Sympathy for the devil? Bertram (Robert le diable) in Copenhagen, 1833

Abstract

This chapter deals with the adaptation of Robert le diable for the Danish stage in 1833, for which the translator, Thomas Overskou, was asked to transform Bertram – Robert’s diabolic father – into ‘a decent human being’. Following a standard practice at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen at the time, Overskou sought to achieve this moral remodelling not least in passages of spoken dialogue or monologue that would often replace the original recitatives. This, however, not only effected a change in verbal meaning, but also in vocal register at significant moments. This chapter discusses the implications of such a cultural practice of adaptation and relates it to similar transformations and perceptions (notably Søren Kierkegaard’s) of the Don Giovanni character in the contemporary Danish version.
OriginalsprogEngelsk
TitelGrand Opera Outside Paris : Opera on the Move in Nineteenth-Century Europe
RedaktørerJens Hesselager
Antal sider17
UdgivelsesstedAbingdon
ForlagRoutledge
Publikationsdato2018
Sider97-113
Kapitel6
ISBN (Trykt)978-1-138-20201-6
ISBN (Elektronisk)978-1-315-46645-3
StatusUdgivet - 2018
NavnAshgate Interdisciplinary Studies in Opera

Emneord

  • Det Humanistiske Fakultet
  • Grand opera
  • Meyerbeer
  • Cultural Translation
  • Cultural transfer
  • Thomas Overskou
  • Søren Kierkegaard
  • Robert le diable (opera)
  • Don Giovanni (opera)
  • Giovanni Battista Cetti
  • plot-character
  • voice-character

Citationsformater