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KÖNIGSKINDER (Royal Children)
Engelbert Humperdinck
1854 - 1921
Fairy Tale Opera in three acts
Libretto by the composer after a fairy drama (1893) by Ernst Rosmer (pseudonym for Elsa Bernstein Porges)
World premiere December 28th 1910, Metropolitan Opera, New York
Sung in German with German surtitles
Duration: c. 3 1/4 hrs. incl. one interval
About the work
A fairy tale wedding between a king’s son and a goose girl reared by a witch is not to be. Only a minstrel, a man with a pure heart, recognises their honest love, their true worth. The citizens of Hellabrunn refuse to accept her as their Queen: the lovers eat some deadly, magic bread and die in each other’s arms in the snow.
The score of this gloomy fairy story, one of the most beautiful of the turn of the century, is one of the fourteen operas written by Humperdinck, but all were overshadowed by the success enjoyed by Hänsel und Gretel. The music critic Heinrich Porges ensured the coming into being of the first edition, a long melodrama, of Königskinder in 1895. Although the first performance in Munich was successful few companies dared tackle the demanding score. Between 1907 and 1910 Humperdinck shortened the text and turned the work into an opera. He was strongly influenced by Wagner, with whom he worked, using »reminiscent motives« instead of leitmotivs, and atmospheric sound to create an extraordinary work. The young couple’s »Liebestod« in the snow is shocking, moving and deeply pessimistic. Königskinder, the saddest of all fairy stories, reflects on a heartless society which is incapable of tolerating anything unfamiliar.
The score of this gloomy fairy story, one of the most beautiful of the turn of the century, is one of the fourteen operas written by Humperdinck, but all were overshadowed by the success enjoyed by Hänsel und Gretel. The music critic Heinrich Porges ensured the coming into being of the first edition, a long melodrama, of Königskinder in 1895. Although the first performance in Munich was successful few companies dared tackle the demanding score. Between 1907 and 1910 Humperdinck shortened the text and turned the work into an opera. He was strongly influenced by Wagner, with whom he worked, using »reminiscent motives« instead of leitmotivs, and atmospheric sound to create an extraordinary work. The young couple’s »Liebestod« in the snow is shocking, moving and deeply pessimistic. Königskinder, the saddest of all fairy stories, reflects on a heartless society which is incapable of tolerating anything unfamiliar.
Photo gallery
With generous support from the Frankfurt Patronatsverein - Sektion Oper
Performances
Sunday 30.09.2012
Further performances:
03.10.2012 | 06.10.2012 |
11.10.2012 | 14.10.2012 |
19.10.2012 | 25.10.2012 |
27.10.2012
Cast
Conductor
Sebastian Weigle
Director
David Bösch
Stage Designer
Patrick Bannwart
Costume Designer
Meentje Nielsen
Lighting Designer
Frank Keller
Dramaturge
Zsolt Horpácsy
Chorus Master
Matthias Köhler
Children's Chorus Master
Michael Clark
Der Königssohn
Daniel Behle
Die Gänsemagd
Amanda Majeski
Der Spielmann
Nikolay Borchev / on Oct. 19th Christian Gerhaher (singing part), Nikolay Borchev (scenic part)
Die Hexe
Julia Juon
Der Holzhacker
Magnús Baldvinsson / on Oct. 25th Simon Bailey (singing part), Magnús Baldvinsson (scenic part)
Der Besenbinder
Martin Mitterrutzner
His Daughter
Chiara Bäuml
Der Ratsälteste
Franz Mayer
Der Wirt
Dietrich Volle
Die Wirtstochter
Nina Tarandek
Der Schneider
Beau Gibson
Die Stallmagd
Katharina Magiera
1. Torwächter
Thomas Charrois
2. Torwächter
Garegin Hovsepian
Eine Frau
Claudia Grunwald
Chorus and Orchestra of Oper Frankfurt
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