Dallapiccola: Il prigioniero - Dorati (1975)

Luigi Dallapiccola

Il prigioniero

Maurizio Mazzieri,

Giulia Barrera, Romano Emili

Gabor Carelli, Ray Harrell.

University of Maryland Chorus

National Symphony Orchestra

Antal Dorati

Decca Headline Ed. - Head 10

"La libertà!"

Il prigioniero was composed between 1944 and 1948 and is about the psychological torture of an inmate, perpetrated by the Spanish Inquisition. The mental torture the prisoner experiences — that of false hope — is represented musically by a three-note motive known as "fratello" (brother).

This motive is introduced by the Jailer, and it pervades the music of the entire opera. Of course, the motive, with its reference to friendship or brotherhood, is clearly ironic and delusional. In addition to the three-note "fratello" motive, the music is based on three 12-note rows, each with its own symbol—prayer, hope, and freedom.

It was Dallapiccola's Jewish wife, Laura Luzzatto, who first suggested that he consider the story La torture par l'espérance from Count Philippe Auguste Villiers de l'Isle-Adam's Nouveaux contes cruels (1888). That story is more specifically anti-Semitic and centers on the persecution and torture of a rabbi in Saragoza during the Inquisition.

Dallapiccola, deciding to fashion his own libretto, borrowed material from Charles de Coster's novel La légende d'Ulenspiegel et de Lamme Goedzak (1868) and replaced the central figure of the rabbi with a Flemish freedom fighter. He added two new characters, those of the Jailer and the Mother, and he simplified the Villiers de l'Isle-Adam story to emphasize a more universal theme: resistance to tyranny.

The opera was first staged in Dallapiccola's adopted hometown of Florence in 1950, conducted by the great Hermann Scherchen at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino.

The Story:

the 45-minute opera is set in Spain in the second half of the 16th century. It consists of a prologue and one act, divided into three scenes. Before the first curtain the Mother, who is about to visit her imprisoned son, recounts her nightly dream of a spectral figure who emerges out of the gloom and relentlessly advances toward her. It is Philip II, the opera's main symbol of tyranny. At the end of the dream, the tyrant is transformed into the figure of Death. The first scene is set in the dark dungeons of Saragossa Prison. The Prisoner tells his mother that he has reason for renewed hope: The Jailer has called him "fratello," and because of this he has begun to pray again. The Mother realizes that she will never see her son again. Scene II begins with the prisoner alone. Suddenly the Jailer appears and once again addresses him as "brother." The Jailer tells him that revolution has broken out in Flanders and that Roland, the great bell of Ghent which was ordered silenced by Charles V, will soon ring again to celebrate the end of the Inquisition and of Philip's reign. The Jailer departs and leaves the Prisoner's cell door open. The third scene begins with the prisoner's attempt to find freedom as he makes his way through the dank, labyrinthine passages under the prison. Two monks pass him and fail to notice his presence. At last he feels fresh air on his face, and he finds himself in a garden. It is Spring, and the sky is full of stars. The prisoner rushes toward a cedar tree and embraces it. Slowly a pair of arms returns his embrace: The Prisoner is being held by the Grand Inquisitor. In an instant the Prisoner understands: He has fallen into the most terrible trap of all—hope. As a fire begins to flicker in the background, the Grand Inquisitor leads him toward it. The opera ends with the barely audible question from the Prisoner, "La libertà?"

Adaptation from: John J. Church (Opera World Inc, 2001)

Antal Dorati's recording in Washington DC is a classic which has never been transferred to CD. The recording quality is excellent and the performance is just outstanding and sung by an almost all-Italian cast.

LP Rip

Ape, Covers & Booklet

(Including original libretto in Italian and English translation)