FULL The Dragon of Wantley (Lampe) Teddington 2021 Dawn Rolt, George Priestley, Erin Holmes, John Rolt
Information on the Performance
- Work Title: The Dragon of Wantley
- Composer: Lampe John Frederic
- Libretto: Henry Carey based on a ballad of the same name Libretto Text, Libretto Index
- Venue & Opera Company: The Normansfield Theatre, Teddington, London, UK, Richmond Opera
- Recorded: 2021
- Type: Staged Opera Live
- Singers: Dawn Rolt, George Priestley, Erin Holmes, John Rolt, Fletcher Timothy, Claire Doran
- Conductor: Lindsay Bramley
- Orchestra:
- Stage Director: Louise Bakker
- Costume Designer: Ezra Rose
- Lighting Designer: Simon Pike
Information about the Recording
- Format: Streaming
- Quality Video: 4 Audio:4
- Subtitles: nosubs
- Video Recording from: YouTube FULL VIDEO
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS PERFORMANCE
The Dragon of Wantley is a burlesque opera (original name: “Burlesque Opera”) in three (originally two) acts by John Frederick Lampe (music) with a libretto by Henry Carey based on a ballad of the same name . It premiered on May 16, 1737 at the Little Theater in the Haymarket in London. It is a parody of the Italian opera seria genre . Its great audience success sealed the end of this form of opera offered by George Frideric Handel in London.
SYNOPSIS
First Act
Rural region
Rural residents flee from a dragon, which shortly afterwards crosses the stage (chorus: “Fly, neighbors, fly”).
A hall
Gaffer Gubbins and those present are horrified by the devastation caused by the dragon (Chorus: “Houses and churches, to him are geese and turkies”). His daughter Margery reports that the dragon scared the mayor’s family away from their breakfast and ate everything (Arie Margery: “But to hear the children’s mother”). To end the crisis, you have to kill the dragon. She knows a brave knight who would be able to do this (Arie Margery: “He’s a man every inch, I assure you”). Everyone agrees (chorus: “Let’s go to his dwelling”).
The designated dragon slayer Moore of Moore-Hall is actually more of an antihero , getting drunk with his friends (Arie Moore: “Zeno, Plato, Aristotle, all were lovers of the bottle”) when Gubbins, Mauxalinda, Margery and the others enter and beg him to save her from the dragon (Arie Margery: “Gentle knight! all knights exceed”). Moore immediately falls in love with the beautiful Margery. He promises to kill the dragon and grant her every wish if she spends the following night with him. To the annoyance of Moore’s fiancée Mauxalinda, Margery immediately agrees (Arie Margery: “If that’s all you ask”). Moore sends everyone except Margery out to redeem his reward immediately (Duet Moore/Margery: “Let my dearest be near me”). Margery leads the way. When Moore tries to follow her, Mauxalinda returns and angrily insults him because he promised to marry her at the last Christmas. She even quotes a line from the love duet she overheard. Convicted in this way, Moore has no choice but to renew his oath of loyalty (Arie Moore: “By the beer, as brown as berry”). Both sing a love duet (Duet Moore/Mauxalinda: “Pigs shall not be as fond as we”).
Second Act
A garden
Margery complains about a nightmare in which the dragon put her knight to flight (Arie Margery: “Sure my stays will burst with sobbing”). After a tender greeting, Moore reassures her with a reference to his spiked armor. Then Mauxalinda appears. She has by no means forgotten her rival and threatens to beat her if she continues to try to seduce her fiancé. However, Margery does not allow herself to be intimidated (Duet Mauxalinda/Margery: “Insulting gipsy, your surely tipsy”). Finally, Mauxalinda tries to stab her rival with a hairpin. Margery faints. Moore returns just in time to prevent the worst from happening. He threatens to hand Mauxalinda over to the judge. She then begs so humbly for mercy (Arie Mauxalinda: “O give me not up to the law”) that even Margery is reconciled (Trio Mauxalinda/Moore/Margery: “Oh how easy is a woman”). Gubbins warns of the impending arrival of the dragon, whose roar can already be heard. Moore does not use a sword or other weapons. All he needs is a strong sip from the bottle (“Six quarts of ale, and one of aquae-vitae”) to strengthen his strength. The villagers support him in this (chorus: “Fill a mighty flagon, kill this monstrous dragon”).
Third Act
Rural area near the Dragon’s Cave
Moore is now ready to fight. He demands one last kiss from Margery and then, for safety, sends her up a tree from where she can watch the fight. Still worried about their safety, he calls for the dragon (Arie Moore: “Dragon! Dragon! thus I dare thee”) and hides in a well. The dragon wants to drink from it. But he is bothered by the smell, which reminds him of a disgusting dog. Moore scares him with a shout of “Buh!” (Arie Drache: “Oho, Mr. Moore, you son of a whore”). Then he quickly climbs out of the well and kills the dragon with a kick in the butt while the orchestra plays a “Battle Piece”. The country people shout “Huzza”, and Margery hugs her hero (Duet Moore/Margery: “My sweet honey suckle, my joy and delight”). After a general dance of joy, Gubbins thanks him and promises him his daughter’s hand in marriage. Everyone cheers (chorus: “Sing, sing, and rorio, an oratorio”).
Like the better-known Beggar’s Opera, the opera burlesque The Dragon of Wantley is a satire of Italian opera. Both works transfer the artistic conventions and exaggerated depiction of emotions of opera seria to typically English themes. However, while the Beggar’s Opera , as a “ballad opera”, consists of a sequence of folk songs with spoken dialogues, the Dragon of Wantley is musically a real opera seria with arias , duets , choruses in the fugal style and recitatives . The serious musical style is in extreme contrast to the exaggeratedly banal words of the libretto.