L’Hirondelle Inattendue by Szymon Laks: From the Genesis to the Message of the Opera Cover Image

Bezdomna jaskółka Szymona Laksa. Od genezy do przesłania opery
L’Hirondelle Inattendue by Szymon Laks: From the Genesis to the Message of the Opera

Author(s): Anna Rusin
Subject(s): Fine Arts / Performing Arts, Music
Published by: Towarzystwo Naukowe KUL & Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski Jana Pawła II
Keywords: Simon Laks; Claude Aveline; music in music; operatic adaptation

Summary/Abstract: The only opera by Simon Laks – L’Hirondelle inattendue based on a libretto by Henri Lemarchand, was written in 1965–66. As the new sources reveal, the literary originals are Claude Aveline’s radio play Le Bestiaire inattendu and its later, narrative version. The article aims to trace the process of operatic adaptation inspired by Iwona Puchalska’s approach along with the reconstruction of the genesis and adaptation of the libretto into Polish. Musical arrangement strategies, identified as per Mieczysław Tomaszewski’s typology of “music in music”, make it possible to link the opera’s message with the composer’s worldview and autobiography.

  • Issue Year: 73/2025
  • Issue No: 12
  • Page Range: 167-181
  • Page Count: 15
  • Language: Polish
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