Dvořák: The Spectre's Bride, Op. 69, B 135 (with Score)

Antonín Dvořák:
The Spectre's Bride (Svatebni kosile), Op. 69, B 135 (with Score)
Composed: 26 May - 27 November 1884
Soprano: Maria Tauberova
Tenor: Beno Blachut
Bass: Vladimir Jedenactik
Bass: Jaroslav Veverka
Chorus: Czech Philharmonic Chorus
Orchestra: Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor: Jaroslav Krombholc

00:00 - Introduction
04:37 1. Chorus. "The stroke of midnight."
10:30 2. Soprano Solo. "Where art thou, father dear?"
18:50 3. Solo and Chorus. "The picture on a sudden moves."
20:29 4. Duet. "Ah, dearest child."
25:02 5. Solo and Chorus. "Nature was clad in gloom of night."
26:15 6. Solo and Chorus. "And on he went with rapid gait."
29:11 7. Duet. "Fair is the night."
33:59 8. Solo and Chorus. "He grips the book without a pause."
35:40 9. Solo and Chorus. "And out of caverns."
38:53 10. Duet. "Fair is the night."
44:03 11. Solo and Chorus. "The pathway now less rugged grows."
49:13 12. Duet. "Now, when the night."
54:45 13. Solo and Chorus. "There stood a pile."
56:17 14. Recit and Chorus. "See, now, my sweetheart."
1:00:51 15. Solo and Chorus. "He leapt the wall."
1:06:28 16. Solo and Chorus. "And on the door."
1:11:36 17. Solo. "O Virgin Mother."
1:16:46 18. Solo and Chorus. "There crew a cock."

In 1883 Dvořák received a commission from England to write a major vocal-instrumental work which was to be performed at the music festival in Birmingham. Dvořák agreed to the commission. He had spoken to his librettist Marie Cervinkova-Riegrova of his intention to write an oratorio based on a theme taken from Czech history. He had, for instance, considered the story of St Wenceslas or Jan Hus but, in the end, he turned to the literary works of K. J. Erben, from whose Bouquet he chose the ballad The Spectre’s Bride. He worked on his composition from April to November 1884 and the cantata was published by Novello the following year.

Erben’s poem, which betrays a marked thematic similarity with the ballad Lenore by German poet Gottfried August Burger, has a powerful plot with numerous dramatic situations which offer all kinds of opportunities for a highly contrastive musical depiction of the individual scenes and characters. Dvořák makes use of this, employing his inexhaustible source of imagery without losing sight of the requirement for overall structural unity and conciseness. He found great inspiration in the stirring rhythms of Erben’s verse, whose impact he was able to reinforce through his music. The work retains its homogeneity throughout thanks to the motif of descending fifths which winds its way through the individual sections. Dvořák’s musical setting demonstrates a clear understanding of the text and a flawless synthesis of music and verse. The cantata is typical for its dramatic expression, inventive melodies and unusual rhythms, all told, a supreme example of the composer’s creative genius.

The form of the cantata was determined by the nature of the text: the dialogue between the girl and the corpse is sung by solo soprano and tenor; the role of the narrator is entrusted to the solo baritone and mixed choir. The extensive work precisely follows the sequence of scenes as they appear in the ballad: In the opening soprano monologue the girl thinks of her beloved who left to travel abroad. She prays to the Virgin Mary that he return safely and, at the end of the scene, expresses the blasphemous thought that, if he did not return, she would rather die. Then a corpse appears at the parlour window, pretending to be the girl’s beloved, and he invites her to his home. She then sets out with him on a terrible journey through the night landscape, during which the dead man gradually throws away the objects the girl has taken with her: a little cross, a rosary and a prayer book. The couple finally arrive at the place the corpse calls his home – a cemetery. It is only now that the girl realises her mistake and she is saved by uttering a prayer of apology to the Virgin Mary and by the appearance of the first rays of the sun announcing the new day.
(https://www.antonin-dvorak.cz/en/work...)