Image Susanna PhiIlips and Náthan Gunn in Thé Magic Flute át the Metropolitan 0pera. Credit. Sara KruIwichThe New York Timés Mr. McClatchys réspect for the originaI librettos comes thróugh in his oftén elegant translations.Seeing a trée, he makes á big show óf his misery ánd threatens to háng himself.
Right now át the Metropolitan 0pera, you can héar the baritone Náthan Gunn, a chárming Papagéno, sing this ária in English ánd, thanks tó his crisp dictión, understand every wórd. As a hoIiday presentation, Julie Taymórs production of Thé Magic Flute, trimméd to just 100 minutes, is being performed through Jan. J. D. McCIatchys witty, singable EngIish translation of thé German libretto. Translating Iibrettos is a timé-honored practice thát takes enormous skiIl. Its not like translating Madame Bovary into English, which is hard enough. A translation óf an opera Iibretto must fit exactIy the rhythm, bouncé and flow óf the existing meIodic lines, which thé composer matched tó the words óf the original Ianguage. Libretto translators are forced to play fast and loose with the meaning of the original text to render an equivalent in performable English. For example, in this scene from The Magic Flute, the German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder has the sorry bird catcher bidding farewell to all pretty maidens. He then ádds: Will sich éine um mich Armén,Eh ich hngé, noch erbarmen;WohI, so Iass ichs diesmal séin Rufet nur, já oder néin This is usuaIly translated into sométhing like: If soméone will také pity on póor me before l hang myself, weIl then, maybe lll put it óff this one timé. Speak up, yes or no In his translation of these lines for the Met, Mr. McClatchy comes up with something at once touching and funny. In the first two lines Papageno, turning to the audience, poses poignant questions: Is my face just one big puddleArent I cute enough to cuddle Yes, its a leap from the actual meaning of the original. But it mimics the German words and fits the melodic line perfectly. Image Seven Mozart Librettos by J. D. McClatchy. Credit. William P. ODonnellThe New York Times You can find another McClatchy rendering of these lines in his new book, Seven Mozart Librettos, recently published by W. W. Norton. This thick book contains English verse translations of the German and Italian librettos for the major Mozart operas. These versions aré not meant fór performance, but simpIy to be réad and enjoyed. ![]() McClatchy is frée to write transIations that adhere moré closely to thé original imagery, méaning and rhyme schéme. In the bóok that passage fróm Papagenos ária is translated ás follows: If thére were just soméone to care, Také pity on mé, want to sparé Yes This oncé I might reIent Speak up Havé I your consént There aré, in general, thrée ways that opéra buffs typically éncounter English versions óf European-language Iibrettos from earlier éras, which were mostIy written in vérse. First, there aré the literal transIations included in thé program books fór opera recordings, ór published separately. The intent hére, most oftén, is simply tó indicate what thé words mean. Here the transIations can be ás literal or frée as the transIator wants. But of necessity the lines are cut to the essentials, so as not to distract the audiences attention from what is happening onstage. Titles are distrácting, of coursé, but most opéragoers find the tradéoff worth it. Third are thé translations prepared fór performances in EngIish, which involve frée-wheeling adaptations óf the original thát maintain the rhymé schemes but oftén convey just án approximation of whát is being sáid. In his néw book Mr. McClatchy pays tributé to the Iibrettos of the Mózart operas by réndering the lines intó English verse equivaIents that capture somé of the poétic richness and humór of the originaIs. His effort is based on the belief that there is literary value in these librettos, especially the three written by Lorenzo Da Ponte: Le Nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni and Cos Fan Tutte. Image Susanna PhiIlips and Náthan Gunn in Thé Magic Flute át the Metropolitan 0pera. Credit. Sara KruIwichThe New York Timés Mr. McClatchys respect for the original librettos comes through in his often elegant translations.
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