The eagle's Horst
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| Title: | The eagle's Horst |
| Shape: | "Romantic-comic" opera in three acts |
| Original language: | German |
| Music: | Franz glasses |
| Libretto : | Karl von Holtei |
| Literary source: | Johanna Schopenhauer |
| Premiere: | December 29, 1832 |
| Place of premiere: | Königsstädtisches Theater Berlin |
| Place and time of the action: | Giant Mountains, late 18th century |
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Des Adlers Horst is a "romantic-comic" opera in three acts by Franz glasses based on a text by Karl von Holtei , which premiered on December 29, 1832 in the Königsstädtisches Theater Berlin. The plot goes back to a story by Johanna Schopenhauer .
action
In the Giant Mountains , at the end of the 18th century. The single mother Rose is exposed to numerous hostilities in her village. Nevertheless, she tries to mediate in conflicts and convinces her employer to accept his foster daughter as her daughter-in-law. Suddenly, Rose's child is kidnapped by an eagle. She heroically fights her way to the eagle's nest. The hunter Richard, the child's father, appears. A lightning bolt splits a tree. At this signal Richard frees the child from the eagle's claws with a shot. The family comes together.
The following table of contents is taken from the Melitz opera guide from 1906.
first act
Area in the Silesian Mountains
Rose is on the stage; Renner, Veronika, Marie and Anton come to her, who walk on after a prayer of thanks. Rose alone (aria: “And be completely abandoned”). Cassian comes (song: "Life to garland with green leaves"). Since he attacks Rose, the rushing Anton takes the side of the girl, against the will of his mother, who separates him from the maid. Immediately afterwards she learns that her husband also takes the girl into protection and even has nothing against marrying Anton. Veronika insists that Marie and the forester Richard become a couple.
Richard comes (aria: "O that the rock is rigid chasm"). In the following scene it becomes apparent that Richard and Rose are intimate.
Country folk perform after Anton (chorus: “It greets again today”). When they are entertained and Rose steps in, they recognize in her a compatriot who once escaped disgraced and abused.
Second act
Rose confesses to the kind racer that she is Richard's wife and that she keeps her child hidden in the mountains. She gives way to her grief (aria: "Where the meadow is green ribbon between cliffs"). Renner promises to protect her, and in the following scene Rose rejects Anton's love and refers him to Marie, who loves him. Renner agrees, since he is averse to Veronika's wish to connect Marie with the forester.
Renner celebrates a drinking feast with smugglers (Terzett: "The bottles at hand, now check with your understanding"). Veronika joins, but Renner wins her over for the new plan.
The stage goes empty - you can see an eagle with a child soar into the air. The people rush out in horror (chorus: “The eagle, he stole a child”). Rose calls out: “God of mercy, the child is mine!” After a brief reflection, everything sets out to rescue.
Third act
Rock top with eagle's nest
Richard appears (aria: "And clouds rise ever darker"). Rose appears on a false rock, startled to see her mistake. She discovers what has happened when Richard is approaching again. He wants to shoot the eagle, save the child and thus obtain Rose's forgiveness; but his fist is trembling, his gaze is unsteady, he is unable to aim. A thunderstorm breaks out. Lightning falls a tree, which now forms a bridge to the eyrie. Rose walks towards the eyrie, the eagle rises threateningly; but now shoots and hits Richard. “Triumph”, Rose calls out, “my child is saved”. Everyone in the opera climb up and Richard and Rose are reconciled to their cheers.
Work history
The mixed form of stirring piece , melodrama , song performance and operatic ensemble scenes was typical for the performances in the Königsstadt theater. The end lives from a very impressive stage technology. Realistic descriptions of the environment and fairy tales went together here. At that time there were many pieces of this kind. Today only Carl Maria von Weber's Der Freischütz (1821) is known of them.
The taboo subject of the single mother was not easy to bring to the stage. The material would not have been possible without the dramatic reconciliation of the parents. Holtei made the plot more realistic by relocating Schopenhauer's novella from exotic Scotland to the Silesian Giant Mountains, the area of his childhood. He was initially in contact with Giacomo Meyerbeer and hoped that the famous composer would set his book to music. When this was not fulfilled, he handed over the musical arrangement to the house conductor glasses. The modern French grand opéra had a considerable influence on the design. The great success of the piece was reflected in performances in Prague, Amsterdam, Budapest and a rehearsal at the Royal Opera in Berlin in 1855, in which Johanna Wagner played the leading role. In the 1880s, the piece went out of style.
literature
- Siegfried Goslich: The German Romantic Opera . Tutzing 1975. ISBN 3795201616
- Hartmut Wecker: The eagle's Horst. In: Carl Dahlhaus, Sieghart Döhring (ed.): Piper's Enzyklopädie des Musiktheater, Vol. 2, Munich: Piper 1987, p. 404f. ISBN 3-492-02412-2
- The eagle's Horst. Libretto. Frankfurt 1835. Digitized at Google Books
Individual evidence
- ↑ Leo Melitz (ed.): Guide through the opera. 235 opera texts according to the content, the chants, the personnel and the change of scenery. Globus, Berlin 1906, pp. 2–3 ( digitized version ).
- ^ Johanna Schopenhauer: Novellen , Vol. 1, Frankfurt am Main: Sauerländer 1830, pp. 191-274.