The Auditor (Egk)

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Work data
Title: The auditor
Shape: Comic opera in five acts
Original language: German
Music: Werner Egk
Libretto : Werner Egk
Literary source: Nikolai Gogol : The Auditor
Premiere: May 9, 1957
Place of premiere: Schwetzingen Palace Theater
Playing time: about 2 hours
Place and time of the action: Russian small town around 1840
people
  • Chlestakov ( tenor )
  • Ossipp, Chlestakov's servant ( bass )
  • City Governor ( bass baritone )
  • Anna, his wife ( old )
  • Marja, her daughter ( soprano )
  • Mischka, servant of the city governor (tenor)
  • Postmaster (tenor)
  • Curator (bass)
  • Judge (bass)
  • Bobchinsky (tenor)
  • Dobchinsky (baritone)
  • a young widow (soprano)
  • the wife of the locksmith ( mezzo-soprano )
  • a waiter (silent role)
  • two dancers (Anna and Marja) and one dancer (Chlestakow) for the dream ballet in the third act

The Revisor is a comic opera in five acts by Werner Egk , who was also his own librettist. The text book is based on the comedy of the same name (1836) by Nikolai Gogol . The opera had its world premiere on May 9, 1957 in the Schlosstheater Schwetzingen as part of the local festival .

action

The opera takes place in a Russian provincial town in the mid-19th century. Except for the second act, which shows a room in an inn, the other acts have the same set design: an elegant room in the governor's house.

The mayor of a provincial Russian city was informed that he would soon have a visit from a high-ranking auditor from far-off St. Petersburg, who had the task of strictly checking all public books. Because the captain knows that there is a lot going on in his administration, he consults with the city judge, who also has a lot to hide. In doing so, they get the idea of ​​covering up all irregularities.

The two pensioners Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky join them and report that a few days ago an extremely elegantly dressed gentleman named Chlestakov and his servant Osip had stayed at the local inn. They were having a good time there, but have not yet settled the bill. Immediately a flash of thought signals to the city governor that this gentleman could only be the dreaded auditor. After all, the message that was delivered to him said that he was traveling incognito.

With a pounding heart, the city governor - together with the judge, the postmaster and the two pensioners - set off for the inn. He wants to find out whether the official from the capital would be inclined to get involved in a horse trade with him for a considerable sum. When Osip reports to his master who wants to speak to him, Chlestakov is frightened. For he is not the auditor, but an impostor who is just passing through with his servant. Now he is afraid of being arrested as a dodger. But when he realizes the real reason why the mayor and his entourage are waiting for him, he is immediately relieved and decides to play the role intended for him. It would be laughable if he couldn't benefit from it!

Chlestakov gladly accepted the city governor's invitation to move from the shabby hotel to his elegant villa. It doesn't take long before he understands how to cup all senior officials. He also flatters Anna, the wife of his benefactor, with lovely words. When he then also begins to flirt with his daughter Marja, who is not averse to his advertising, the engagement is soon celebrated. With a swollen chest with pride, the mayor tells the local dignitaries what kind of a capable son-in-law he is getting.

Little by little, the ground under Chlestakov's feet becomes too hot. He assures his host that an urgent inheritance matter requires him to leave immediately. As soon as this has been settled, he will return and take Marja to the altar. The governor shows understanding for his future son-in-law and gives him a proud sum of money with him on the trip.

Excited, the postmaster rushed into the governor's room, holding in his hand a letter which Chlestakov wrote to a friend shortly before his departure and which he had posted. It is not the first time that he has broken the postal secrecy and read the letter. In it, Chlestakov makes fun of his naive hosts. Everyone is outraged to discover that they have been shamefully betrayed by a stranger. But it gets even worse: Mishka, the governor's servant, announces a new visit. The real auditor is at the door!

layout

In his libretto, Egk freed the literary model from all secondary plot strands, reduced the number of characters and concentrated on the essentials. He equipped it with a powerful musical language that is able to cast a spell over many listeners. The musical highlights include the dream ballet in the third act, the witty song performed in French by the false auditor in the fourth act, "Toutes les mères, toujours sevères, à leurs fillettes défendent d'amer ..." and the great a cappella nonet against End of the opera.

Instrumentation

The orchestral line-up for the opera includes the following instruments:

Work history

The premiere took place on May 9, 1957 under the direction of the composer at the Schlosstheater Schwetzingen as part of the festival there with the ensemble of the Württemberg State Theater Stuttgart. The director had Günther Rennert . The set was designed by Leni Bauer-Ecsy . The protagonists were: Fritz Wunderlich (Bobtschinskij), Gerhard Stolze (Chlestakow), Heinz Cramer (Ossip), Fritz Ollendorff (City Governor), Hetty Plümacher (Anna), Friederike Sailer (Marja), Hubert Buchta (Mischka), Alfred Pfeifle (Postmaster) ), Frithjof Sentpaul (curator), Fritz Linke (judge), Gustav Grefe (Dobtschinskij), Ellinor Junker-Giesen (a young widow) and Paula Kapper (wife of the locksmith).

The world premiere was an unusually strong success for a contemporary opera, which is why the work was soon to be found on numerous repertoires.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. a b c Egon Voss : The auditor. In: Piper's Encyclopedia of Musical Theater . Volume 2: Works. Donizetti - Henze. Piper, Munich / Zurich 1987, ISBN 3-492-02412-2 , pp. 124-125.
  2. May 9, 1957: "The Auditor". In: L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia ..