Hugh the Drover (o Love in the Stocks ) es una ópera en dos actos de Ralph Vaughan Williams con libreto original en inglésde Harold Child. La obra tiene números ambientados con recitativos . Ha sido descrita como un ejemplo moderno de ópera balada . [1] El comentario contemporáneo destacó el uso del humor y el papel del coro en la obra, en el contexto del desarrollo de la ópera inglesa. [2]
Según Michael Kennedy, el compositor se inspiró por primera vez para la ópera en esta pregunta a Bruce Richmond, editor de The Times Literary Suplement , alrededor de 1909-1910: [3]
Vaughan Williams trabajó en la ópera durante varios años, antes y después de la Primera Guerra Mundial . La obra no se estrenó por primera vez hasta el 4 de julio de 1924 en el Royal College of Music de Londres, en actuaciones descritas como "ensayos generales privados". El "estreno profesional" fue en el His Majesty's Theatre de Londres el 14 de julio de 1924. La primera representación de la ópera en Estados Unidos tuvo lugar el 21 de febrero de 1928 bajo los auspicios de la Ópera Nacional de Washington , una compañía semiprofesional no relacionada con su tocayo actual . Tudor Davies creó el papel de Hugh en ambas producciones.
La ópera fue representada por la Canadian Opera Company profesional en Toronto en noviembre de 1929, en el Royal Alexandra Theatre de Toronto, con una transmisión de radio en vivo desde el Royal York Hotel el 13 de noviembre de 1929. En la transmisión, el locutor de hockey Foster Hewitt proporcionó la narrativa de la secuencia de pelea. Estas actuaciones en Toronto fueron dirigidas por Sir Ernest MacMillan, director musical de la Orquesta Sinfónica de Toronto de 1931 a 1955, y contaron con el tenor estadounidense Allan Jones en el papel principal de Hugh. Jones pronto se convertiría en una estrella de Hollywood. [4] Vaughan Williams continuó revisando el libreto y la ópera durante el resto de su vida. La versión final se realizó en 1956 y se publicó en 1959.
The outskirts of the town
A fair is taking place; the people of the town have turned out; vendors hawk their wares. A showman presents an effigy of Napoleon Bonaparte and rouses the crowd to a fever-pitch of patriotic zeal.
Mary, the daughter of the local constable, appears with her aunt. Her father wants to marry her to John the butcher, a crass, overbearing man whom she does not love. When John roughly takes Mary’s arm to walk through the fairgrounds with her, she resists. He threatens her in turn, but when a troop of morris men passes through, the crowd follows along and John is pulled along with them, leaving Mary alone with her aunt.
As Mary sings of her dreams of freedom, a young man appears and tells her of his life on the open road. He is Hugh the Drover, a driver of animals, who makes his living by providing horses for the army. Mary is fascinated by his words, and Hugh tells her that he was fated to love her. The two declare their love for each other and embrace.
The crowd returns and the showman organises a prizefight, inviting all the men to challenge John the butcher. Hugh agrees to box, but only if the prize is Mary herself. He beats John in the match, only to have John spitefully accuse him of being a French spy. The crowd turns against Hugh and he is led off to the stocks.
The town square, early morning
A troop of soldiers has been sent for to take Hugh into custody. Meanwhile, he remains a prisoner in the stocks.
Mary stealthily comes to rescue him, having stolen the key to the stocks from her father. She frees him, but before they can escape, they hear John and his comrades approaching. Each refuses to leave without the other, and they both get into the stocks (which are large enough to hold two), draping Hugh's cloak over their bodies. When they are exposed, Mary's father disowns her and John refuses to marry her.
The soldiers arrive, and their sergeant recognises Hugh as an old friend who once saved his life. Instead of arresting him, they acclaim him as a loyal Briton – but take John the butcher for a soldier and march off with him.
Hugh and Mary reaffirm their love. Hugh asks Mary to join him, and she at first is hesitant, as is Aunt Jane to lose her. However, Mary finally says 'yes', and she and Hugh bid the town farewell to begin their life together.
Notas