Daphne, Op. 82, is an opera in one act by Richard Strauss, subtitled "Bucolic Tragedy in One Act". The German libretto was by Joseph Gregor. The opera is based loosely on the mythological figure Daphne from Ovid's Metamorphoses and includes elements taken from The Bacchae by Euripides.
Performance history
The first performance of the opera took place at the Semperoper in Dresden on 15 October 1938. It was originally intended as a double bill with Strauss' Friedenstag, but as the scale of Daphne grew, that idea was abandoned. The conductor of the first performance was Karl Böhm, to whom the opera was dedicated. The United States premiere of the opera was performed on October 10, 1960 in a concert version at Town Hall in Manhattan with Gloria Davy in the title role, Florence Kopleff as Gaea, Robert Nagy as Leukippos, Jon Crain as Apollo, Lawrence Davidson as Peneios, and The Little Orchestra Society under conductor Thomas Scherman.
Roles RoleVoice typePremiere cast, 15 October 1938(Conductor: Karl Böhm)Peneios, a fishermanbassSven NilssonGaea, his wifecontraltoHelene JungDaphne, their daughtersopranoMargarete TeschemacherLeukippos, a shepherdtenorApollotenorTorsten RalfFour shepherdsbaritone, tenor, bassesArno Schellenberg, Heinrich Tessmer, Hans Löbel, Erich HändelTwo maidssopranosAngela Kolniak, Marta Rohs
Synopsis The chaste girl Daphne sings a hymn of praise to nature. She loves the sunlight as trees and flowers do, but she has no interest in human romance. She cannot return the love of her childhood friend Leukippos, and she refuses to put on the ceremonial clothes for the coming festival of Dionysos, leaving Leukippos with the dress she has rejected.
Daphne's father Peneios tells his friends he is certain that the gods will soon return among men. He advises preparing a feast to welcome Apollo. Just then a mysterious herdsman appears. Peneios sends for Daphne to care for the visitor.
The strange herdsman tells Daphne that he has watched her from his chariot, and repeats to her phrases from the hymn to nature she sang earlier. He promises her that she need never be parted from the sun, and she accepts his embrace. But when he begins to speak of love she becomes fearful and runs out.
At the festival of Dionysos, Leukippos is among the women wearing Daphne's dress, and he invites her to dance. Believing him to be a woman she agrees, but the strange herdsman stops the dance with a thunderclap and says she has been deceived. Daphne answers that both Leukippos and the stranger are in disguise, and the stranger reveals himself as the sun-god Apollo. Daphne refuses both her suitors, and Apollo pierces Leukippos with an arrow.
Daphne mourns with the dying Leukippos. Apollo is filled with regret. He asks Zeus to give Daphne new life in the form of one of the trees she loves. Daphne is transformed, and she rejoices in her union with nature. This transformation scene, the metamorphosis, is opulently silvery in the string section.
Recordings YearCast:Daphne,Leukippos,Apollo,Paneios,GaeaConductor,Opera House and OrchestraLabelRecordings of Daphne on operadis-opera-discography.org.uk1944 Maria Reining,Anton Dermota,Karl Friedrich,Herbert Alsen,Melanie Frutschnigg Karl Böhm,Wiener Staatsoper (Vienna) Wiener Staatsoperchor and Wiener Philharmoniker, live CD: Walhall Eternity SeriessCat: WLCD 01471948 Rose Bampton,Anton Dermota,Set Svanholm,Ludwig Weber,Lydia Kindermann Erich Kleiber,Teatro Colón (Buenos Aires) Orchestra and Chorus, live CD: Preiser RecordsCat: 90371 1950 Anneliese Kupper,Hans Hopf,Georg Hann,Lorenz Fehenberger,Res Fischer Eugen Jochum,Bavarian State Orchestra and chorus CD: Preiser RecordsCat: 904871964 Hilde Güden,Fritz Wunderlich,James King,Paul SchöfflerVera Little Karl Böhm,Vienna Symphony and Vienna State Opera chorus CD (with cuts): Deutsche GrammophonCat: 445 322-21982 Lucia Popp,Peter Schreier,Reiner Goldberg,Kurt Moll,Ortrun Wenkel Bernard Haitink,Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra CD (First uncut complete recording): EMI ClassicsCat: CDS 7 49309-2 Kenneth Birkin, Review of Haitink recording of Richard Strauss: Daphne. Tempo (New Ser.), 150, pp. 50-51 (September 1984).2005Renée Fleming,Michael Schade,Johan Botha,Kwangchul Youn,Anna Larsson Semyon Bychkov,WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne(Recorded at the Kölner Philharmonie, 28 February - 12 March 2005) CD: DeccaCat: 475 69262005 June Anderson,Robert Sacca,Scott Mac Allister,,Birgit RemmertStefan Anton Reck,Teatro La Fenice orchestra and chorus(Audio and video recordings made at performances in the Teatro La Fenice, June) CD: DynamicCat: 499/1Video DVD: DynamicCat.33499
References Notes
Sources Kennedy, Michael, in Holden, Amanda (ed.) (2001), The New Penguin Opera Guide, New York: Penguin Putnam.
External links BBC Opera guide: Daphne. Daphne, roles, synopsis, German libretto (opera-guide.ch)