Capriccio (opera)

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Work data
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
  • The Countess Madeleine ( soprano )
  • The count, her brother ( baritone )
  • Flamand, a musician ( tenor )
  • Olivier, a poet (baritone)
  • La Roche, theater director ( bass )
  • Clairon, actress ( old )
  • Monsieur Taupe, prompter (tenor)
  • An Italian singer (soprano)
  • An Italian singer (tenor)
  • Steward (bass)
  • A young dancer (solo dancer)
  • Eight servants (4 tenors, 4 basses)
  • Three musicians

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

film records

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