Die Verlobung im Kloster

Staatsoper Unter den Linden (Berlin State Opera), Berlin, Germany

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7 PM

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Important Info

Type: Opera

City: Berlin, Germany

Starts at: 19:00

Acts: 4

Intervals: 1

Duration: 3h 20min

Sung in: Russian

Titles in: German,English

Ticket delivery: E-Tickets

E-tickets: Print at home or at the box office of the event if so specified. You will find more information in your booking confirmation email.

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If you order 2 or 3 tickets: your seats will be next to each other.
If you order 4 or more tickets: your seats will be next to each other, or, if this is not possible, we will provide a combination of groups of seats (at least in pairs, for example 2+2 or 2+3).

Overview

“It’s like champagne! From this, I could make an opera in the style of Mozart or Rossini!” When Sergei Prokofiev became acquainted with the subject of a comedy of errors from the late 18th century in the spring of 1940, he was immediately inspired to turn it into a stage work: “The fine humour, enchanting lyricism, incisive characterisation of the figures, the dynamics of the plot, the suspenseful structure, in which the audience waits for every twist and turn with interest and impatience”, were what attracted him to it.

His concise, witty and charming music testifies to the inspiration he received from this material. Several couples who, after many confusions and entanglements, finally find each other, and deceptive manipulators, who get caught in their own nooses, offer much comedic potential which Prokofiev fully exploits – in the form of an opera full of lyricism and theatricality.

Sergei Prokofiev was repeatedly drawn to musical theatre, both opera and ballet. Comedic material, however, was rarely at his disposal – his "lyrical comic opera" with the buffoonish title "Betrothal in a Monastery" was essentially his only work in this genre.

On the basis of a late eighteenth-century play by the Irish writer Richard Sheridan, in 1940 Prokofiev wrote his own libretto with a score that played in virtuoso style with traditional musical forms and new sounds – it was witty and its characters where precisely drawn. Set in Seville, Prokofiev’s spirited work refers to Mozart and Rossini, with deliberate connections to "Le nozze di Figaro" and "Il barbiere di Siviglia". Prokofiev created a highly original piece filled with liveliness and theatrics. Some of its intrigues succeed, while others miss the mark. There are unexpected twists, bizarre situations, and humorous disguises and mix-ups. The characters seem to have been drawn from an opera buffa. Along with the opera’s comedy, its lyrical element also comes to the fore in heartfelt arias and duets in which the characters express their emotions. With tremendous sophistication, Prokofiev incorporated all of these elements into his work, which was first performed after the end of the Second World War at the Kirov Theatre in Leningrad in autumn 1946.

In 1958, "Betrothal in a Monastery" was performed at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden – and now, many years later, it can be encountered there once again.

History

Premiere of this production: 03 November 1946, Kirov Theatre, Saint Petersburg

Betrothal in a Monastery, Op. 86 is an opera by Sergei Prokofiev, his sixth with an opus number. The libretto, in Russian, was by the composer and Mira Mendelson (his companion in later life), after Richard Brinsley Sheridan's ballad opera libretto for Thomas Linley the younger's The Duenna.

Synopsis

The story of the opera “Betrothal in a Monastery” as told in the libretto.
The action takes place in 18th century Seville.

FIRST ACT

A square in front of the house of Don Jerome. Mendoza, a fish merchant, promises Don Jerome, a venerable nobleman, huge profits in joint trade. The deal will be sealed with the betrothal of Mendoza to Don Jerome’s daughter, Luisa. Don Jerome effusively describes the beauty of his daughter. Meanwhile, Mendoza is no less eloquent about the merits of the various fish presented by his servants.
Don Jerome’s son, Ferdinand, dreams of the beautiful and wayward Clara d’Almanza, and is already jealous of every man he encounters.
At dusk, Antonio finds himself outside Don Jerome’s house. He is in love with Don Jerome’s daughter Luisa and sings a serenade at her window. Both declare their love for each other, but the lovers’ interlude is interrupted by the voice of the angry father. The distressed Don Jerome, fed up with taking care of a daughter of marrying age, decides the marriage of Luisa and Mendoza will happen immediately. The lights in the streets go out. Seville plunges into sleep.

