Romantic India

[Lars Martin Fosse]

At 11:54 17.06.98 +0200, you wrote:
>Dear friends
>A few months ago someone briefly referred  to "Shubert's
>opera Sakuntala". Finding the note I made then I have tried to check
>it. Supposing Franz Schubert was meant, a list of his (nearly
>forgotten) operas does not including anything Indian. Shubert I do
>not know. There is at least one opera founded on KAlidAsa's play,
>namely Franco Alfano's La leggenda di Sakuntala, première at Bologna
>town opera in 10.12.1921. Much earlier the Hungarian componist Karl
>Goldmark composed a ZakuntalA ouverture, first performed in 1865.
>There is further an opera about the VikamorvazIya by W. Kienzl,
>performed in the 1880s "mit Erfolg" according to a contemporary
>source. All these have been forgotten, I have not been able to hear a
>note of them.There are also a few ballets on Indian themes, for
>instance on ZakuntalA (music by S. Bachrich, performed in Vienna
>1884; and another by Reyer, performed in Paris, I don't know when).
>To these may be also added Elgar's Indian Suite, the only one I have
>actually heard.
>Strictly speaking, this is not Indology, but nevertheless an
>interesting part of the Western conception of India. It would be
>interesting to know, whether there are more examples.

I second that. Here is some more info on Western music inspired by India.

Gustav Holst (the guy with the Planets) actually learned a smattering of
Sanskrit because he wanted to set hymns from the Rigveda to music. This he
did in his opus 26, Hymns from the Rigveda, composed 1908-10. He also
composed a chamber opera called Savitri, but I have no info about it except
the name. Anyone else out there with such info? Is it available on CD?

Best regards,

Lars Martin Fosse


Dr.art. Lars Martin Fosse
Haugerudvn. 76, Leil. 114,
0674 Oslo

Tel: +47 22 32 12 19
Fax: +47 22 32 12 19
Email: lmfosse at online.no
Mobile phone: 90 91 91 45