Adaptation of the operatic libretto to the needs of stage presentation – a few translator’s remarks Cover Image

Adaptacja libretta operowego na potrzeby realizacji scenicznej – kilka uwag od tłumacza
Adaptation of the operatic libretto to the needs of stage presentation – a few translator’s remarks

Author(s): Agnieszka Muszyńska‑Andrejczyk
Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies
Published by: KSIĘGARNIA AKADEMICKA Sp. z o.o.
Keywords: libretto; adaptation to the director’s vision; modification of the libretto’s text

Summary/Abstract: The paper presents my reflections concerning translations of two operatic librettos from different ages: Lorenzo da Ponte’s text to Così fan tutte by W.A. Mozart and Giovacchino Forzano’s to Suor Angelica by G. Puccini. Both texts, in spite of the time difference between them, are united by an interpreter’s idea: adapting to the needs of the specific stage presentation and the director’s vision, i.e. translation with adaptation. To make such a translation effective, one should in my opinion make two basic operations on the text: to condense it according to the rules of audiovisual translation and to use the linguistic style characteristic to the time period chosen by a director. That kind of operations may influence positively the reception of an opera and its communication with audience.

  • Issue Year: 2013
  • Issue No: 22
  • Page Range: 27-44
  • Page Count: 18
  • Language: Polish