Yvonne, Prinzessin von Burgund

Libretto based on the play by Witold Gombrowicz (G)

3S,lyrS,M,A,3T,3Bar,BBar,non-singing role-chorus;
3(III=picc).3(III=corA).3(III=bcl).3(III=dbn)-4.3.3.1-timp.perc(3)-harp-cel-strings

An imaginary royal court in an imaginary land

The prince is harrowed by boredom and satiety. To break through the court's ceremony, on a whim, he becomes engaged to Yvonne, a girl who is as taciturn as she is ugly. The court retinue mock and deride but Yvonne says nothing. Her silence becomes a provocation. A tense atmosphere develops. They try to entice Yvonne to break her silence, to make her grow up, to categorise her, but all such attempts fail. The past resurfaces. King Ignaz and his chamberlain turn out to be murderers, the king's rule mere tyranny, the ceremony of the court a farce... Yvonne does not break her silence about any of this. She is simply there. Thoughts of murder arise. Each person plans to commit the crime which is then, finally, carried out in grand ceremonial style.
Witold Gombrowicz

Comic, Dramatic, Poetic