Der Traumgörge
| Alexander von Zemlinsky |
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Operas
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Der Traumgörge (Görge the Dreamer) is an opera in two acts and an epilogue by Austrian composer Alexander Zemlinsky. The libretto was written by Leo Feld.
Composition history
Zemlinsky began composition of the opera in 1904 and completed it in 1906.
Performance history
Der Traumgörge was intended for performance at the Vienna State Opera (then known as the Vienna Court Opera), where Gustav Mahler, a mentor of Zemlinsky's, was Musical Director. Mahler had encouraged his younger colleague to compose the opera following the success of Es war einmal which Mahler had premiered in 1900. In 1907, the same year Der Traumgörge was scheduled for performance, Mahler hired Zemlinsky to be an assistant conductor. Shortly thereafter, however, Mahler abruptly resigned and his successor, Felix Weingartner, dropped Der Traumgörge from the schedule, even though the work had already gone into rehearsal. Zemlinsky himself then resigned in protest.
Zemlinsky moved on to other compositional projects and, deciding that Der Traumgörge needed revision, made little effort to further promote it. The original performance materials were discovered in the archives of the Vienna State Opera in the 1970s, a period of renewed interest in Zemlinsky's music. This led to the opera's belated premiere in Nuremberg, Germany on October 11, 1980.
A new production was staged at the Staatsoper Hannover in April 2016.[1]
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast[2] 11 October 1980 (Conductor: Hans Gierster) |
|---|---|---|
| Gertraud | soprano | Johanna-Lotte Fecht |
| Grete | soprano | Sharon Markovich |
| Görge | tenor | Karl-Heinz Thiemann |
| Hans | baritone | Peter Weber |
| Kaspar | baritone | Andreas Förster |
| Marei | soprano | Ursula Wendt-Walther |
| Matthes | bass | |
| Züngl | tenor | Wilhelm Teepe |
| Princess | soprano | Johanna-Lotte Fecht |
| The miller | bass | |
| The pastor | bass | |
| A voice | mezzo-soprano | |
| Innkeeper | tenor | |
| Innkeeper's wife | soprano | Elizabeth Kingdon |
Recordings
- Capriccio 10241/42: Janis Martin, Josef Protschka, Pamela Coburn, Hartmut Welker, Martin Blasius, Victor von Halem, Birgit Calm, Gabriele Maria Ronge; Hessischer Rundfunk Youth Chorus; hr-Sinfonieorchester; Gerd Albrecht, conductor.[3][4]
- EMI 7243 5 570872 4: Patricia Racette, Susan B. Anthony, David Kuebler, Iride Martinez, Andreas Schmidt, Zelotes Edmund Toliver, Michael Volle, Lothar Odinus, Natalie Karl, Machiko Obata; Gürzenich-Orchester Kölner Philharmoniker; conducted by James Conlon.[5]
References
- Notes
- ↑ http://www.staatstheater-hannover.de/oper/index.php?m=86&f=03_werkdetail&ID_Vorstellungsart=7&ID_Stueck=410
- ↑ "Musical events 11 October 1980". AmadeusOnline. Retrieved 14 August 2010.
- ↑ Calland, Deborah, "Record Review: Zemlinsky in Brief" (June 1992). Tempo (New Ser.), 181: pp. 46-47.
- ↑ "Review - Zemlinksy - Der Traumgörge". Gramophone. March 1989. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
- ↑ Erik Levi. "Zemlinksy". BBC Music Magazine. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
- Sources
- Batta, András, Opera - Komponisten, Werke, Interpreten (Könemann Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, 2000, Dutch translation)