{{Short description|Opera by Carl Nielsen}} {{About|the opera|the novel|Maskerade}} {{Infobox opera| | name = Maskarade | image = Maskarade by Carl Nielsen - world premiere poster 1906.jpg | caption = Poster for the premiere performance | genre_header = Opera | composer = Carl Nielsen | librettist = Vilhelm Andersen | language = Danish | premiere_date = {{Start date|1906|11|11|df=y}} | premiere_location = Royal Danish Theatre, Copenhagen }} '''''Maskarade''''' (''Masquerade'') is an opera in three acts by Carl Nielsen to a Danish libretto by Vilhelm Andersen, based on the comedy by Ludvig Holberg. It was first performed on 11 November 1906 at Royal Danish Theatre, Copenhagen. ''Maskarade'' has enjoyed enduring popularity in Denmark where it is considered to be the country's national opera.
==Background and performance history==
Nielsen first considered writing an opera based on Holberg's play ''Maskarade'' around the turn of the 20th century. He contacted Vilhelm Andersen (1864–1953) whom he knew from his student days, hoping to persuade him to write a libretto. Andersen initially refused but finally agreed, allowing Nielsen to start composing in May 1904. The Royal Theatre scheduled the opera even before it was finished. In fact, Nielsen completed the overture only on 3 November, a week before the opera's premiere.<ref name="Schepelern1987">{{cite book|last=Schepelern|first=Gerhard|title=Opera bogen|year=1987|publisher=Gyldendal A/S|language=Danish|isbn=87-00-19464-6|pages=346–351}}</ref> thumb|upright=0.7|left|Carl Nielsen in 1901 The world premiere of ''Maskarade'' took place at Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen on 11 November 1906. It was a resounding success from the start with an exceptional run of 25 performances over its first four months. Reviews in the press were however mixed, the consensus being that the first act was the best, the second was rather weak and the third lacked theatrical clarity although the music was brilliant.<ref name="Schepelern1987"/> Announcement of plans to turn Holberg's classical comedy into an opera buffa had met with dismay in Danish literary circles, but the opera was immediately popular, more so than the play itself. Now considered to be Denmark's national opera, it has enjoyed lasting success in the country, attributable to its many strophic songs, its dances and its underlying "old Copenhagen" atmosphere. In 2006, Denmark's Ministry of Culture named it one of Denmark's twelve greatest musical works.<ref name="Schepelern1987"/><ref>{{cite book|chapter=Preface|editor1-last=Fjeldsøe |editor1-first=Michael |editor2-last=Foltmann |editor2-first=Niels Bo |editor3-last=Hauge |editor3-first=Peter |editor4-last=Bruunshuus Petersen |editor4-first=Elly |editor5-last=Flensborg Petersen |editor5-first=Kirsten |year=2001 |title=Maskerade (Masquerade)|language=da,en|series=Carl Nielsen Works – Stage Music |volume=1 |publisher=The Carl Nielsen Edition, Royal Danish Library |ismn = 979-0-66134-019-5 |isbn=978-87-598-1047-7 |pages=xi–xxvii |url=http://www.kb.dk/export/sites/kb_dk/da/nb/dcm/cnu/pdf/CNU_I_01_E_maskarade_1.pdf |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141016163339/http://www.kb.dk/export/sites/kb_dk/da/nb/dcm/cnu/pdf/CNU_I_01_E_maskarade_1.pdf |archive-date=16 October 2014 |url-status=dead|access-date=14 June 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Krabbe|first=Niels|year=2007|title=A Survey of the Written Reception of Carl Nielsen, 1931–2006|journal=Notes|series=Second Series|volume=64|number=1|pages=1–13|doi=10.1353/not.2007.0115|s2cid=191315266}}</ref>
The opera did not premiere in the United States until 1972 when it was performed by the St. Paul Opera in Minnesota with conductor Igor Buketoff, Mary Beth Peil as Leonora, and Clinton Ware as Leander.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/06/25/archives/opera-belated-debut-for-maskarade.html|title=Allen Hughes|date=June 25, 1972|newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref> The first reported New York performance was by the Bronx Opera Company in 1983.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/01/16/theater/opera-maskarade-by-carl-nielson.html|title=''Maskarade'', by Carl Nielsen|newspaper=The New York Times|author=John Rockwell|author-link=John Rockwell|date=16 January 1983|access-date=17 October 2023}}</ref> It was performed in the US again in 2014, when it had its Chicago premiere on 18 January at the Vittum Theater performed by the Vox3 Collective.<ref>Johnson, Lawrence A. (24 January 2014). [http://chicagoclassicalreview.com/2014/01/even-with-rough-edges-nielsens-maskarade-is-a-delight-in-belated-chicago-premiere/ "Even with rough edges, Nielsen's ''Maskarade'' is a delight in belated Chicago premiere"]. ''Chicago Classical Review''. Retrieved 14 June 2015.