Katibu di Shon, the first Curaçao opera ánd a universal story

For a long time, Papiamentu was spoken extremely condescendingly. The first government teacher of the colony of Curaçao wrote in 1818: "Papiament (from pappiar, to speak) consists of corrupted Spanish, Indian and Dutch, poor in words, without inflection, conjunction or gender distinction, but rich in fierce shrill sounds, and especially in swear words. Unbearable for the finer ear of the European on his first arrival, and difficult to get used to this turkey sound."

Until the early twentieth century, this was the common view, even though Papiamentu was spoken by all sections of the population. "But poetry in Papiamentu, that would be impossible. My great-great-grandfather Joseph Corsen took a bet and wrote 'Atardi' - still a famous poem in Curaçao - in 1905, proving otherwise. Much later, I discovered that he also composed and at a remarkably high level. I decided to record some of his piano works."

In the mazurkas and waltzes of Randal's great-great-grandfather, South American elements are added to the European tradition. Randal himself left Curaçao for the Netherlands, initially to study architecture, but soon exchanged that study for the conservatory. He created a furore mainly as a jazz musician, but also worked with the Netherlands Wind Ensemble and mezzo-soprano Tania Kross.

A Curaçao opera

"I have known Tania for a long time, even before the conservatory. Reading Carel de Haseth's novella Katibu di Shon gave her the idea for a Curaçao opera, in Papiamento, and based on our own musical tradition. We had been working on the opera for some time, when Tania discovered that her ancestors lived on the same plantation as Carel's - as slaves and masters. It is pure coincidence, or perhaps fate, that Carel and Tania share this history."

The novella on which the opera is based tells of the friendship between slave owner shon (master) Wilmu and his slave Luis and their shared love for the slave Anita. It ends in a dramatic confrontation, set against the backdrop of the slave revolt that broke out in Curaçao on 17 August 1795 and was violently put down. "That's why we have given the chorus, the slaves, a big role in the opera," he says.

From the novella to the final opera proved to be a long process. "First of all, the novella consisting of six monologues had to be converted into a speaking story. Carel and I have no opera background, so that involved a lot of trial and error. In the end, you just have to sit down and probe. I gradually discovered that I actually had much more freedom in composing than in writing for jazz ensemble, where you usually work with fixed forms and a limited number of measures. Because I was now writing for classically trained voices, I could go very far with much more complex harmonies in my choice of notes. In doing so, sound, cadence, colour and accents of Papiamento drive the music."

Corsen was also inspired by the island itself. "I know well the fort in Willemstad where slaves were once locked up. They could see nothing, merely hear the pounding of the waves on the walls. I used that for the prelude of the sea with which the fourth act begins."

The first scene of the opera is in 12/8th, well not exactly the most common in operas. "It's a time signature found in many Curaçao rhythms. But swing you don't write out, you interpret. It's a rhythmic approach that can't be properly captured in notation."

universal

Corsen deliberately did not choose Antillean instrumentation. "That's too obvious. I want to convey the essence and the specialness of Antillean music. That music goes much deeper than exotic instrumentation. That's why the opera was written for universal instruments: double string quintet, classical percussion, clarinet, piano and (electric) bass."

The universality of the opera is very evident in the libretto. Not only in its structure, with large choral scenes, a love duet and even a real aria furioso, but above all through its content. Although the premiere takes place as part of the commemoration of 150 years of the abolition of slavery, the opera is not an indictment. "No, certainly not. The opera is inextricably linked to Curaçao, but at the same time it tells a universal story. There are many more countries and islands with a similar history. As Carel puts it, 'The opera tells the story of people in an inhuman environment of slavery, but also that of human relationships that cut across all social divisions. The music and language show that something beautiful can emerge precisely from the contact between people from very different backgrounds.' That should be enough."