SECOND ACT

Luisa dreams of a happy life with Antonio. Mendoza, chosen by her father as her betrothed, disgusts her, but the obstinate Don Jerome has vowed not to let his daughter out of the house until she does as he says. In vain, Ferdinand tries to defend his sister, but Don Jerome is difficult to convince. Duenna, Luisa's nanny, comes to her rescue. Having conspired with her ward, she tries to deliver in secret a letter from Antonio. Don Jerome intercepts the letter and, in fury, orders the nanny to leave the house. This was exactly the women’s plan: disguised in Duenna’s clothes, Luisa leaves, eluding her father.
Lively trade takes place at the marketplace of Seville. Mendoza is content; things are going his way. Mendoza’s friend Don Carlos does not share his friend’s unwavering enthusiasm. He dreams of affairs worthy of a real knight.
Having escaped from home, Luisa meets her friend Clara d’Almanza, who has also run away, freeing herself from her evil stepmother. They develop a plan for further action: Luisa will take Clara’s name. Clara, not believing the sincerity of Ferdinand’s feelings, is angry with her lover and hopes to find shelter in St. Catherine’s monastery. Meanwhile Luisa, calling herself Clara, asks Mendoza, passing by, to help find Antonio. A fair maid’s plea pleases Mendoza. He believes that this way he will be able to divert Antonio’s attention away from his future bride, Luisa. He sends the faux Clara, accompanied by Don Carlos, to his home and promises to find Antonio.
With trepidation, Mendoza awaits meeting his future bride. But for some reason, Luisa is capricious and does not want to meet the groom in the presence of her father, so Don Jerome is forced to leave. Duenna enters, disguised as Luisa. Mendoza, stammering with excitement, asks the beautiful woman to throw back the veil and … turns speechless: the bride is too old and scary! Immediately, the cunning Duenna takes the lead. She praises Mendoza’s beard, his courageous look. Her flattery charms the groom, and he is ready to ask for the blessing of Don Jerome. But Duenna keeps on with her convoluted intrigues: Mendoza must abduct her from her parents' house. He consents to everything. The rendezvous is over, and the unsuspecting Don Jerome congratulates Mendoza on his victory.

THIRD ACT

At Mendoza’s house, Luisa, whom Mendoza believes is Clara, waits for the arrival of Antonio. As was agreed, Mendoza brings him in. Antonio wonders why Clara, the beloved of his friend Ferdinand, seeks a meeting with him. Mendoza pushes Antonio into another room where Luisa is waiting for him. The lovers can’t hold back their joy. The deceived Mendoza is pleased, too, assuming that he has gotten rid of his rival. Joyfully he tells of his bride and the upcoming abduction. Luisa and Antonio wickedly agree.
Don Jerome revels in playing music, performing a minuet with his fellow musicians. But it does not go well. Don Jerome can’t comprehend why his daughter secretly fled with a man who was promised to her. Don Carlos brings a letter from Mendoza asking him to forgive and bless him. A message with a similar request arrives from Luisa. Don Jerome is puzzled by the eccentricity of his daughter – why two separate letters? – but blesses both, calling for a ceremonial dinner in honor of the couple.
Clara is on a lonely stroll around the old, abandoned convent garden: is she meant to stay forever here, among the nuns? The enraged Ferdinand runs in. Mendoza has told him about the “affair” between Antonio and Clara, so he has decided to find Antonio and take revenge. Blind with the thought of vengeance, Ferdinand does not recognize Clara who is in front of him dressed as a nun. From afar, he sees Antonio holding a girl’s hand and, assuming her to be Clara, rushes after them. Ferdinand's jealousy has made Clara finally believe the sincerity of his feelings, and she follows him, wanting to unite her fate with her beloved’s.

