Eroii de la Rovine ("The Heroes of Rovine") is a one-act opera composed by Nicolae Bretan.[1] The libretto is by Bretan, based on the poem "Scrisoarea III" (Letter III) by Mihai Eminescu,[2][3] inspired by the Battle of Rovine between Wallachia and the Ottoman Empire.[4] The piece received its world premiere on 24 January 1935 at the Romanian Opera, Cluj,[1][2][5] where it was revived in 1987.[6]
Roles edit
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, 24 January, 1935[7][1] Conductor: Miklós Bródy |
|---|---|---|
| Mircea the Old | tenor | Octav Arbore |
| Mihail, his son | baritone | N. Demetrescu |
| Sultan Baiazid | bass-baritone | Vladimir Siomin |
| Narrator | heldenbaritone | C. Huhulescu |
Instrumentation edit
The opera is scored[1] as follows:
Synopsis edit
Mircea the Old's rule over Moldavia is threatened by the Ottoman sultan Baiazid. Peace negotiations are fruitless: the sultan demands total surrender and Mircea vows to fight to the death. In the next scene, the chorus describes the ensuing battle, Mircea's victory, and the heroism of Mihail, Mircea's son.[1] The opera ends as Mihail writes a letter to his wife, detailing the army's triumph and promising to return home.[1][4]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f Gagelmann, Hartmut. Nicolae Bretan: His Life—His Music. Translated by Beaumont Glass. Pendragon Press, Hillsdale, New York, 2000. pp. 121–123.
- ^ a b Cosma, Viorel. "Nicolae Bretan" (in Romanian). Muzicieni din România. Lexicon, vol. 1, 1989. Reproduced by Uniunea Compozitor și Muzicologilor din România. http://www.ucmr.org.ro/bio-biblio.asp?CodP=2277 Archived 2019-01-31 at the Wayback Machine Accessed July 15, 2020.
- ^ Gagelmann, p. 290.
- ^ a b Rojnoveanu, Angela and Svetlana Badrajan. "Creatia de Opera Compozitorului Nicolae Bretan" (in Romanian). Anuar stiintific: Muzica, teatru, arte plastice, Academia de Muzică, Teatru și Arte Plastice [Academy of Music, Theater and Fine Arts], 2006. Accessed July 16, 2020.
- ^ Eroii de la Rovine, Opera & Oratorio Premieres, Stanford University Libraries. Accessed July 15, 2020.
- ^ Gagelmann, p. 187
- ^ Casaglia, Gherardo (2005). "Eroii de la Rovine, 24 January 1935". L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia (in Italian).
