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The Rape of Lucretia, Op.37 (chamber opera)Year: 1947
Genre: Opera
Pr. Instrument: Voice
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Act 1
- 1.Sc.1: Rome is Now Ruled by the Etruscan Upstart
- 2.Sc.1: It is an Axion Among Kings
- 3.Sc.1: Here the Thirsty Evening Has drunk the Wine of Light
- 4.Sc.1: Who Reaches Heaven First is the Best Philosopher
- 5.Sc.1: Maria was Unmasked at a Masked Ball
- 6.Sc.1: Collatinus is Politically Astute to Choose a Virtuous Wife
- 7.Sc.1: There Goes a Happy Man!
- 8.Sc.1: Tarquinius Does Not Dare
- 9.Sc.1: My Horse! My Horse!
- 10.Sc.2: Their Spinning-Wheel Unwinds
- 11.Sc.2: Listen! I Heard a Knock
- 12.Sc.2: Time Treads Upon the Hands of Women
- 13.Sc.2: The Oatmeal Slippers of Sleep Creep Through the City
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Act 2
- 1.Sc.1: The Prosperity of the Etruscans
- 2.Sc.1: She Sleeps as a Rose Upon the Night
- 3.Sc.1: Within this Frail Crucible of Light
- 4.Sc.1: Lucretia! What Do You Want? You!
- 5.Interlude: Here in this Scene You See Virtue Assailed by Sin
- 6.Sc.2: Oh! What a Lovely Day!
- 7.Sc.2: We'll Leave the Orchids for Lucretia to Arrange
- 8.Sc.2: Flowers Bring to Every Year the Same Perfection
- 9.Sc.2: You Were Right. Tarquinius Took One of the Horses
- 10.Sc.2: Lucretia! Lucretia!
- 11.Sc.2: Last Night Tarquinius Ravished Me
- 12.Sc.2: This Dead Hand Lets Fall All That My Heart Held When Full
- 13.Epilogue: Is it All?
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The Rape of Lucretia is a two-act chamber opera by British composer Benjamin Britten. The opera is scored for 13 players who often double on instruments. There are also eight solo roles and two choruses, one male and one female. The setting is ancient Rome in 500 B.C., which is ruled by an Etruscan despot. The choruses stand to the side of the stage and comment on the action in the manner of the chorus of classical tragedy. They frame the drama with a Christian perspective noting the sadness of virtue assailed, and they promise consolation, salvation, and eternal life. The music successfully polarizes the two idioms, the impersonal yet sympathetic chorus and the highly personal story of Lucretia, the protagonist and heroine. Descriptive orchestral music captures the ambiance of the moment, creating a context for each action. The chorus and orchestra describe the origins of Prince Tarquinius' lust and his trip to Rome; the sound of horses' hooves, the hot night air, the cries of her name, and the ominous humming sound of Lucia's spinning all foreshadow the actual rape. The heart of the drama is Lucretia's arioso and suicide, followed by a grand funeral passacaglia and choral commentary. The rather stylized libretto was written by Ronald Duncan, who based his text on the play Le viol de Lucrece by Andre Obey and the poem by William Shakespeare. The opera premiered at Glyndebourne in Mr. And Mrs. John Christie's Opera House in Sussex on July 12, 1946.
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