FOURTH ACT

Life at the monastery passes in drunken rampage, but at the sudden appearance of Antonio and Mendoza, the monks revert to singing pious psalms. The men have come to ask to be wed to their lovers. They drop a wallet full of money, the sound of which has a magical effect: the abbot agrees to hold a wedding ceremony. Luisa arrives in panic, followed by Ferdinand. Not recognizing his sister, Ferdinand rushes towards Antonio and accuses him of a dishonest liaison with Clara. The duel ends when Ferdinand sees Clara in the doorway. He is confused. The abbot blesses all three couples.
Guests arrive at the festively lit house of Don Jerome. But the owner pays little attention to them: Luisa and Mendoza have not arrived yet, and Ferdinand has disappeared somewhere. But then a happy Mendoza arrives. His wife jumps up to embrace “daddy” and, to his horror, Don Jerome recognizes Duenna. Luisa and Antonio appear and present the marriage permission signed by Don Jerome. Before Don Jerome can recover from the shock, Ferdinand and the nun fall on their knees in front of him. Don Jerome is completely confused, but then recognizes his son’s girlfriend as Clara d’Almanza. She is one of the richest girls in Seville. Having lost money on his daughter's marriage, he can compensate with his son’s. And the fooled Mendoza can be happy with Duenna. All merry and relieved, Don Jerome raises his glass and lets the party begin.

Dmitri Tcherniakov
(translated from Russian)

Act 1

Don Jerome intends his daughter Louisa to marry the vain, wealthy and ugly fish merchant Mendoza. However, she loves instead Antonio, who is poor, though noble in spirit. Furthermore, Don Ferdinand, son of Don Jerome and prone to fits of jealousy, wants to marry Clara d'Almanza, who is a virtual prisoner of her stepmother.

Act 2

Don Jerome locks up Louisa in her room to force her to marry Mendoza. Louisa's nurse (the Duenna) provokes the fury of Don Jerome by pretending to be a messenger between Antonio and Louisa. Jerome dismisses her - but the Duenna exchanges clothes with Louisa who makes her escape in this disguise.

By the quayside - where fisherwomen are praising the quality of the fish caught in Mendoza's boats - Louisa encounters her friend Clara, who has also run away from home and intends to seek sanctuary at the nunnery. Louisa asks to borrow Clara's name for a day - Clara assents. Enter Mendoza and his courtly friend Don Carlos. Mendoza is recognized by Louisa but he has never seen her. She therefore approaches Mendoza claiming to be Clara and asks him to take her under his protection and find Antonio with whom she is in love. Mendoza is attracted by this idea as a means to rid himself of his rival Antonio by marrying him off to 'Clara'. Don Carlos escorts 'Clara' to Mendoza's house.

Mendoza visits the house of Don Jerome to meet 'Louisa' (the Duenna in disguise); whilst 'Louisa' is not as young and beautiful as Mendoza had been led to believe, her dowry is sufficient attraction. they agree to elope that evening.

Act 3

The mystified Antonio arrives at Mendoza's house; while he is offstage meeting 'Clara', Mendoza and don Carlos congratulate themselves on their cunning. Still unwitting, they agree to help the pair get married.

Don Jerome is rehearsing some amateur musicians (A trio of trumpet, clarinet and bass drum). He receives two messages- one from Mendoza saying he has eloped with Louisa, which delights him, and another from the real Louisa who asks for his blessing on her marriage, which he neglects to read carefully. He sends back his consent with both messengers and arranges for a great feast later that evening to celebrate.

At the monastery, Clara meets with Antonio and Luisa and laments her apparent loss of Ferdinand. Enter Ferdinand, who mistaking Clara for a nun exclaims that he is chasing his false friend Antonio who has run off with his beloved Clara. Clara is secretly overjoyed at this demonstration of Ferdinand's passion.

Act 4

The act opens with a drinking song for the monks in the monastery where the marriages are to be performed. The monks then switch to a hymn that extols fasting and abstinence, to a tune that is a slower variant of the earlier drinking song. Enter Mendoza and Antonio who by lavish bribery gain the monks consent to marry them to their loves. Enter Ferdinand who challenges Antonio to a duel, but the genuine Clara arrives and Ferdinand now understands the true situation. The three marriages are agreed.