</ref> ''Maskarade'' received a major international revival in 2005 in a new production by David Pountney which was performed at the Bregenz Festival in August of that year and travelled to the Royal Opera House the following month for its first performance by the company.<ref name = "Service">Service, Tom (21 September 2005). [https://www.theguardian.com/music/2005/sep/21/classicalmusicandopera2 "Review: ''Maskarade''"]. ''The Guardian''. Retrieved 14 June 2015.</ref><ref name = "Picard">Picard, Anna (25 September 2005). [https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/maskarade-royal-opera-house-london-314720.html "Review: ''Maskarade'', Royal Opera House, London"]. ''The Independent''.</ref> The opera had been previously performed in the UK at London's Morley College in 1983 and in Leeds by Opera North in 1990.<ref name = "OCDM">Kennedy, Michael and Bourne, Joyce (2004). [https://books.google.com/books?id=y0b0_CQATAIC&pg=PA459 "Maskarade"]. ''The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music'', p. 459. Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|0198608845}}</ref>
Despite its popularity in his home country, Nielsen was not entirely satisfied with the work, citing structural weakness in the final two acts; but he never got around to revising the work. The overture and the ballet from the third act ("Dance of the Cockerels") are performed frequently, as noted by the Carl Nielsen Society, which states that the overture is one of Nielsen's most widely performed works at concerts in Europe and North America.<ref>[http://carlnielsen.dk/pages/performances/denmark-201415.php "Performances"], Carl Nielsen Society. Retrieved 14 June 2015.</ref>
==Roles== {|class="wikitable" |+{{sronly|Roles, voive types, premiere cast}} !Role !Voice type !Premiere cast, 11 November 1906<ref>{{Almanacco|dmy=11-11-1906|match=Maskarade}}</ref><br />Conductor: Carl Nielsen |- |Jeronimus, ''a citizen of Copenhagen'' |bass-baritone |Karl Mantzius |- |Magdelone, '' his wife'' |alto or mezzo-soprano |Jonna Neiiendam |- |Leander, ''their son'' |tenor |Hans Kierulf |- |Henrik, ''Leander's valet'' |bass-baritone |Helge Nissen |- |Arv, ''Jeronimus' servant'' |tenor |Lars Knudsen |- |Leonard, ''a citizen of Slagelse'' |tenor or baritone |Peter Jerndorff |- |Leonora, ''his daughter'' |soprano |Emilie Ulrich |- |Pernille, ''Leonora's maid'' | soprano or mezzo-soprano |Ida Møller/Margrethe Lindrop |- |Mask Vendor |baritone | |- |Doorman at the Playhouse |bass | |- |A Tutor |bass | |- |Night Watchman |bass | |- |Master of the Masquerade |bass |Albert Petersen |- |colspan="3"|Masqueraders, Students, Girls, Officers |- |}
==Synopsis== [[File:Maskarade jyske opera 1954.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|''Maskarade'' at the Jyske Opera in Aarhus (1954)]] :Time: Spring 1723 :Place: Copenhagen The story revolves around Leander and Leonora, two young people who meet fortuitously at a masquerade ball, swear their undying love for each other and exchange rings. The following day, Leander tells his valet Henrik of his newfound love. He becomes distraught when reminded by Henrik that his parents have betrothed him in marriage to Leonora, the daughter of Leonard from remote Slagelse. Things get complicated when Leonard himself, whose daughter Leonora is the other part of this arrangement, comes complaining to Leander's father that Leonora is in love with someone she met at the masquerade the previous night. In the third act, all is resolved when the various parties slip off to the night's masquerade, where all is revealed to everyone's mutual satisfaction.
==Commemorative performances== As part of the celebrations of the 150th anniversary of Carl Nielsen's birth, the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen staged eleven well-received performances of ''Maskarade'' from March to May 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kglteater.dk/whats-on/performances/saeson-2014-2015/opera/maskarade|title=''Maskarade'' by Carl Nielsen|publisher=Det Kongelige Teater|access-date=15 June 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150302192259/http://kglteater.dk/whats-on/performances/saeson-2014-2015/opera/maskarade|archive-date=2 March 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.b.dk/scene/operaklassiker-med-selfies|title=Operaklassiker med selfies|author=Søren Schauser|date=9 April 2015|newspaper=Berlingske|access-date=15 June 2015 |language=da}}</ref> The Royal Danish Opera's schedule for 2015 includes performances of a chamber version of the opera in three other locations in Denmark from mid-July to early September. The ''Maskarade'' overture has been included in the first night of Britain's BBC Proms on 17 July 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wqxr.org/#!/story/world-ready-carl-nielsens-maskarade/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150606084817/http://www.wqxr.org/#!/story/world-ready-carl-nielsens-maskarade/|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 6, 2015|title=Is the World Ready for Carl Nielsen's ''Maskarade''?|publisher=WQXR-FM Operavore|author=Fred Plotkin|date=5 June 2015|access-date=15 June 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/ezpxj5|title=Prom 1: First Night of the Proms|publisher=BBC|access-date=15 June 2015}}</ref>
