Jōruri (opera)

Jōruri is an opera by Minoru Miki to a Japanese-language libretto by the composer and was adapted from an original story and libretto by Colin Graham.[1][2] It is the last of a trilogy of operas, following Shunkinshō (1975) and An Actor's Revenge (1979).[3] Jōruri was created in 1985.

Jōruri
Opera by Minoru Miki
LibrettistColin Graham
Based onpuppet theater
by Monzaemon Chikamatsu
Premiere
30 May 1985 (1985-05-30)
St. Louis

Background

The term jōruri refers to a musical narrative developed in Japan in the 15th century.[4] Over the years, it acquired several forms.[5] By 17th century, puppeteers were added to the performance and the narrator became known as ningyō jōruri.[4]

Miki's opera

Following the success of the American tour of the opera, An Actor's Revenge, the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis commissioned Miki to create Jōruri.[3][6] The proposal for this opera was presented in London where An Actor's Revenge was being staged.[3] It was agreed that, for this third opera in the trilogy, Miki would collaborate with Graham.[3]

Jōruri, which includes Kabuki elements, was inspired by Monzaemon Chikamatsu's puppet theater.[1] According to Graham, while it is not an adaptation of his puppet plays, it embodies some of his themes.[7] The original play was also composed for music and modern theater, particularly for an intimate theatrical setting.[8]

When it was staged in St. Louis, the cast included Faith Esham, John Brandstetter, Andrew Wentzel, and Mallory Walker.[1] Joseph Rescigno was the conductor.[1] Although the instrumental section included the Japanese musical instruments shakuhachi, twenty-string koto, and futo-zao shamisen, the score was arranged in such a way that it could also be staged using Western instruments.[7] A New York Times review during its world premiere noted how the opera paid court to both European and Japanese cultures, travelling "wide artistic distances in its attempt to reconcile two very different ways of hearing and seeing".[9]

Story

The setting is 17th century Osaka, Japan.[2] The story is a tale about loyalty and the pull of human emotions. It transpires in and around the house of Shojo, a celebrated puppet theater narrator and follows Yosuke, a young puppet master.[1] Shojo, who is also a master of jōruri music has a devoted young wife, Otane, whom she saved from a magistrate.[10] He was blinded as a punishment for intervening in her behalf.[8] However, Otane has feelings for Yosuke, which is revealed during a quarrel in the opening scene. Shojo discovers that the young puppeteer is also in love with her when he traces the features of a bust that Yosuke carved for their new jōruri play.[10] It is an exact likeness of Otane.

The story ends in tragedy. Yosuke and Otane commit suicide as the parallels between real-life and the new play written by Shojo prove too painful for the pair.[8] They disappear into a waterfall.

Roles

The characters of Jōruri are: Yosuke, a young puppet master; Shojo, a puppet theater leader; Otane, his young wife; and, a number of visitors that are to be played by the same tenor.[2] In its world premiere at St. Louis, the roles were performed[2] by the following:

Japanese English Voice type Premiere cast, 30 May 1985
Conductor: Joseph Rescigno
おたね Otane soprano Faith Esham
陽介 Yosuke baritone John Brandstetter
少女 Shojo bass Andrew Wentzel
歌舞伎 Kabuki roles tenor Mallory Walker

References
  1. Griffel, Margaret Ross (2013). Operas in English: A Dictionary (Revised ed.). Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. p. 249. ISBN 978-0-8108-8272-0.
  2. "Minoru Miki Opera". www.m-miki.com. Retrieved 2021-03-31.
  3. Galliano, Luciana (2002). Yogaku: Japanese Music in the 20th Century. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. p. 286. ISBN 978-0-8108-4325-7.
  4. Sturman, Janet (2019). The SAGE International Encyclopedia of Music and Culture. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications. p. 1228. ISBN 978-1-4833-1775-5.
  5. Hughes, David W. (2017). The Ashgate Research Companion to Japanese Music. Oxon: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-351-69760-6.
  6. Jamake Highwater (1990-04-02). "Will New Push Old Off Japan's Stages?". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
  7. Miki, Minoru, and John Tedford (1989). "The Role of Traditional Japanese Instruments in Three Recent Operas". Perspectives of New Music, vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 164–174. JSTOR 833407
  8. Andrew Porter (1 July 1985). "Minoru Miki's Joruri libretto by Colin Graham world premiere by the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis". The New Yorker. Retrieved 27 October 2021 – via www.m-miki.com.
  9. Holland, Bernard (1985-06-16). "Opera: Woodlanders, a St. Louis Premiere". The New York Times. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
  10. Kanazawa, Masakata (2002). "Jōruri". Grove Music Online. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.O004605.
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