At Don Jerome's feast, the host is increasingly amazed, exasperated and infuriated as the successive arrival of the newly-weds makes it clear that his plans have gone completely awry. He is slightly compensated by the likely size of Clara's dowry. He sings a drinking song, accompanying himself on a set of tuned glasses.

Venue Info

Staatsoper Unter den Linden (Berlin State Opera) - Berlin
Unter den Linden 7

The Staatsoper Unter den Linden is one of the oldest and largest musical theaters in Germany. Founded in 1742 as the Royal Court Opera (German: Königliche Hofoper) under Frederick II. Located in Berlin, on the main street Unter den Linden.

King Frederick II of Prussia shortly after his accession to the throne commissioned the original building on the site. Construction work began in July 1741 with what was designed by Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff to be the first part of a "Forum Fredericianum" on present-day Bebelplatz. Although not entirely completed, the Court Opera (Hofoper) was inaugurated with a performance of Carl Heinrich Graun's Cesare e Cleopatra on December 7, 1742. This event marked the beginning of the successful, 250-year co-operation between the Staatsoper and the Staatskapelle Berlin, the state orchestra, whose roots trace back to the 16th century.

In 1821, the Berlin Opera—hosted at the Schauspielhaus Berlin—gave the premiere of Weber's Der Freischütz. In 1842, Wilhelm Taubert instituted the tradition of regular symphonic concerts. In the same year, Giacomo Meyerbeer succeeded Gaspare Spontini as General Music Director. Felix Mendelssohn also conducted symphonic concerts for a year.

On August 18, 1843 the Linden Opera was destroyed by fire. The reconstruction of the building was supervised by architect Carl Ferdinand Langhans, and the Königliches Opernhaus (Royal Opera House) was inaugurated the following autumn by a performance of Meyerbeer's Ein Feldlager in Schlesien. In 1849, Otto Nicolai's Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor was premiered at the Royal Opera House, conducted by the composer.

1945: The Lindenoper was once again destroyed on February 3. The concerts were relocated to the Admiralspalast and the Schauspielhaus. On 18 February, Karajan conducted his last symphonic concert with the Staatskapelle in the Beethoven hall.

The second rebuilding took a long time. From 1945, the opera company played in the former Admiralspalast (today's Metropoltheater). From 1949, the company served as the state opera of East Germany. It moved back to its original home after the rebuilding in freely adapted baroque forms was finally completed in 1955. The newly rebuilt opera house was opened, again, with Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. The capacity is now about 1,300. After the Berlin Wall was built in 1961, the Opera was somewhat isolated, but still maintained a comprehensive repertoire that featured the classic and romantic period together with contemporary ballet and operas.

After reunification, the Linden Opera rejoined the operatic world. Important works that had already performed in the past were rediscovered and discussed anew within the framework of a "Berlin Dramaturgy". Baroque Opera in particular was at the center of attention, with Graun's Cleopatra e Cesare, Keiser's Croesus, Florian Leopold Gassmann's L'opera seria and Scarlatti's Griselda. These works were performed by Belgian conductor René Jacobs together with the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin and the Freiburger Barockorchester on period instruments. In the 1990s, the opera was officially renamed Staatsoper Unter den Linden.

In 1992, the Argentine-Israeli conductor Daniel Barenboim was appointed Music Director. In 2000, the orchestra (according to its official website) elected Barenboim "conductor for life." During the 2002 Festtage, he led a Wagner cycle in ten parts, a production created in collaboration with director Harry Kupfer.

Since 2009, the Berlin State Opera has been undergoing considerable renovation work led by German architect HG Merz. The roof of the opera building was raised and the proscenium prolonged to improve the acoustics. Other renovation and extension works include the director's building, the below-ground connection building and the depot building. The latter will house the new rehearsal center.

The house was reopened in 2017 with premieres of Humperdinck's Hänsel und Gretel and Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea on one weekend.