==Recordings== *Grondahl (conductor), on Danacord, 1954<ref name="e989">{{citation | last1=Nielsen | first1=Carl | last2=Byrding | first2=Holger | last3=Andersen | first3=Vilh | last4=Steffensen | first4=Ingeborg | last5=Holberg | first5=Ludvig | last6=Thygesen | first6=Thyge | last7=Walter | first7=Andrew | last8=Nørby | first8=Einar | last9=Baily | first9=Paul | last10=Jacobsen | first10=Marius | last11=Rafn | first11=Eyvind | last12=Wiedemann | first12=Poul | last13=Olsson | first13=Krister | last14=Guldbæk | first14=Ruth | last15=Buhl | first15=Jesper | last16=Edlers | first16=Ellen Margrethe | last17=Christiansen | first17=Einar | last18=Leicht | first18=Georg | last19=Schultz | first19=Svend S. | last20=Bondo | first20=Niels Juul | last21=Grøndahl | first21=Launy | last22=Andersson | first22=Frans | last23=Møller | first23=Niels | last24=Svendsen | first24=Otte | last25=Wolstad | first25=Odd | last26=Wedel | first26=Mogens | last27=Blanke | first27=Christen | last28=Frey | first28=Inge | last29=Philipsen | first29=Christine | last30=Jensen | first30=Thomas | author31=Danmarks Radios Kor | author32=Danmarks Radios Symfoniorkester | title=Maskarade | publisher=Danacord | publication-place=Copenhagen | year=1995 | oclc=465184648 | language=da | page=}}</ref> *Frandsen (conductor), on Unicorn, 1977<ref name="f649">{{citation | last1=Nielsen | first1=Carl | last2=Andersen | first2=Vilhelm | last3=Hansen | first3=Ib | last4=Landy | first4=Tonny | last5=Brodersen | first5=Edith | last6=Frandsen | first6=John | author7=Radiokoret (København) | author8=Radiosymfoniorkestret (København) | title=Maskarade opera (sung in Danish) | publisher=Unicorn | publication-place=[Holland] | year=1978 | oclc=638159015 | language=und | page=}}</ref> *Schirmer (conductor), on Decca, Recorded 1996, 1998<ref name="b991">{{citation | last1=Nielsen | first1=Carl | last2=Andersen | first2=Vilhelm | last3=Holberg | first3=Ludvig | last4=Schirmer | first4=Ulf | last5=Haugland | first5=Aage | last6=Resmark | first6=Susanne | author7=Danmarks radio Symfoniorkestret | author8=Radiokoret (Danmark) | title=Maskerade comic opera in three acts | publisher=Decca | publication-place=London | year=1998 | oclc=886832209 | language=da | page=}}</ref> *Schirmer (conductor), from Bregenz on Capriccio, 2005<ref name="w606">{{citation | last1=Nielsen | first1=Carl | last2=Andersen | first2=Vilhelm | last3=Brück | first3=Markus | last4=Haveman | first4=Barbara | last5=Kirch | first5=Daniel | last6=Pountney | first6=David | last7=Schirmer | first7=Ulf | author8=Wiener Symphoniker | title=Maskerade komische Oper in drei Aufzügen | publisher=Delta Music | publication-place=Frechen | year=2006 | oclc=633277771 | language=und | page=}}</ref> *Schønwandt (conductor), from Copenhagen on Dacapo, 2006<ref name="x383">{{citation | last1=Nielsen | first1=Carl | last2=Andersen | first2=Vilhelm | last3=Schønwandt | first3=Michael | last4=Milling | first4=Stephen | last5=Reuter | first5=Johan | last6=Riis | first6=Niels Jørgen | last7=Fogh Andersen | first7=Stig | last8=Beck | first8=Dénise | author9=Radiosymfoniorkestret | author10=Radiokoret | title=Maskarade : comic opera in three acts (1906) | publisher=Dacapo Records | publication-place=Copenhagen | year=2015 | oclc=959706781 | language=da | page=}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
==Further reading== * Notes and libretto accompanying {{citation | last1=Nielsen | first1=Carl | last2=Andersen | first2=Vilhelm | last3=Haugland | first3=Aage | last4=Resmark | first4=Susanne | last5=Henning-Jensen | first5=Gert | last6=Skovhus | first6=Bo | last7=Kristensen | first7=Michael | last8=Ravn | first8=Kurt | last9=Bonde-Hansen | first9=Henriette | last10=Rørholm | first10=Marianne | last11=Schirmer | first11=Ulf | last12=Holberg | first12=Ludvig | author13=Danmarks radio | author14=Symfoniorkestret | author15=Radiokoret (Denmark) | title=Maskarade | publisher=Decca | year=1998 | oclc=42520568 | language=da|ref=none}}
==External links== * {{IMSLP|work=Maskarade, FS 39 (Nielsen, Carl)|cname=''Maskarade''}} * [http://carlnielsen.dk/pages/discography/stage-works.php Discography] (Carl Nielsen Society) * [http://carlnielsen.dk/pages/biography/well-known-composer.php Account of the opera's composition] (Carl Nielsen Society)
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Category:Operas by Carl Nielsen Category:Danish-language operas Category:Operas Category:1906 operas Category:Operas based on plays Category:Operas set in Denmark Category:Danish Culture Canon Category:Adaptations of works by Ludvig Holberg