• Duration: 65'
• Instrumentation: 3S 1 Ms 5A 6T 1Bar 2B-2222-4231-timp batt ar-archi
• Year: 1909
• Autor libretta: Julian Krzewiński-Maszyński
• Type: parts, score, piano reduction, choral parts

In 1906, after the first concert of the composers of Young Poland in Music, the critics dubbed the young Szymanowski a genius. They were awed by his piano Preludes, Etudes and Variations, the uncommon beauty of his songs to words by Kazimierz Tetmajer, Tadeusz Micinski, Jan Kasprowicz; and his Concert Overture in E major for large symphonic orchestra was considered the expression of a wonderful talent. In listening to the performance of works by Mr. Szymanowski, not even for a moment did I doubt that I had to do with an extraordinary composer, perhaps a genius. A young bird, perhaps - but a young eagle. But soon, this rapture died down a bit; the same music critic began to look with suspicion upon the young artists flirtation with German music and poetry, and was angry that the composer was yielding to foreign influences, betraying national ideals. Szymanowski, meanwhile, was finding his way, reserving, above all, the right to artistic independence. Unfortunately, the Songs to Words of German Poets did not bring Szymanowski a success comparable to that of his first song cycles; similarly unsuccessful was his attempt to compose another symphonic work, namely the Symphony No. 1. Szymanowski, discouraged, did not even finish it. He was not able to disentangle himself from an excess of harmonic and contrapuntal complications, and did not feel at ease in instrumentation. A time arrived of some kind of suspension, lack of creative energy - in a word, a sort of spiritual crisis. On the other hand, Grzegorz Fitelberg was scoring great successes; as he strengthened his position as conductor in Berlin and Vienna, Richard Strauss himself engaged him to conduct his composers concerts. Among the composers of Young Poland in Music, Fitelberg enjoyed the highest authority as a master of instrumentation. In the spring of 1908, Karol spent some time together with Ficio in Vienna, where, between parties and social pleasures, they flung money about with great vigor. At this point, it occurred to them that perhaps they could write something lighter together, a bit of music to strengthen their enfeebled financial position. The need for operettas in Vienna seemed to be limitless. Indeed, not only there - operetta reigned supreme in Berlin, Warsaw and Lvov as well. It was in Lvov that Szymanowski decided to look for a libretto author. The matter took off at lightning speed. He made the acquaintance of a man his own age, a highly promising comic actor at the Lvov operetta named Julian Maszynski (son of composer Piotr Maszynski), who performed under the stage name Krzewinski, and was in the near future to become the author of many comic and operetta libretti, as well as song texts. They immediately came to a perfect mutual understanding, Krzewinski in a matter of a few days had even two projects ready. A very excited Karol invited Fitelberg to Tymoszówka for the summer: If you were to come and visit us, we must write an operetta... In great secrecy I will tell you that I shall bring with me two operetta libretti. Just dont tell anyone about it. We shall make a career. Even though Ficio did not come to visit, Szymanowski spent the entire summer of 1908 enthusiastically composing an operetta whose title initially was Grand Prize, and later - Lottery for Husbands. But when he came to Warsaw in the fall, counting on the help of the incomparable Ficio in work on the score, he encountered bitter disappointment. Fitelberg did not at all have it in mind to work together on an operetta. The Warsaw Philharmonic had just engaged him to conduct twelve concerts in the 1908/1909 season. This was a great and ambitious challenge, a path to a real career. Szymanowski, left to his own devices, did not abandon his work on the operetta. At the end of 1908 or beginning of 1909, a piano score with solo and choral parts written in was ready. Gritting his teeth, Szymanowski set about preparing the full score. The misfortune with the operetta has so bedeviled me, but I feel that I must finally complete it. On 28 October 1909, he wrote out the last of the scores 396 pages. The final title was: Lottery for Husbands (Fiancé No. 69). An Operetta in 3 Acts. However, Szymanowski did not reveal his authorship either in the piano score, or in the full score: he put here only the nom de plume Whitney. Thus, the Lottery was to have had two fathers, but ended up an orphan. Perhaps work on the operetta, forced upon him by circumstances, in some measure helped Szymanowski to get out of his creative rut - immediately thereafter, he threw himself into work on a new, truly great work, namely the Symphony No. 2 in B flat major. But even so, he had the feeling that even if it was light, the music of Lottery was not bad at all. He was confirmed in this conviction by the opinion of his experienced older colleague, Piotr Maszynski, who at the sight of the score to Lottery went into rapture: The piano score of Grand Prize is full of new effects, in some portions worthy of the most serious type