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Napoleon.
The name instantly brings to mind a
man of power and enormous strength.
But history will have it that he was a
man, also. His love for Josephine, his
temper and moodiness testify to that.
It is this curious paradox and synthesis
that the opera Napoleon, premiering Feb.
2 at Kimball Recital Hall, explores.
In writing the libretto, Dean Tschetter
and Bill Wallis used qualities of lyric
drama and grand opera with plans for
mulit-media electronic effects in
presenting Napoleon's emotions.
All this grew from their first idea,
what Tschetter termed a "tight Brechtian
production," a small, intimate show
exploring Napoleon as a classical hero.
"When we got the script done we
realized that Napoleon without spectacle
would be like Patton without World War
II. Our first intention was not to write a
multi-media opera but things seemed to
suggest themselves being done that way,"
Tschetter said.
Even the orchestra grew from the
original idea.
"(Composer Robert) Beadell felt a
brass and percussion orchestra was too
limited so we added strings. From there it
was only a step to a full orchestra and
chorus. And then two choruses. . ."
Tschetter said.
As Ts better and Wallis explored the
libretto possiblities, composer Beadell
expressed the paradox in the musical
score. As moods shift onstage, so does the
music, changing from melodic to
dissonant, he said.
The three found visual spectacle to
come from Napoleon's life itself. Much of
the libretto is taken from what Napoleon
said.
The visual spectacle serves to heighten
the emotions projected to the audience,
Tschetter said.
Wallis said their opera is a
psychological study of a great mind under
pressure, with the intent of showing the
audience Napoleon's emotions.
"It's not something an audience will
refax and enjoy. Nor will it exhaust all
there is to see in one viewing. Here, his
whole life is compressed into eight hours
after the Battle of Borodino and those
eight hours into two and one-half hours
of stage time," Wallis said.
The attempt to communicate
Napoleon's complex paradox to the
audience, forced Napoleon to grow into a
Napoleon, the UNL School of Music's winter opera, the
only opera premiere on a university campus this year, came
about as a cooperative effort of the School of Music and
multiple University resources.
Originally a creative dissertation for a Ph.D. in English for
Centennial College Fellow Bill Wallis, the idea expanded into
grand opera co-authored with Dean Tschetter, Designer in
Residence for the School of Music. Robert Beadell, also of the
School of Music, joined with them to compose the score.
Napoleon, first scheduled to be produced during the
Weekend With Music program with one performance
became the winter opera when planners decided the enterprise
would be a better investment with more than one
performance, according to Music School Chairman John
Moran.
The large scope of the production has involved willing
cooperation from every department in the School of Music,
according to Moran.
Moran said the University is an ideal situation for the
premiere of a new opera.
"Any established opera is a large undertaking and expense
for a company. Professional groups can't take the risk of
failure that a premiere involves," Moran said.
"Today, the only place to do a premiere is in a unique
situation such as ours. It takes the resources and staff of our
school along with the encouragement we have received from
the whole University," Moran said.
Among those resources is a rapidly-developing opera
program under the direction of John Zei and Richard Grace.
The program has served as a training ground for members of
the Napoleon cast.
Interest of the University community has helped in research
and funding. The University Research Council granted Beadell
a semester's stipend to write the score and provided funds for
a person to copy manuscripts.
A proposal to the Nebraska Arts Council brought about a
$5,000 grant for videotaping a performance.
STORIES BY
CAROLYN HULL
mammoth undertaking.
"If I were a director looking at the
script for the first time, I'd say the
demands on the singers, the large cast and
technical demands would make it
impossible to do," Twchetter said.
Librettists Tschetter and Wallis and
composer Beadell have had their hands in
the staging of Napoleon also. Tschetter is
directing, Wallis performing and Beadell
advising.
As an actor in the opera, Wallis must
adjust to another framework. "I can't
have two stances at once. While
performing I can't look at the hundred
different things I do as a writer. So, I've
entered the production fully as a
performer, bringing the work to life,"
Wallis said.
Bringing a new opera to life involves
rewriting, as stage scenes don't work as
well as they did on paper.
"It's much different to be on the
conducting side of a premiere with the
composer and librettists around. It means
a lot of late music and rewrites to take in
stride, but in every case they have
improved character development and
timing in the show," conductor Richard
Grace said.
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