Die Teufel von Loudun (The Devils of Loudun) is an opera in three acts written in 1968 and 1969 by Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki, and then revised in 1972 and 1975. It has a German libretto by the composer, based on John Whiting's dramatization of Aldous Huxley's book of the same name.
The work was commissioned by the Hamburg State Opera, which consequently gave the premiere on 20 June 1969. Only 48 hours afterwards, the opera received its second performance in Stuttgart, followed two months later by its American debut mounted by the Santa Fe Opera.Matthew Boyden et al., The Rough Guide to Opera (London: Rough Guides, 2002), 575. The work was revised in 1972 following suggestions by Polish theatre director Kazimierz Dejmek.Barbara Malecka-Contamin, Krzysztof Penderecki: style et matériaux (Paris: Kime, 1997), 85. This added two new scenes, excluded a scene from the opera's first act, regrouped other scenes, and modified the first act's instrumentation. In 1975, Penderecki added two more scenes in the second act. He revised the entire score again in 2012.Krzysztof Penderecki, Die Teufel von Loudun, Schott Music Group, Mainz 2012, https://www.schott-music.com/en/die-teufel-von-loudun-no168598.html; accessed 11 June 2022.
The Devils of Loudun, the first and most popular of Penderecki's operas, is emblematic of the composer's interest in historical events of traumatic nature.Adrian Thomas, "Penderecki, Krzysztof," Grove Music Online, ed. Laura Macy; available from http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com; Internet; accessed 5 March 2009. As suggested by its title, the opera draws its story line from the 1632-38 mass demonic possession in the town of Loudun, France. However, rather than a narrative of these historical events, the opera underscores a more general dichotomy between central and local power,Adrian Thomas, "Penderecki, Krzysztof," The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, ed. Stanley Sadie; available from http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com; Internet; accessed 5 March 2009. and thus provides a political commentary, denouncing the iniquities committed by the totalitarian states of the mid-20th century.Edward Boniecki, "Penderecki's the Devils of Loudun and the Case of Urban Grandier," in Krzysztof Penderecki's Music in the Context of the 20th-Century Theatre, ed. Teresa Malecka (Kraków: Akademia Muzyczna, 1999), 78. Accordingly, the opera's thematic construction should be regarded as allegorical rather than merely historical.
Performance history and reception Based on the reviews listed in Cindy Bylander's Krzysztof Penderecki: a Bio-Bibliography, the reception of The Devils of Loudun varied. The opera received mixed reviews (mostly written around the same time and within a decade of the work's completion) in European countries and the US. Even in the same city, there were different reactions to the work.
The world premiere, which was given at the Hamburg State Opera on 20 June 1969, received mixed reviews. However, the general consensus among critics was that the work was not a huge success. A critic, who saw the world premiere performance of the work in Hamburg, wrote that the various sounds effects (i.e. cries, laughter, roars, etc.), large glissandi in orchestra, tone clusters, and pitches at extreme ends of instruments' ranges were used merely to produce atmosphere instead of creating a dramatic effect.Hans H. Stuckenschmidt, "'Die Teufel von Loudun' in Hamburg. Uraufführung von Pendereckis erster Oper," Melos 36, nos. 7/8 (July–August 1960): 322–25, quoted in Cindy Bylander, Krzysztof Penderecki: a Bio-Bibliography (Westport: Praeger Publishers, 2004), 252. After seeing a Hamburg production of the opera, another critic even questioned whether Penderecki was truly interested in the piece.Antoine Goléa, "Vu et entendu. De Geneve à Hambourg," Journal de musique francais, nos. 184–85 (September–December 1969): 43–45 quoted in Bio-Bibliography, 141 Tatiana Troyanos, who created the role of Jeanne, later criticized the vocal writing, saying that Penderecki did not really understand how to properly compose for the voice. Positive reviews of the production were mostly on the libretto's intriguing nature.David Cox, "Hamburg," Musical Times 110, no. 520 (October 1969): 1064 quoted in Bio-Bibliography, 115.
The next performance, which was given only two days after its Hamburg world premiere, was held in Stuttgart, Germany. Critics agreed almost unanimously that the Stuttgart production of the opera was far superior to the Hamburg production.Werner Schubert, "Pendereckis 'Teufel von Loudun'. Hamburg, Stuttgart," Musica 23, no. 4 (July/August 1969): 352–55 quoted in Bio-Bibliography, 242. The Stuttgart audience was pleased by the daring stagingPaul Moor, "The Devils Rehabilitated," Financial Times (July 1969): 3 quoted in Bio-Bibliography, 199. and thought it was a thrilling piece of contemporary music.Kurt Honolka, "Stuttgart," Opera 20, no. 9 (1969): 799–800 quoted in Bio-Bibliography, 155. The Stuttgart production of the opera, however, received some negative reviews as well. A critic, who said the presentation was marked by sensation and grandiosity, commented that the music was indescribably boring.K. A., "Moderne Woche der Bayerischen Staatsoper," Oper und Konzert (March 1970): 35–36 quoted in Bio-Bibliography, 89.
