The protagonist
| Opera dates | |
|---|---|
| Title: | The protagonist |
| Shape: | Opera in one act |
| Original language: | German |
| Music: | Kurt Weill |
| Libretto : | Georg Kaiser |
| Premiere: | March 27, 1926 |
| Place of premiere: | State Theater, Dresden Opera House |
| Playing time: | approx. 1 ¼ hours |
| people | |
The protagonist is an expressionist play by Georg Kaiser , published in 1920 . The same text was used, virtually unchanged, as the libretto for the 1924–1925 opera of the same name by Kurt Weill , which premiered in 1926 .
action
The play is set in England during Shakespeare's time. An acting troupe rehearses two pantomimes; one is burlesque , the other tragic. One of the actors can no longer distinguish between his roles and reality. During the rehearsal of the tragic pantomime, he finally kills his sister, obsessed with jealousy and despair.
orchestra
The orchestral line-up for the opera includes the following instruments:
- Woodwinds : two oboes , two bass clarinets
- Brass : three horns , three trombones
- Timpani , percussion : snare drum , bass drum , cymbals , triangle , wooden drum, glockenspiel, stirring drum, xylophone , tam-tam , gong
- Celesta
- Strings
- Incidental music (the Duke's eight musicians): two flutes (both also piccolo ), two clarinets , two bassoons , two trumpets
Work history
The opera, which premiered at the Dresden Semperoper on March 27, 1926, was Weill's first opera to garner good reviews and initial public attention.
Web links
- The Protagonist, Op. 14 (interpretation by Bryan Gilliam, Duke University)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Jürgen Schebera: The protagonist. In: Piper's Encyclopedia of Musical Theater . Volume 6: Works. Spontini - Zumsteeg. Piper, Munich / Zurich 1997, ISBN 3-492-02421-1 , pp. 685-688.