The magic island
| Work data | |
|---|---|
| Title: | The magic island |
| Shape: | Singspiel |
| Original language: | German |
| Music: | Heinrich Sutermeister |
| Libretto : | Heinrich Sutermeister |
| Literary source: | Shakespeare's Storm |
| Premiere: | October 31, 1942 |
| Place of premiere: | Dresden |
| Playing time: | approx. 2 ½ hours |
| Place and time of the action: | On an island in fairytale times |
| people | |
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The Magic Island is an opera in a prelude and two acts by Heinrich Sutermeister , who not only composed the music but also wrote the libretto . This is based on the drama The Tempest by William Shakespeare . The work had its world premiere on October 31, 1942 at the Semperoper in Dresden .
orchestra
Three flutes, three oboes, three clarinets, three bassoons, four horns, three trumpets, four trombones, a timpani, a percussion, a harp, a celesta, a glockenspiel, organ and strings
action
Prospero, the rightful King of Naples, was ousted by his brother Alonso, put in a boat with his daughter Miranda and expelled from the country. After a long odyssey, the two are stranded on an uninhabited island. Here Prospero finds a book that gives him the mysterious power to submit to all spirits and above all to subordinate himself to Ariel, the spirit of the air and the monster Caliban.
When a ship passed the island one day, Prospero caused a storm to break up, which caused it to crash on the island. Among the survivors are Prospero's brother and his son Ferdinand. At Prospero's behest, Ariel uses his magic to induce Alonso to remorsefully admit his crime. Miranda and Ferdinand fall in love. They decide to return to their homeland and to become a just ruling couple for their people.
music
The music is only moderately modern and is therefore easy to understand for the listener. It is rich in melodic ideas; lyrical passages and buffonesque scenes are balanced.
literature
- Hellmuth Steger, Karl Howe: Opera guide. Fischer Bücherei, paperback no.49, Frankfurt am Main 1961.
Web links
- Work data for Die Zauberinsel based on MGG with discography at Operone