Luceafărul (opera) explained

Luceafărul is a 1921 Romanian-language opera by Nicolae Bretan^[1] based on Mihai Eminescu's long love poem of the same name^[2] with text borrowed from several other poems of Eminescu's.^[3] The piece premiered in Romanian at the Romanian Opera, Cluj, on February 2, 1921;^[4] Bretan's Hungarian translation premiered thirteen days later at the Hungarian Theatre of Cluj.^[4]

Roles

Role	Voice type	Romanian world premiere^[5] Conductor: Jean Bobescu	Hungarian premiere Conductor: 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.^[6]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Magyar Színházművészeti Lexikon: Bretán Miklós; Bretan, Nicolae . 1984 . Magyar Elektronikus Könyvtár . Akadémiai Kiadó és az Országos Színháztörténeti Múzeum . August 11, 2020.
2. Fanfare - 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 ..."
3. Web site: The One-Act Operas of Nicolae Bretan . Wood . Charles E. . 2008 . Texas Tech University . July 16, 2020 . "Beginning with the King’s Daughter’s lines Căci vai, un chip aievea nu eşti... Bretan quotes from another Eminescu poem Din valurile vremii (From Waves of Time)… The text [of the duet] is the first quatrain from another poem by Eminescu, Lasă-Ńi lumea ta uitată (Leave and Forget Your World). … As Bretan composes the last lines of the opera, he chooses to end the opera, to quote from yet another poem by Eminescu: S-a dus amorul.".
4. Gagelmann, 86.
5. Web site: The One-Act Operas of Nicolae Bretan . Wood . Charles E. . 2008 . Texas Tech University . July 16, 2020 . "Original Cast:…".
6. Gagelmann, Hartmut. Nicolae Bretan: His Life—His Music. Translated by Beaumont Glass. Pendragon Press, Hillsdale, NY, 2000. pp 79.