The dream eater
| Work data | |
|---|---|
| Title: | The dream eater |
| Original language: | German |
| Music: | Wilfried Hiller |
| Libretto : | Michael Ende |
| Premiere: | February 17, 1991 |
| Place of premiere: | Bremen Theater , Bremen |
| Playing time: | approx. 1½ hours |
| Place and time of the action: | Kingdom of slumberland |
| people | |
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The Dream Eater is a Singspiel in seven pictures and six interludes by Wilfried Hiller with a libretto by Michael Ende .
action
Sleep is the most important thing in the Kingdom of Slumberland. Whoever sleeps best is king. Because Princess Schlafittchen is so curious, she opens the secret door in the basement, behind which the dream eater lives, and sends it to the end of the earth because her parents have forbidden her to play with anything ugly. From now on, the royal family is plagued by nightmares and a revolutionary mood spreads among the citizens of Schlummerland. The only salvation is to bring back the dream eater, but that only works if you sing the right song.
music
Every figure has its instrument, a lot of percussion design is used.
Orchestra line-up:
- Woodwinds : flute (also piccolo ), two clarinets (both also alto saxophone , 2nd also bass clarinet ), bassoon
- Brass : two trumpets , two trombones , tuba
- Drums (two players): xylophone , marimba , vibraphone , triangle , cymbals , cymbals , hi-hat , tam-tam , tom-tom (low), stirrer drum , two bongos , two small drums , two large drums , thunder plate , bell tree , tubular bells , guiro , two whips (high, low), small ratchets , two maracas , claves , two wooden blocks , vibraslap , flexatone , lotus flute , wine glasses, three music boxes , metronome , lion's roar , wind machine , zanza
- harp
- Piano / celesta , organ
- Strings
Performances
In 1999, the Vienna State Opera erected a tent on the roof terrace which was specially designed for the performance of children's operas and which still exists today. The first production was Das Traumfresserchen with Heinz Zednik in the title role, Renate Pitscheider as Schlafittchen and Ildikó Raimondi and Gottfried Hornik as the royal couple. The piece has since been resumed several times, most recently in September 2009 with Herwig Pecoraro , Ileana Tonca , Simina Ivan and Hans Peter Kammerer . The production was also played in 2010 at the Graz Opera and in 2010 and 2011 at the Theater für Niedersachsen in Hildesheim.
radio play
A radio play is based on the Michael Ende story. In contrast to the original, in the radio play the little sleep babe is plagued by difficulty falling asleep and nightmares. After all recognized healing methods fail and recovery is not in sight, the king finally starts looking for help and on his journey meets the dream eater who accompanies him back to the castle. The princess is released from her suffering with a good twist.
literature
- Michael Ende: The dream eater. Thienemann Verlag, Stuttgart 1978, ISBN 3-522-41500-0 .
Recordings / sound carriers
- The dream eater. From the children's opera tent of the Vienna State Opera. Vienna, September 19, 1999 (VHS video cassette or DVD, 70 min.)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Catalog raisonné published by Schott Music (PDF), p. 13, accessed on March 15, 2018.
- ↑ Kulturserver Graz: Das Traumfresserchen ( Memento of the original from April 22, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Accessed April 21, 2017
- ↑ Andreas Bode: "Das Traumfresserchen" , Hildesheimer Allgemeine Zeitung, December 14, 2011, accessed on December 24, 2011
