The dwarf
| Work data | |
|---|---|
| Title: | The dwarf |
| Shape: | Opera in one act |
| Original language: | German |
| Music: | Alexander von Zemlinsky |
| Libretto : | Georg C. Klaren |
| Literary source: | The Birthday of the Infanta by Oscar Wilde |
| Premiere: | May 28, 1922 |
| Place of premiere: | Cologne |
| Playing time: | approx. 1 ¼ hours |
| Place and time of the action: | Spain in the 16th century |
| people | |
The Dwarf is an opera in one act by Alexander Zemlinsky . The libretto is by Georg C. Klaren . He used the fairy tale The Birthday of the Infanta by Oscar Wilde as a template . The work had its world premiere on May 28, 1922 in Cologne under the direction of Otto Klemperer .
action
The celebration of the 18th birthday of the aspirant to the throne is being prepared in the ballroom of the royal palace in Madrid. It is supervised by Don Estoban, the steward. He tells the maid what presents have arrived for the princess. The present that attracts the most attention comes from a sultan: an overgrown dwarf. He himself has no idea how ugly he is, he has never seen a mirror or his reflection.
After Don Estoban has given the signal for the beginning of the festival, the guests parade past the Infanta and congratulate her. Then she is surprised with the living gift. Because the dwarf has never seen such a beautiful creature as the princess, he is urged to please her with a song, which causes the amusement of the three maids. Only Ghita, the Infanta’s favorite maid, feels sorry for the poor creature.
After the guests say goodbye, the dwarf climbs into a vision in which he sees himself as the protector of the princess. She picks up the ball and encourages him to go further in what he does. Thereupon her the dwarf confesses his love; but when he wants to kiss her, she rejects him, but gives him a white rose as thanks. Ghita advises the hunchback to leave the princess. But he doesn't understand what the maid means. Rather, he continues to live his dream. Suddenly he discovers his true ugly face in a mirror. He asks the Infanta to tell him that what the mirror is showing is not true and once again invokes his love for her, but in vain. The Infanta returns to her court. Ghita finds the collapsed dwarf who asks her for the white rose before he dies.
Rediscovery, music
Soon after Zemlinsky's death, his works were largely forgotten. It would take around 30 years before they found their way back to the public. The renaissance began in 1977 in Kiel, where The Dwarf was re-performed together with Zemlinsky's other one-act play A Florentine Tragedy . The great success did not materialize until 1981 when it was performed by the Hamburg State Opera in a production by Adolf Dresen . Dresen had heavily revised the libretto for this in order to bring the plot closer to the model by Oscar Wilde.
Zemlinsky's music oscillates between late romanticism , verismo and modernity, but never leaves the ground of tonality .
literature
- Rolf Fath: Reclam's opera guide . 37th edition. Reclam, Stuttgart 2002, ISBN 3-15-010511-0 .
- Ulrich Wilker: "The most beautiful is hideous": Alexander Zemlinsky's one-act opera The Dwarf. (= Writings of the Arnold Schönberg Science Center. Volume 9). Böhlau, Vienna / Cologne / Weimar 2013, ISBN 978-3-205-79551-3 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Michael Oliver: Zemlinsky Der Zwerg on gramophone.co.uk , accessed March 7, 2016.