features scenes from Stephen McNeff's new opera Pedro Pàramo, adapted from Juan Rulfo's 1955 Mexican novel of the same name. The director's note explains that the novel is a multi-layered ghost story set against the backdrop of Mexican social history from the late 19th century to 1955. Scenes from Pedro Pàramo will be performed alongside extracts from operas by Smetana, Bellini, Britten, Janáček, Monteverdi, Donizetti, and Rossini to explore the novel's atmospheric and bewildering qualities. The synopses provide overviews of scenes from each work to be performed.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 4

    GSMD SUMMER SCENES

    PROGRAMME NOTE AND SYNOPSES

    Director's Note
    This performance encompasses one of the first public showings of scenes from a new opera by
    Stephen McNeff, Pedro Pàramo, adapted from the Mexican novel of the same name by Juan
    Rulfo. Much translated and a school syllabus staple in Mexico, Rulfo's 1955 novel is a multi-
    layered, atmospheric and oftentimes bewildering ghost story detailing the life, death and loves of
    the eponymous Pedro as well as the other inhabitants of his lands. Set against a backdrop of
    Mexican social history from the late 19th-century to 1955 and from many first person points-of-
    view, the story is told in flashback, sometimes simultaneously then and now. Characters die and
    become ghosts but can take a while to realise that this has happened. I have taken the rich world
    of Pedro Pàramo as the jumping-off point for today's performance, letting the very particular spirit
    of the novel and new opera permeate the other scenes to greater and lesser extents, while never
    allowing the basic stories of those more familiar extracts to be fundamentally altered. I hope you
    enjoy the scenes.
    John Ramster

    Pedro Pàramo by Stephen McNeff


    Scene 1

    Mexico, 1955: Juan Preciado is travelling to the distant village of Comaro to find his long-lost
    father, one Pedro Pàramo, fulfilling a deathbed promise to his mother, Dolores. He is accompanied
    by a Comaro man, Abundio, who may or may not be dead, not that Juan knows that. Abundio tells
    Juan that he is also Pedro's son; he describes their father, a powerful landowner, as "pure hate".
    He also says Pedro is long dead. Juan is welcomed to the desolated village by Eduviges, a friend
    of his dead mother, who may or may not be dead herself. (Sung in English)

    Bartered Bride by Bedřich Smetana


    Act 2 Scene 1
    A young man and a cynical man argue the relative merits of love and money. Kecal, the older man,
    is a marriage-broker, trying to persuade young Jenik, that he should no longer love Majenka, a
    young woman for whom Kecal is arranging a lucrative marriage, as requested by Majenka's
    parents. Majenka is resisting the match, saying she loves Jenik. Jenik is similarly enamoured of
    Majenka, to Kecal's despair. Kecal believes that love never works in marriage, that the men always
    end up cuckolded and complaining. He recommends another young lady with much property to be
    Jenik's wife - she has cows, poultry, a cottage, a pig, even a new wardrobe! (Sung in Czech)

    I Capuleti e i Montecchi by Vincenzo Bellini


    Act 1 Scene 2
    Verona: Romeo and Giulietta, scions of two rival factions of the Veronese aristocracy, are in love
    but their love has been forbidden by Giulietta's father. Giulietta is being forced by her father to
    marry one of his allies, Tebaldo. Her benevolent doctor, Lorenzo manages to calm her down: he
    tells her that Romeo has managed to enter the city without being recognised and wants to meet
    her. Romeo sees only one way out of their situation, namely that they should flee together and
    start a new life somewhere else where the quarrel between their families will no longer play a role.
    Giulietta cannot agree to this plan, however: she still feels a debt of honour and duty to her father.
    Despite all his pleadings, she sends Romeo away. (Sung in Italian)

    Pedro Pàramo by Stephen McNeff


    Scene 3
    Mexico, c.1900: observed by his future son Juan, the young Pedro has just inherited his lands and
    is told by his estate manager Fulgor Sedano that money is scarce - Pedro's father has borrowed
    much and spent it all. The arrogant young landowner hatches a plan. To defray the debts, Pedro
    resolves to marry his biggest creditor Dolores Preciado as soon as possible - Dolores is Juan's
    future mother. Pedro orders Fulgor to propose to Dolores on his behalf the very next day.
    However, Pedro remains hopelessly in love with Susanna, someone he has known since
    childhood. (Sung in English)

