Frederick Delius
Margot la Rouge
Drame lyrique en 1 acte
Margot la Rossa
DCW 5
RT I/7
DCE 5
Composer: Frederick Delius
Librettist: 'Rosenval' (Berthe Gaston-Danville)
Delius's one-act opera is a tragedy depicting a single night in Paris, with a libretto by 'Rosenval' (the soubriquet of Berthe Gaston-Danville). It concerns the love triangle between Margot, her lover the Artist, and a soldier, Thibault, who knew Margot when they lived in the same village. Delius's work for soprano, baritone, and orchestra
Idyll was based on music from
Margot la Rouge, but the opera itself was never performed in Delius's lifetime.
Composition: Between 1901 and 1902.
Instrumentation:
Orchestra: picc., 2 fl., 2 ob., cor.ingl., 2 cl., 2 fg., 4 cor., 2 tr., 3 trb., tb., timp., cym., arp., str.
Roles:
Le Sergent Thibault (T.); L'Artiste (Bar.); Lapoigne (Bar.); Totor (B.); 1er Soldat (Bar.); 2e Soldat (Bar.); 1er Buveur (Bar.); 2e Buveur (Bar.); 3e Buveur (B.); Un Garçon, limonadier (Bar.); Le Brigadier de Police (B.); Margot (S.); Lili Béguin (S.); Nini (S.); La Patronne (Cont.); le Femme (S.); 2e Femme (S.); 3e Femme (Cont.); Filles, Consommateurs, Agents de police
Sources
Sketches and draft scores
[Classification: notated music, manuscript, autograph]
This source contains various material including sketches, a complete pencil draft short score, and a copy of the libretto translated into Italian in an unidentified hand.
The original of the last page of the draft short score is in British Library MS Mus. 1745/2/13/3, f. 66.
Autograph score
[Classification: notated music, manuscript, autograph, score]
The autograph score, entitled 'Margot la Rossa' is in French with an added Italian translation, probably in Jelka's hand.
Maurice Ravel's vocal score
[Classification: notated music, manuscript, vocal score]
Arranger: Maurice Ravel
Delius Trust, London 1990.
Title page: Margot la Rouge/Drame lyrique en 1 acte/(Piano et chant)/Frederick Delius
Embodiment: #source_29e0b203.
The publication details given refer to a facsimile edition prepared by Robert Threlfall for the Delius Trust.
Lithographed vocal score
Autogr: Lévy-Lulx, Paris 1905.
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Eric Fenby's copy
This copy of the lithograph was presented to Fenby by Delius and presented to the Delius Trust in 1964. Fenby wrote on the front of the volume: Eric Fenby/Grez-sur-Loing 1932.
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British Library copy
This item is inscribed by Delius 'To my friend Philip Heseltine [...] 28/3/1913'. There are a number of corrections, alterations and additions.
GB-Lbl (British Library, London) Music Collections K.7.g.16..
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John Coates' copy
Inscribed 'To John Coates with kindest greetings from Frederick Delius [...] 15th December 1907. Finished April 1902'. Some alterations, but not the most significant ones made in Heseltine's copy.
Collection of Albi Rosenthal (location unknown).
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Granville Bantock's copy
Inscribed by Delius 'To my friend Granville Bantock [...] 1908' and containing most of the alterations appearing in Heseltine's copy.
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Bodleian copy
This copy has no inscription, but contains most of the alterations made to the British Library copy.
Eric Fenby's performing score
[Classification: notated music, manuscript, score]
1979.
This score was commissioned from Fenby by the Delius Trust at a time when the autograph score had not been located. The basis for it was the available material he had transferred to Idyll and the vocal score. This version was used for the 1982 BBC broadcast (see RT.1986, 29).
Collected Edition
[Classification: notated music, print, score]
Editors: Eric Fenby, Robert Threlfall
London 1988.
Performances
| 9 December 1981 |
(singers: Lois McDonall; Kenneth Woollam; Malcolm Donnelly; Ludmilla Andrew). This performance was a BBC recording, subsequently broadcast on BBC Radio 3, 21 February 1982. |
| June 1983 |
Opera Theatre of St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA (conductor: Eric Fenby; singers: Melanie Sonnenberg; James Anderson; Andrew Wentzel; Katherine Henjum). |
| March 1984 |
Camden Festival (Collegiate Theatre), London (Park Lane Opera Group; conductor: Clive Timms; director: Robert Carsen; singers: Anne Mason; Kim Begley; Rodney Macann; Maria Moll). |
Documents
Letters:
| 3 June 1902 |
To Jelka Rosen (LC I, pp. 202-3)
|
| 3 October 1902 |
from Maurice Ravel to Frederick Delius (LC I, pp. 205-7)
|
Last changed 2020-10-26T14:17:00+00:00
