VIVA DIVA! Starring Joyce DiDonato

Camille Claudel: Into the Fire

Program Note by Jake Heggie

The French sculptor Camille Claudel (1864-1943) was an artistic genius at a time when a woman was rarely taken seriously on her own. Art critic Octave Mirbeau described her as “a rebellion against nature: a woman of genius!” Claudel knew how gifted she was – and one of her great frustrations was that she was primarily known in connection with a man: Rodin, the mighty sculptor who had been her mentor, teacher, and lover. Their stormy and ill-fated romance, warring egos, clashing genius, her bold life choices, his broken promises, and the mental illness that resulted in her isolation and confinement – all of this is part of her tragic story. But only part.

For there are her sculptures: sublime, beautiful, inspired, aching, they dance and sing to us through time. Only a relatively few survive, for she destroyed much of her work before her family sent her away to an asylum; and there, she never sculpted again.

After seeing the brilliant film Camille Claudel in 1989, I had been looking for the opportunity to create a theatrical work based on her story. Finally, I saw the opportunity in 2010, when Ruth Felt (president of San Francisco Performances) asked me to create a new work to celebrate the Alexander String Quartet’s 30th anniversary. Knowing I am primarily an opera composer, Ruth also said we could invite a singer to participate.

I called my friend Joyce DiDonato to ask her about the project. “Yes, please,” was her reply. The writer Gene Scheer, my frequent collaborator, enthusiastically signed on, as well. Instead of a full opera, a theatrical song cycle would be our foray into Claudel’s story.

The cycle takes place the day she is to be taken to the asylum. As dawn breaks (Awakening), Camille wakes to the strange reality of what is about to happen and addresses her sculptures. The powerful, rugged bust of Rodin is first, followed by the lyrical La Valse – a sensuous dance of love and death.

Shakuntala, according to Hindu mythology, was the bride of King Dushyanta. Dreaming of her husband one day, she inadvertently offended a powerful rishi, or sage, whose curse was that she would be forgotten by the one she dreamed of. For many years, she and her child were banished and isolated, until the king was awakened to his error and sought her out to beg forgiveness. Claudel’s sculpture depicts the difficult, emotional moment of their reunion.

La Petite Châtelaine is a tender, radiant portrait of innocence. In 1892, Claudel reluctantly aborted Rodin’s child – likely at his behest – and ended their affair. This sculpture dates from shortly after, when Claudel began to sense a growing paranoia: a fear that Rodin was trying to steal her ideas and destroy her career.

The Gossips represents a real turning point for Claudel. While Rodin’s sculptures and fame became more massive, hers became more intimate and small. Her paranoia led her to believe that she was being followed and persecuted by “la bande à Rodin” (or “Rodin’s gang”). Here four women whisper and gossip in a corner. About whom?

L’Age Mûr (“Maturity” or “Destiny”) is a large bronze sculpture in the Musée d’Orsay. It depicts three figures: an older man being led away by an ancient woman while a younger woman, on her knees, tries desperately to reach out to him. This also dates from about the time of Claudel’s abortion and Rodin’s refusal to leave his long-time lover, Rose Beuret.

In 1913, on her mother and brother’s order, Claudel was taken to an asylum. To avoid further scandals, her brother, the diplomat and playwright Paul Claudel, had her confined in isolation. Her mother and sister never visited her, Paul only every few years. In 1929, her closest friend from their student days in Paris came to visit (Epilogue). Jessie Lipscomb and her husband were on their way to Italy and decided to seek out Camille. They found her quiet, reflective, and dear. A photograph Jessie’s husband took of them is the last evidence we have of Camille Claudel. She died in 1943.

Musically, the cycle is tonally based with a strong sense of dance throughout, especially a strong undercurrent of ¾ time. Debussy’s g minor string quartet is a primary source of inspiration. The composer was a close friend of Claudel and kept a copy of her sculpture La Valse on his mantle. There are a few recurring themes, most of which are permutations of the music from Camille’s first line: “Last night, I went to sleep completely naked” – a line from an early letter she wrote to Rodin.

Camille Claudel: Into the Fire was completed in December 2011 and received its premiere at the Herbst Theater in San Francisco on February 4, 2012. It is lovingly dedicated to Joyce DiDonato, who recently gave the New York and European premieres of the piece. The work was commissioned by San Francisco Performances and generously underwritten by a gift from Linda and Stuart Nelson. An orchestral version received its first performance Feb 26, 2015, sung by mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke with The Berkeley Symphony led by conductor Joana Carneiro.