    The Rape of Lucretia by Benjamin Britten


    Act 2 Scene 1 (extract)

    Rome, 510 BC: the events which lead to the fall of the Etruscan kings of Rome and the
    establishment of the Roman Republic. Prince Tarquinius has accepted a challenge to try the
    famous chastity of the Roman matron, Lucretia, the wife of one of his generals. Observed by two
    choric figures from a more modern age who attempt to interpret the scene from a Christian
    viewpoint, Tarquinius steals into Lucretia's bedroom, watches her sleep, then wakes her with a
    kiss. She resists his assault. (Sung in English)

    INTERVAL

    The Cunning Little Vixen by Leoš Janáček


    Act 2 Duet
    In the forest: the Vixen meets a Fox. They court each other, quarrel and make-up, and fall in love.
    (Sung in Czech)

    L'incoronazione di Poppea by Claudio Monteverdi


    The Death of Seneca
    The philosopher and teacher Seneca has been sent into internal exile by the Emperor Nero,
    Seneca's erstwhile pupil, for opposing the marriage of Nero to Poppea. Passing his days at his
    country estate, Seneca enjoys the solitude, far from the decadent imperial court. He is visited by
    Mercury, messenger of the gods, who tells him that this is to be his last day on earth and that he
    will spend eternity in heaven. Seneca is overjoyed. Liberto, the head of Nero's personal guard,
    arrives, in great distress, delivering a message that Seneca anticipates - that Seneca must commit
    suicide by order of the Emperor. Liberto is conscience-stricken, anxious not to be implicated in the
    order that he must deliver. Seneca is happy to die, though cautions that the psychotic emperor will
    not be satisfied with only one death. Liberto says Seneca's writings will always be remembered.
    Seneca's servants plead with him not to die, saying that they value life and do not want to die
    themselves. Seneca orders a hot bath to be prepared in which he will kill himself.

    Lucia di Lammermoor by Gaetano Donizetti


    Act 2 Duet

    Scotland: Enrico, a Scottish landowner, is forcing his sister Lucia to marry one of his political allies.
    She loves Edgardo, the son of a hated rival clan and is refusing to marry against her will. Enrico
    shows her a forged letter which convinces Lucia that Edgardo loves another. She despairs.
    Commotion from outside heralds the arrival of her future husband. Enrico reveals that he has
    backed the wrong political horse - if Lucia does not marry as Enrico wishes then Enrico will be
    executed. If he is executed then he will haunt her, he vows. Lucia longs for death.

    Pedro Pàramo by Stephen McNeff


    Scenes 4 and 5
    Mexico, c1900: observed by her future son Juan and the wraith of her friend Eduviges, Dolores
    Preciado is thrilled to accept Pedro's wedding proposal, delivered to her by Pedro's estate
    manager, Fulgor. However, Dolores is dismayed to be told that the wedding must take place so
    soon since, as she delicately puts it, "the moon is wrong". She persuades her friend Eduviges to
    take her place on the wedding night. Eduviges reluctantly agrees; she is subsequently unsure
    what exactly occurred in the darkness of Pedro's bedroom.

    La Cenerentola by Gioachino Rossini


    Act 2 Sextet

    Following a storm, Dandini and his master Prince Ramiro miraculously seek shelter in just the right
    house for the story to find its happy ending: the house of Don Magnifico, his two horrendous
    daughters and his maltreated step-daughter Angelina, known as Cenerentola, or Cinderella. The
    Prince is searching for the beautiful girl he met at a ball while disguised as his valet, Dandini.
    Cenerentola realises Ramiro's real identity. At the ball she gave Ramiro one of a matching pair of
    bracelets and told him to find her, if he truly loves her. Ramiro recognises her bracelet and the
    couple are reunited. All are stunned. Don Magnifico, Clorinda and Tisbe are furious. Angered by
    their cruelty to Cenerentola, Ramiro threatens to punish them, but Cenerentola asks him to be
    merciful. Emotions run high.

    Pedro Pàramo by Stephen McNeff


    Scene 8
    Mexico, at some point in this life or the next: it is raining in Comala. Susana's nurse, Justina, has
    gone out to buy rosemary from local Indians. The dying Susana is raving. Justina can give her no
    comfort. The ever-loving Pedro watches on helplessly, ever-rejected by Susana. They vividly
    describe what it is to be dead and yet dying.

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