The miracle theater
| Work data | |
|---|---|
| Title: | The miracle theater |
| Original title: | The miracle theater |
| Shape: | Singspiel |
| Original language: | German |
| Music: | Hans Werner Henze |
| Libretto : | Adolf Friedrich von Schack |
| Literary source: | Intermezzo from Cervantes |
| Premiere: | May 7, 1949 |
| Place of premiere: | Heidelberg |
| Playing time: | about 45 minutes |
| Place and time of the action: | everywhere and everytime |
| people | |
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The Wundertheater is an opera in one act by Hans Werner Henze . The text is based on the German translation of an interlude by Miguel de Cervantes by Adolf Friedrich von Schack .
History of origin
Henze had just got a job at the Stadttheater Konstanz in 1948 when he made the decision to compose his first opera, an “opera for actors”. As material, he chose the Entremés “El retablo de las maravillas” written by the poet of “ Don Quixote ” in the German translation by Adolf Graf von Schack. The premiere took place on May 7, 1949, but not in Konstanz, but at the Städtisches Theater in Heidelberg . Henze still had good connections there; for from 1946 until he moved to Konstanz he had studied composition with Wolfgang Fortner in Heidelberg . Heinrich Köhler-Helffrich took care of the production and Carl Caelius was at the desk.
15 years later Henze reworked his work into a “real” opera, that is, for singers. This version had its world premiere on November 30, 1965 at the Städtische Bühnen Frankfurt am Main under the direction of Wolfgang Rennert . Hans Neugebauer took over the staging.
Today the work is only found sporadically in the repertoire, but when it is performed somewhere, it is almost only in the second version.
action
The opera takes place in Spain and everywhere, yesterday, today and tomorrow!
A theater company moves from place to place. Now she is stopping somewhere in Spain. Director Chanfalla announces a great spectacle to the audience: the characters can only be seen by the audience, who are firstly good Christians and secondly have been conceived in a marriage. In fact, nobody can be seen on stage. Only the director and his companion to Chirinos explain what is being played. The audience is amazed and pretends to experience the whole thing up close. When the two protagonists announce the appearance of a wild bull, they all throw themselves to the ground. The young girls start screeching loudly when there is talk of white mice. In this way, the performance takes its course until suddenly a soldier appears who wants to get his troops board and lodging. Because he doesn't see anything either, of course, the other viewers declare him a bad Christian and bastard. The performance culminates in a hunt for the soldier, during which he is knocked to the ground.
The director of the wonder theater is extremely satisfied with the performance.
Sound carrier
“Das Wundertheater” - ARS 38 454 - Performers: Ricardo Tamura , Kristine Funkhauser, a singing ensemble as well as choir and orchestra of the Osnabrück Theater under the direction of Hermann Bäumer (live recording 2005)