Capriccio (opera)
Work data | |
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Title: | Capriccio |
Shape: | “Conversation piece for music” in one act |
Original language: | German |
Music: | Richard Strauss |
Libretto : | Stefan Zweig , Joseph Gregor , Clemens Krauss , Richard Strauss and Hans Swarowsky |
Premiere: | October 28, 1942 |
Place of premiere: | National Theater Munich |
Playing time: | 150 minutes |
Place and time of the action: | Castle near Paris around 1775 |
people | |
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Capriccio , a “conversation piece for music” in one act, is the last opera that Richard Strauss composed.
action
The opera takes place in the garden hall of a rococo palace near Paris, around 1775 - at the time when Christoph Willibald Gluck was working at the Paris Opera.
The poet Olivier and the composer Flamand woo the young Countess Madeleine. At their upcoming birthday party, they want to present new works, including a small festival of homage to be rehearsed by the director La Roche. The question of whether the text or the music is more important for the success of an opera is discussed lively and jealously. The countess is supposed to pass judgment, but she can just as little decide between the two admirers as she - in a work created by both - can separate word and music: “Shall I tear this fabric? Am I not already engulfed in him? [...] If you choose one - you lose the other! […] Do you want to burn between two fires? ”- The question remains open.
Orchestral line-up
3 flutes (3rd also Piccolo ), 2 oboe , 1 English horn , 3 clarinets , 1 Bassetthorn , 1 bass clarinet , 3 Fagotte (3rd also Kontrafagott ) - 4 horns , 2 trumpets , 3 trombones - drums , drums ( pelvis , bass drum ) - 2 harps - 1 harpsichord - Strings : 16 first violins , 16 second violins, 10 violas , 10 cellos , 6 double basses
On stage: 1 solo violin, 1 solo violoncello, 1 harpsichord; backstage: string sextet
annotation
The question of the priority of word or music is reminiscent of the Divertimento teatrale Prima la musica e poi le parole (“First the music and then the words”) by Giambattista Casti (1724–1803), which was set to music by Antonio Salieri . Stefan Zweig suggested dealing with the subject of Casti's libretto; however, the old piece had no influence on the plot of Capriccio .
Emergence
The libretto was created between 1934 and 1941 as a collaborative effort by several authors: The original idea came from Stefan Zweig ; At his request, Joseph Gregor made several designs. The rest of the execution was carried out by Clemens Krauss and Richard Strauss with the assistance of Hans Swarowsky . The premiere took place on October 28, 1942 in the National Theater in Munich ; it was conducted by Clemens Krauss, directed by Rudolf Hartmann (1900–1988), the set was created by Rochus Gliese . The soloists were Viorica Ursuleac (Countess), Walter Höfermeyer (Graf), Horst Taubmann (Flamand), Hans Hotter (Olivier), Georg Hann (La Roche), Hildegard Ranczak (Clairon), Karl Seydel (Monsieur Taupe), Irma Beilke and Franz Klarwein (Italian singer), Georg Wieter (steward).
