Music composed by Heinrich August Marschner. Libretto by Wilhelm August
Wohlbr¸ck, based on Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott.
First Performance: 22 December 1829, Stadttheater,
Leipzig.
| Principal Characters: | |
| Maurice de Bracy, Norman knight | Tenor |
| Brian de BoisñGuilbert, Norman knight | Baritone |
| Rowena of Hargottstandstede, ward of Cedric of Rotherwood | Soprano |
| Cedric of Rotherwood, Saxon knight | Bass |
| Wamba, a fool in Cedricís service | Tenor |
| Friar Tuck, the Hermit of Copmanhurst | Bass |
| The Black Knight (King Richard I ëthe Lionheartí) | Bass |
| Rebecca, daughter of Isaac of York | Soprano |
| Wilfred of Ivanhoe, son of Cedric | Tenor |
| Locksley, captain of a band of outlaws | Baritone |
| Lucas de Beaumanoir, Grand Master of the Knights Templars | Bass |
Synopsis:
Act I
Scene 1: A wild, romantic glen in the forest De Bracy and his Norman
knights emerge from cover to ambush Bois-Guilbertís party of Templars, but
shortly after the fight starts Bois-Guilbert calls a halt to it. Each leader
confesses that he intends to win a particular woman. Bois-Guilbert names the
lovely Jewess Rebecca and De Bracy, relieved that Bois-Guilbert has no
interest in Cedricís ward, agrees to help the Templar capture her. As they
leave, Cedric and Rowena enter with Saxon knights. Cedric curses the
tournament at Ashby from which he has just come because his disinherited son
Ivanhoe was the victor there; Rowena, who is in love with Ivanhoe, chides him
for his harshness. Cedric hates the idea of Ivanhoe marrying Rowena, but
Wamba urges him in the lied ëíS wird besser gehíní, nevertheless, to
leave the lovers alone. Oswald rushes in to report that Isaac, Rebecca and
Ivanhoe have been captured; the Saxons march off to avenge the wrong, singing
their battle song ëWer Kraft und Muth in freier Brustí.
Scene 2: Inside Friar Tuckís hut in the forest Tuck serves wine to a
mysterious guest, known as the Black Knight, while singing the drinking song,
ëDer barf¸ssler Mˆnch seine Zelle verliess, Ora pro nobis!í. A band of
outlaws wanders in to listen. Their leader, Locksley, recognizes the Black
Knight and asks if he will help rescue an unidentified Englishman and his
niece. The Black Knight readily agrees.
Scene 3: An apartment in a castle turret Locked inside the turret, Rebecca
prays. Bois-Guilbert enters and claims her as his property because he won her
in battle, but she wrenches herself free when Saxon soldiers attack the
castle. Bois-Guilbert rushes off to join the fight and Rebecca escapes to the
bedside of the wounded Ivanhoe, who convinces her that she must flee. As she
leaves, the Black Knight dashes in to help Ivanhoe escape.
Scene 4: A courtyard inside the castle Frenziedly seeking an escape route,
Rebecca stumbles into Bois-Guilbert, who is staggering from wounds. When she
refuses to elope with him, he carries her off. The fight reaches the stage
and the Saxons win.
Act II
Scene 1. A forest clearing The morning after the battle, Tuck, the Black
Knight and a band of outlaws praise the great outdoors in a rousing Germanic
hunting chorus calculated to relieve some of the tension built up in the
previous act. Having discovered their merrymaking, Ivanhoe enters with the
Black Knight, who reveals himself to be King Richard the Lionheart, back from
the Crusades.
Scene 2. The hall of justice at Templestowe The Templars enter, Beaumanoir
presiding, followed by Bois-Guilbert, the victim of Rebeccaís supposed
powers of witchcraft. Ordered to stand trial by ordeal, Rebecca must name a
champion to face a representative of the Templars. When Bois-Guilbert offers
to fight on her behalf, the knights pick him as their representative. He
sinks to the ground in despair.
Act III
Scene 1. Richardís throne room The king listens as Ivanhoe extends his
praise for Richard to all of England in the stirring patriotic Romanze ëWer
ist der Ritter hochgeehrtí (a piece that became so popular that audiences
would join in at the anthem-like refrain, ëDu stolzes England, freue
dichí, as they do in Iolanthe). Wamba provides a facetious commentary on
their seriousness in his equally famous lied ëEs ist doch gar kˆstlich,
ein Kˆnig zu seiní.
Scene 2. A dungeon in Templestowe In a fervent prayer (preghiera) with
ethereal harp-like accompaniment, ëHerr, aus tiefen Jammersnˆthení,
Rebecca begs for deliverance from an unjust fate. Bois-Guilbert knocks on the
door and offers to undergo the scourging of a dishonoured knight if she will
only love him, but she refuses as guards take her away.
Scene 3. The tournament grounds The Templars march in to join Rebecca, who
stands in chains. Bois-Guilbert begs her to escape with him, but she prefers
the stake. Ivanhoe appears unexpectedly as her champion, and the duel begins.
Initially, Bois-Guilbert seems to be winning, but as he is about to deal
Ivanhoe a crushing blow, he drops dead. The king enters and asserts his
authority over the land as the Templars bear off Bois-Guilbertís body.
[Synopsis Source: A. Dean
Palmer]
Click here for
the complete libretto.
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image_description=The Abduction of Rebecca (1846) by EugËne Delacroix (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)
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product_title=Heinrich August Marschner: Der Templer und die J¸din
product_by=Wilfred of Ivanhoe: Jon Pickering
Rebecca: Wakoh Shimada
Brian de Bois-Guilbert: Richard Malone
Cedric: Eelco von Jordis
Rowena: Lynn Martindale
Lucas: Jan-Hendrik Rootering
Wamba: Richard Panzner
Friar Tuck: Horst Emmanuel
Maurice: Lassi Partanen
Black Knight: Nikolaus Bergmann
Locksley: Ulrich Reuweiler
Anton Marik (cond.)
Live performance: 28 June 1981, B¸hnen der Stadt Bielefeld