Walton received a commission from the Koussevitzsky Foundation in 1958, and he dedicated the opera "to the memory of Serge and Natalie Koussevitzky". He began composing in 1965 when the Aldeburgh Festival in England requested an opera from him.[1]The Bear was first performed at the Jubilee Hall, Aldeburgh on 3 June 1967.
The opera is regarded as having "enjoyed more success and popularity than its larger-scale predecessor, Troilus and Cressida [......] because its witty parodies are in the manner of [Walton's 1922] Facade"[2] and the librettists' ability "to emulate Chekhov's caricatures of the three main characters" are also successful.[3]
Synopsis
Place: The drawing room of Yelena Ivanovna Popova’s country house
Time: Around 1888
Popova is a widow, remaining faithful to the memory of her late husband, Popov. Her servant, Luka, remarks upon her affected sorrow. Smirnov, one of Popov's creditors, appears. During the course of the story, it becomes clear that Popov was promiscuous and unfaithful to his wife. Smirnov and Popova begin to quarrel, to the point where both aim loaded pistols at each other. However, neither can fire, as they have fallen in love. As the opera ends, Luka looks on in disbelief at the new lovers.
Roles
In contrast with Walton's previous opera Troilus and Cressida, which used a large cast, full orchestra and chorus, The Bear is deliberately minimal in its vocal and instrumental forces. The opera uses 3 singers and a chamber orchestra.
^Evans, Peter, "Walton, William, The Bear. Score." Music & Letters, 60(1), 117 (1979) Review.
^Anderson, Robert, "The Bear", The Musical Times, 123(1676), 699 (1982) Review of the 1982 Chandos recording.
Sources
Holden, Amanda, (ed.), The New Penguin Opera Guide, New York: Penguin Putnam, Inc., 2001 ISBN0-14-029312-4
Kennedy, Michael, "Walton, Sir William", in Stanley Sadie, (ed.), The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, Vol. 4. London: Macmillan Publishers, Inc. 1998 ISBN0-333-73432-7ISBN1-56159-228-5
Kennedy, Michael, "Bear, The" in Stanley Sadie, (Ed.), The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, Vol. 1. London: Macmillan Publishers, Inc. 1998 ISBN0-333-73432-7ISBN1-56159-228-5