Luceafărul is a 1921 Romanian-language opera by Nicolae Bretan based on Mihai Eminescu's long love poem of the same nameFanfare - Volume 19, Issue 1 - Page 84 1995 "His first opera, Luceafarul (The Evening Star), was written in 1921 for Cluj's Romanian Opera. This was followed by Golem (1924), Eroii de la Rovine (1925), Horia (1937), and Arald (1942), and all but the last work received their premieres in ..." with text borrowed from several other poems of Eminescu's. The piece premiered in Romanian at the Romanian Opera, Cluj, on February 2, 1921;Gagelmann, 86. Bretan's Hungarian translation premiered thirteen days later at the Hungarian Theatre of Cluj.
Roles Role Voice type Romanian world premiereConductor: Jean Bobescu Hungarian premiereConductor: Nicolae Bretan The Evening Star Tenor/Baritone Constantin Pavel Ruvinszky R. The Angel Michael Bass-baritone Balogh Francisc Virág L. King's Daughter Soprano Anastasia Dicescu Lévay I. Lady-in-Waiting Mezzo-soprano Lya Pop Susnek A. Voice of the Mariner Tenor Gistav Borger Martin Bakon S. A Page Tenor Traian Grozavescu Lengyel J. Chorus of stars
Instrumentation The piece is scored for orchestra as follows: 2 flutes, 1 piccolo, 2 oboes, 1 English horn, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 2 trombones, 1 bass tuba 3 timpani, percussion harp strings
Synopsis The opera tells the story of the evening star, who falls in love with a mortal princess. He begs God to send him to earth, despite the protestations of the other angels. The princess ultimately chooses to marry another mortal, leaving the evening star condemned to immortality.Gagelmann, Hartmut. Nicolae Bretan: His Life—His Music. Translated by Beaumont Glass. Pendragon Press, Hillsdale, NY, 2000. pp 79.
References