| The Love Potion had its premiere in 1942. Based on The Romance of Tristan & Iseult published in 1900, it is a retelling of the Tristan legend by historian and medievalist Joseph Bédier. A chamber opera, Martin uses twelve singers as both the soloists and chorus, much in the manner of ancient Greek tragedies. A small ensemble of seven strings and a piano support the mood and action of the drama. Martin fashioned a work in the greatest possible contrast to Richard Wagner’s opera by using older text sources (including two Isoldes), creating an intimate chamber work with a medieval feel.
Tristan and Iseult is a tale made popular during the 12th century through French medieval poetry, inspired by the Celtic legend. It has become an influential romance and tragedy, retold in numerous sources with many variations. The tragic story is of the adulterous love between the Cornish knight Tristan (Tristram) and the Irish princess Iseult (Isolde, Yseult, etc.). The narrative predates and most likely influenced the Arthurian romance of Lancelot and Guinevere, and has had a substantial impact on Western art, the idea of romantic love, and literature since it first appeared. While the details of the story differ from one author to another, the overall plot structure remains much the same.
M.I. Rantala in the Hyde Park Herald said, “Like a fine chocolate or a carefully calibrated watch, the Swiss are known for deliciousness and fine-tuning. Swiss composer brought these traits together in his delectable and sophisticatedly complex cantata Le Vin Herbé … the exciting 1942 work under the English title The Love Potion.”
Frank Martin said, “I truly found myself very late. It was only towards the age of forty-five that I discovered my true language … and I can say that my most personal output begins around the age of fifty. If I had died then, I could never have expressed myself in my true language.”
“In the spring of 1938 I wasn’t working on any major composition, but I busied myself with the saga of Tristan and Isolde, when Robert Blum asked me to write a half-hour piece for twelve solo voices and a few instruments for his Madrigal Choir. I took another look at the novel by Joseph Bédier and realized immediately that I could not find a better story for my purposes. I found that the chapter Le Philtre (The Potion) provided a complete narrative for the half hour commission. The text naturally separated into Solos and Ensembles. The instruments, when not accompanying the singers, are supposed to act like the scenery in a theater piece.”
“The text naturally divided into scenes, which called for a simple musical structure. After I finished, I decided to add two more parts: as the second La Fôret du Morois (The Forest of Morois), where the lovers decide to part, and as the third La Mort (The Death). I felt I needed more time to tell this tale of love and death. It seemed unavoidable that not only love is represented, but also death, bringing relief after all the ecstasy and dread of passion.”
The cast includes Bernard Holcomb as Tristan, Jamie Chamberlin as Isolde, Bernardo Bermudez as King Mark, Alejandra Martinez as Branghien, Kira Dills-DeSurra as Isolde with white hands, Lindsay Patterson as Isolde’s mother, Gibran Mahmud as Kathedin, Scott Ziemann as Duke Hoel, along with Alexandra Martinez-Turano, and Danielle Corell.
Tickets for The Love Potion range from $49 to $150, and can be purchased either by calling the LBO Box Office at 562.470.SING (7464) or by going online to longbeachopera.org. Student Rush tickets for $15 will be available space permitting. For information, please visit www.longbeachopera.org
About Frank Martin (1890-1974)
Martin was a Swiss composer who spent a majority of his life in the Netherlands. He studied composition and piano with Joseph Lauber, as well as mathematics and physics at Geneva University. Active as a teacher and lecturer, he was also a pianist and harpsichordist, and toured widely, performing his own music. Martin evolved a strong personal style that incorporated elements of German music, particularly that of Johann Sebastian Bach, and the expanded harmonies associated with early 20th-century French composers. His major works include Le Vin herbé (1942; The Love Potion), the opera Der Sturm (1956; The Tempest), the oratorio Golgotha (1949), and Requiem (1973). He also produced a large quantity of instrumental music, including orchestral works and chamber music. He wrote two piano concertos, a harpsichord concerto, a violin concerto, a cello concerto, and a concerto for seven wind instruments. Perhaps his best-known work is Petite symphonie concertante (1946).
Synopsis of The Love Potion
Part 1 — The opera begins with Tristan as he retrieves the reluctant Isolde so that she may marry his uncle, King Mark. Isolde’s mother has brewed a love potion meant for King Mark to fall in love with her daughter. Tristan and Isolde mistakenly drink the potion when their maid confuses it for wine and they fall irrevocably in love.
Part 2 — King Mark discovers Tristan and Isolde’s love and declares vengeance. The lovers are able to escape the King and flee to the forest where they are quickly discovered. King Mark spares them from death with the vow that they remain apart and pure.
Part 3 — Following orders, the lovers remain apart and Tristan marries Isolde of the White Hands. Wounded during a battle, Tristan asks his friend Kahedin to bring his first love, Isolde, back to him but his wife is unhappy with his desire and tricks the unlucky lovers.
Long Beach Opera (LBO) is internationally known for its cutting-edge interpretations of unconventional repertoire. LBO creates immediate, inventive, and often boldly avant-garde productions for an adventurous audience and stands apart from most opera companies in the number of world, American, and West Coast premieres the company has staged. Founded in 1979, it is the oldest professional opera company in the Los Angeles/Orange County region with a performance history of more than 110 operas, ranging from the earliest works of the 17th century to operas of the 21st. LBO’s ever‐growing repertoire has provided stimulus for the subsequent founding of other local opera companies, catapulting Southern California into the spotlight as a major opera epicenter. LBO is a recognized and respected member of the U. S. cultural community, receiving funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, California Arts Council, the County of Los Angeles, and the City of Long Beach, along with generous support from individual donors, local businesses, public corporations, and private foundations.
LBO’s production of The Love Potion is made possible by the generous support of the National Endowment for the Arts.
Additional support has been provided by the Arts Council for Long Beach and the City of Long Beach and has been supported in part by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission.
The Love Potion
by Frank Martin
Sung in English with English Supertitles
Calendar Information
PERFORMANCES: Two performances: Sunday, May 13 at 2:30 pm and Saturday, May 19 at 7:30 pm
Venue: Warner Grand Theater, 478 W. 6th Street, San Pedro, CA 90731
Running Time – 2 hours and 20 minutes, including a 20-minute intermission
Pre-Opera Talk — One hour before each performance, join us for a pre-opera talk with Artistic Director Andreas Mitisek. Open to all ticket holders.
TICKETS: Tickets range from $49 to $150 and can be purchased either by calling the LBO Box Office at 562.470.SING (7464) or by going online to https://itkt.choicecrm.net/templates/LBOP/index.php. Student Rush tickets for $15 will be available space permitting.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.longbeachopera.org/
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Media Contact: Davidson & Choy Publicity David Barber
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