Recordings
Sound recordings
- Viorica Ursuleac (Countess), Franz Klarwein (Flamand), Hans Hotter / Carl Kronenberg (Olivier), Georg Hann (La Roche), Georg Wieter (steward); Orchestra of the Bavarian State Opera , conductor: Clemens Krauss (live recording, 1942; only excerpts)
- Maria Cebotari (Countess), Alfred Jerger (Count), Anton Dermota (Flamand), Erich Kunz (Olivier), Paul Schöffler (La Roche), Martha Rohs (Clairon); Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera , conductor: Karl Böhm (live recording, March 1, 1944; only excerpts)
- Viorica Ursuleac (Countess), Karl Schmitt-Walter (Graf), Rudolf Schock (Flamand), Hans Braun (Olivier), Hans Hotter (La Roche), Hertha Töpper (Clairon), Emil Graf (Monsieur Taupe), Ilse Hollweg and Ratko Delorko (Italian singer), Georg Wieter (steward); Karl Ostertag, Adolf Keil, Heinz Maria Linz, Franz Weiss, Rudolf Wünzer, Walter Carnuth, Karl Hermann Bennert, Karl Schwert (servant); Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra , conductor: Clemens Krauss (studio recording, 1953)
- Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (Countess), Eberhard Waechter (Count), Nicolai Gedda (Flamand), Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (Olivier), Hans Hotter (La Roche), Christa Ludwig (Clairon), Rudolf Christ, Anna Moffo (Italian singer), Dermot Troy; Philharmonia Orchestra , conductor: Wolfgang Sawallisch (EMI Classics; studio recording, 1957/58)
- Lisa della Casa (Countess), Horst Günter (Count), Richard Holm (Flamand), Hermann Prey (Olivier), Kurt Böhme (La Roche), Gisela Litz (Clairon); Orchestra of the Bavarian State Opera , conductor: Robert Heger (live recording, August 20, 1960)
- Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (Countess), Hermann Uhde (Count), Anton Dermota (Flamand), Walter Berry (Olivier), Paul Schöffler (La Roche), Christel Goltz (Clairon), Peter Klein (Monsieur Taupe), Erika Köth and Giuseppe Zampieri ( Italian singers); Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera, conductor: Karl Böhm (live recording, June 19, 1961)
- Lisa della Casa (Countess), Robert Kerns (Count), Waldemar Kmentt (Flamand), Walter Berry (Olivier), Otto Wiener (La Roche), Christa Ludwig (Clairon), Peter Klein (Monsieur Taupe), Lucia Popp and Fritz Wunderlich (Italian singers), Alois Pernerstorfer (steward), August Jaresch, Erich Majkut, Hans Christian, Fritz Sperlbauer, Ljubo Pantscheff, Harald Pröglhöf , Siegfried Rudolf Frese, Herbert Lackner (servant); Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera , conductor: Georges Prêtre (live recording, March 21, 1964)
- Gundula Janowitz (Countess), Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (Count), Peter Schreier (Flamand), Hermann Prey (Olivier), Karl Ridderbusch (La Roche), Tatiana Troyanos (Clairon); Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, conductor: Karl Böhm (Deutsche Grammophon, studio recording: April 1971)
- Kiri Te Kanawa (Countess), Håkan Hagegård (Count), Uwe Heilmann (Flamand), Olaf Bär (Olivier), Victor von Halem (La Roche), Brigitte Fassbaender (Clairon); Vienna Philharmonic , conductor: Ulf Schirmer (Decca, 1995; studio recording, December 6-18, 1993, Wiener Konzerthaus )
- Renée Fleming (Countess), Bo Skovhus (Graf), Michael Schade (Flamand), Adrian Eröd (Olivier), Franz Hawlata (La Roche), Angelika Kirchschlager (Clairon), Peter Jelosits (Monsieur Taupe), Jane Archibald and Cosmin Ifrim ( Italian singers), Clemens Unterreiner (steward); Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera, conductor: Philippe Jordan (2008; as MP3: [1] ; MP3; 284 MB)
film records
- Kiri Te Kanawa (Countess), Håkan Hagegård (Count), David Kuebler (Flamand), Simon Keenlyside (Olivier), Victor Braun (La Roche), Tatiana Troyanos (Clairon), Michel Sénéchal (Monsieur Taupe), Dale Travis (Janitor) ; San Francisco Opera Orchestra , Conductor: Donald Runnicles ; Directed by Stephen Lawless (1993)
- Renée Fleming (Countess), Dietrich Henschel (Graf), Rainer Trost (Flamand), Gerard Finley (Olivier), Franz Hawlata (La Roche), Anne Sofie von Otter (Clairon); Paris Opera Orchestra , conductor: Ulf Schirmer ; Director: Robert Carsen (Naxos, 2005; live recording, July 2004)
literature
- Kurt Wilhelm : I need help for the word. The birth of the opera “Capriccio” by Richard Strauss and Clemens Krauss. Shown on the basis of the complete text drafts and composition sketches . Nymphenburger, Munich 1988, ISBN 3-485-00568-1
Web links
- Capriccio : Sheet Music and Audio Files in the International Music Score Library Project
- Plot and libretto by Capriccio in German at Opera-Guide
- Discography on Capriccio at Operadis