of music. The beautiful, original melodies are covered with a masterful lace of polyphony and counterpoint. And all of this is furnished with such uncommon harmonies, so attractive and beautiful to the ear, that it was difficult for me to compare this youthful oeuvre in terms of harmonization with any known to me from earlier times or the present. Thus, a shadow of hope still lingered in Karol that perhaps - thanks to the influence of that patron of the artists of Young Poland with uncommonly good connections in Vienna, Prince Wladyslaw Lubomirski - it would be possible to place Lottery on one of Viennas small stages. Just in case, he even ordered a translation of the libretto into German. Unfortunately, his hopes turned out to be in vain; and from Fitelberg as well, the idea did not receive support. Ficio was waiting for Symphony No. 2. And thus, from 1912 onwards, a dead silence fell over Lottery, not interrupted by even the slightest mention in the composers correspondence; the work also never appeared in any of the lists Szymanowski made of his compositions. Fitelberg never mentioned the score, even though he knew it perfectly well; only three months before his death, on 30 December 1952, he decided to perform three fragments on Polish Radio Katowice with the Great Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra: a duet and two romances, which were sung by Natalia Stokowacka and Bogdan Paprocki. The three-act Lottery is comprised of 16 numbers - traditional arias, duets, ensemble numbers and finales. Unfortunately, the spoken texts which linked the scenes and musical numbers together have not survived, which in production of the work makes it necessary to construct a staged form of the work - based obviously on the plot content of the sung texts. But the story takes place in our times in America. The rich industrialist Helgoland has two sons: Charly and Darly, keen photographers but never-do-wells, of whom Darly is the more sentimental. The clever impresario of public parties has decided to organize a husband lottery, in which the grand prize will be a young man. The lottery, for understandable reasons, piques the interest of the old maids club; aside from them, Mrs. Troodwood also appears with her daughter Sarah, who is concerned about her too-long-standing maidenly status. Attracted by the fun, Helgolands sons appear; Darly, enchanted by the beauty of Sarah, signs himself up on the list of lottery prizes. The drawing takes place, there is a bit of quid pro quo between the brothers; but, after an array of twists and turns, the matter ends with the engagement of the happy couple: Sarah and Darly. Szymanowski, in composing the music for Lottery, was having fun. He wrote it, as it were, tongue in cheek; in the end, he himself was shocked that he could write music that was bright, clear, witty and - above all - danceable. In Lottery, there are charming waltzes, there is one of the Carnival quadrilles most popular at that time; from the New World, there is a quote from the old American melody Yankee Doodle (the title of the song apparently being an apt description of Helgolands sons); also not missing is the latest fashion of the time, namely, the Black American cakewalk, and even a bold Machicha, of Brazilian origin. However, most shocking is the following: from a large symphony orchestra, instead of the expected solid sound mass, Szymanowski draws a charming orchestral accompaniment, awash in soft, broad arches of melody, here and there with economic doses of more piquant harmonies and witty bits of polyphony. In Lottery, it is difficult not to perceive echoes of the youthful games and jokes, of the amateur artistic cabarets, comic living pictures, parodies of entire operatic productions put on at Tymoszówka. Krzewinskis somewhat crazy and not always logical ideas effectively mobilized Szymanowskis musical imagination. They provoked him to have compositional fun, awoke in him a desire to play with form, with elements of the grotesque, wit, pastiche, parody, the old world with the new. A play which displayed the composers theatrical instinct and his unerring sense of humor, to which we would owe in the future the pantomime Mandragora, a little masterpiece of theatrical and orchestral wit. Karol Szymanowski liked to laugh - in life and in music. He used to say: Comedy attracts me and I never have had the opportunity to utilize it; [...] I cannot be continually so solemn as in the Stabat Mater or in Roger - it is very tiring. [...] I have to have a bit of a good musical laugh. If we remember that music has many faces, then Lottery, with its playful, smiling and joyful face will be able to begin its happy, flighty life. Teresa Chylinska [A Program Book of the 3rd Festival of Polish Music] Cast (oryginal): Tobiasz Helgoland (T), Charly (Bar), Darly (T), Djep (T), Impresario of the public games (T), Sherlock Holmes (T), Williams (T), Jack (B), Mrs Troodwood (Ms), Sara (S), Miss Huck (A), Molly (A), Ketty (S), Fanny (S), Lotti (A), Mimi (A), Tinker (A), Old maids' club (S, A), Happy widowers' Club (T, B), Black Man I, II, III (T, B) The world premiere was based on the reconstructed libretto by Wojciech Graniczewski