Outside of Hamburg and Stuttgart, the opera received positive reviews in other German cities like Berlin, Cologne, Munich, and Mönchengladbach. For example, a slightly revised version of The Devils of Loudun was performed in West Berlin in 1970.James Helme Sutcliffe, "West Berlin," Opera 21, no. 8 (August 1970): 734–36 quoted in Bio-Bibliography, 254. A critic, who saw the performance, wrote that the presentation was "an electrifying unforgettable experience." In 1980, a little more than ten years after the world premiere, The Devils of Loudun received generally cruel reviews in Cologne. A critic admits that the work was convincingly performed but thought the compositional originality was completely lacking.Wilhelm Matejka, "Pendereckis 'Teufel von Loudun' in Köln," Österreichische Musikzeitschrift 35, no. 4 (April 1980): 239–40 quoted in Bio-Bibliography, 195. Another critic, after seeing the Cologne production, even wondered if the opera really deserved to remain in the repertoire.Wolf-Eberhard von Lewinski, "Ein wichtiger Test: Pendereckis Teufel von Loudun in Köln," Opern Welt 21, no. 3 (March 1980): 27–28 quoted in Bio-Bibliography, 185.
In Austria, critics and audience reacted lukewarmly to the premiere of the work in 1971. Some thought the music was tedious and lacked the good measure of the sensational, on which the success of Penderecki's opera depends.Gerhard Brunner, "Graz: Neues beim 'Streischen Herbst'," Opern Welt 21, no. 12 (1971): 39 quoted in Bio-Bibliography, 100. The second performance of the opera in Graz was greeted by a half-empty hall of audience. Another critic in Graz said that the opera only conveys the story line and does not create much dramatic impact until it becomes musically more interesting in the final act.Charles Pitt, "Graz," Opera 22, no. 12 (December 1971): 1075–76 quoted in Bio-Bibliography, 210.
In Penderecki's native country Poland, the first performance, which was held in Warsaw six years after its world premiere in 1969 and considerably less risqué, received generally very negative reviews. Even the composer himself did not think the work was performed successfully. In May 1998, almost thirty years after the world premiere of the opera, a critic commented that the work was artistically successful,Ryszard Daniel Golianek, "Spalic księdza," Ruch muzyczny 42, no. 13 (June 28, 1998): 26 quoted in Bio-Bibliography, 141. but musically was less successful. The same critic, after seeing a performance of the opera in Poznań, also suggested that the work could even be called "anti-opera."
The French premiere of the opera in 1972 was rather disastrous; the performance was greeted with orange peels, turnips, leeks, cat-calls, and foot-stamping.Tony Mayer, "France. Cat-calls for 'The Devil'," Opera 23, no. 5 (May 1972): 408–409 quoted in Bio-Bibliography, 195. Marseille production of the opera, however, was praised for its set design and performers.
The British premiere in 1973, given by the Sadler's Wells Company, was not a great success either; the British critics were mostly unimpressed with the performance. The staging (by John Dexter) and the performers were praised, but the music was criticized for lack of drama and the libretto for its failure to arouse pity in the audience.Elizabeth Forbes, "British Isles. Sadler's Wells (London)," Opera Canada 15, no. 1 (Spring 1974): 26 quoted in Bio-Bibliography, 134. One critic even cruelly wondered whether the company's sparkling performance was worth the effort, given the poor quality of the music.E. Greenfield, "London: A Church Transformed; Schoenberg & Penderecki Reviewed," High Fidelity/Musical America 24, no. 6 (1974): MA38–39 quoted in Bio-Bibliography, 143. However, a different critic thought the piece was a compelling form of musical theatre.Arthur Jacobs, "The Devils of Loudun," Opera 24, no. 12 (December 1973): 1126–29 quoted in Bio-Bibliography, 159.
The Devils of Loudun was performed in other European countries, where the reviews were mixed again. The Italian premiere given in Trieste in 1974 was praised.Gianni Gori, "Triste," Opera 25, no. 5 (May 1974): 436–37 quoted in Bio-Bibliography, 142. In Lisbon, the performance was met with enthusiastic applause in 1976.Richard Crowther, "Portugal. 'The Devils' Bowdlerized," Opera 27, no. 8 (August 1976): 766 quoted in Bio-Bibliography, 115. In 1979, the Swiss premiere of the opera was given in Geneva by the Stuttgart Opera, and the overall impression of the performance was positive; even though a critic said that the libretto and the music failed to maintain the audience's interest, the high quality of staging and the performers made the presentation a positive experience.Michel R. Flechtner, "Geneve: Kristof Penerecki: 'Les diables de Loudun'," Schweizerische Musikzeitung 119, no. 2 (1979): 92–93 quoted in Bio-Bibliography, 133.
The U.S. premiere of The Devils of Loudun, which was given by Santa Fe Opera in 1969, received more negative reviews than positive ones. A critic, who attended the performance, praised its staging but thought its music failed to support the issues or events occurring on stage.Harold Schonberg, "U.S. Debut in Santa Fe: 'The Devils of Loudun'," New York Times, August 16, 1969, p. 30; Opera Journal 2, no. 4 (1969): 32–33 quoted in Bio-Bibliography, 237. Another critic wrote that the music did not have the ability to hold drama for a long period of time.Carl B. Zytowski, "Review," Opera Journal 3, no. 1 (1970): 23–25 quoted in Bio-Bibliography, 278. A different critic even thought that the music was more appropriate for soundtrack than an opera.John Ardoin, "Santa Fé–Five Operas in Four Days," Opera 20, no. 11 (November 1969): 977–78 quoted in Bio-Bibliography, 91. Even with these criticisms, the opera received better reviews in the U.S. than in Europe. Especially, the staging in the U.S. praised over the staging in Europe.Krt Oppens, "Noch einmal: das Martyrium des Urbain Grandier," Operan Welt, no. 10 (1969): 18–19 quoted in Bio-Bibliography, 211.