Duke Bluebeard’s Castle is the name of an opera in one act by Hungarian composer Béla Bartók (see Bartók, Béla). Its title in Hungarian is A kekszakallu herceg vara. Bartók composed it in 1911, and a revised version followed seven years later. The opera received its first performance in Budapest on May 24, 1918.
The libretto (text) is based on a fairy tale recorded by the French poet and storyteller Charles Perrault (1628-1703). The libretto was written in Hungarian by Bela Balazs. In the fairy tale, Bluebeard is a murderous monster. In the opera, he is a regretful, melancholy figure.
Duke Bluebeard welcomes his new bride Judith to his castle, which is to be her new home. While exploring the castle with him, she sees a series of seven doors. To satisfy her curiosity, Bluebeard reluctantly unlocks each of them, and in turn reveals his innermost secrets. Behind the last door are all his other wives, hidden away. As Judith goes to join them, Bluebeard is left in sad loneliness again.
