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Long Beach Opera Presents Martinů's Tears of the Knife

Feb. 28, 2012

Long Beach Opera Presents Martinů's <em>Tears of the Knife</em>

One of the 20th century’s most significant Czech composers, Bohuslav Martinů wrote with a versatile, individual voice, and created works in all genres ranging from chamber music and orchestra to works for the opera stage. On March 11, the Long Beach Opera mounts Martinů’s one act chamber opera Tears of the Knife (“Les Larmes de couteau”) which features a librettro penned by surrealist writer Georges Ribemont-Dessaignes. The Long Beach Opera production utilizes an English translation and features stage direction and choreography by Ken Roht and music direction by Long Beach Artistic Director Andreas Mitisek.

Written in 1928 while Martinů was living in Paris, the opera serves as evidence of the powerful influence jazz exerted upon European music with abundant use of the distinctive rhythms, harmonies, and instruments of popular and dance music of that time. The satirical story focuses on intense themes of love, promiscuity and rivalry between mothers and daughters. Although written during a period when time-honored traditions were openly challenged, the story shocked not only conservative voices but some avant-garde advocates who may have been powerful enough to cancel the scheduled premiere at the 1928 International Society for Contemporary Music Festival in Baden-Baden. Tears of the Knife finally premiered on October 22, 1969 in Brno at the Staatstheater directed by Luboš Ogoun and conducted by Václav Nosek.

For more information about Bohuslav Martinů, visit www.schott-music.com and www.universaledition.com.

For more information about the Long Beach Opera production, go to www.longbeachopera.org.

Bohuslav Martinů
"Les Larmes de couteau" (Tears of the Knife) (1928)
chamber opera in one act
libretto by Georges Ribemont-Dessaignes
soprano, mezzo-soprano, baritone
0.1.1.asax.1-0.2.2.0-perc-bnj.pno-2vn.vc (accordion behind the stage)
25' 

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