“Bluebeard's Castle”

Extract

Bartók's unique one-act opera lacks all that external stage-curiosity which was an essential part of the late nineteenth-century opera. He does not take over anything directly either from the German or from the Italian type of opera. Both in the musical and dramatic construction Bartók declines to use the well-known schemes. Almost nothing happens on the stage. Apart from some lighting effects, the tricky technical equipment of the modern stage is at a standstill during the performance of Bluebeard's Castle. One could very well imagine a performance of this work on the old Shakespearian stage in its complete simplicity, yet achieving the full effect of the opera. Actually, an abstract stage, concentrating on the essentials of the drama, would be the most suitable for this work.