Fanal (opera)

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Opera dates
Title: Flaming land
Original title: Fanal
Shape: Opera in three acts
Original language: Swedish
Music: Kurt Atterberg
Libretto : Oscar Ritter and Ignaz Michael Welleminsky
Literary source: The legend of the rogue of mountains
Premiere: January 27, 1934
Place of premiere: Stockholm Royal Opera
Playing time: approx. 2 hours and 10 minutes
Place and time of the action: A small Rhenish village during the Peasant Wars, 1525
people
  • The Duke ( Bass )
  • Rosamund, his daughter ( soprano )
  • Martin Scharf, son of the hangman ( tenor )
  • The vassal (tenor)
  • The field captain and two mercenaries ( baritones )
  • The old Scharffin, his mother ( old )
  • Jost the Hundsheimer ( bass baritone )
  • Kunrad and Rochus, Landsknechte (baritones)
  • The Peasant Captain (baritone)
  • Pankraz Knipperlein, clerk (tenor)
  • Peter Unz, the landlord (tenor)
  • The red Ursel, a whore (soprano)
  • Entourage of the duke, mercenaries, monks, peasants, people

Fanal (German title Flammendes Land ) is an opera in three acts by Kurt Atterberg ( music ) with a libretto by Oscar Ritter and Ignaz Michael Welleminsky based on the Rhenish saga Der Schelm von Bergen . The premiere took place on January 27, 1934 in Stockholm.

action

The action takes place in a small Rhenish village during the Peasant Wars around 1525. The libretto differs greatly from the known legends and, in particular, deliberately shifts the time of the action. It has been suggested that this might raise political concerns, e.g. B. because of the proximity to Heinrich Heine's famous poetry, were avoided. In Germany the plot was interpreted and praised as a parable of the current political situation.

first act

Princess Rosamunde is captured by insurgent farmers and sentenced to death. The young executioner Martin is supposed to carry out the execution. But he falls in love with Rosamunde, can free her and escape with her.

Second act

They flee to Martin's mother. Martin has been able to hide his craft from Rosamunde and denies it. When she finds out the truth, she is frightened and wants to flee alone. At this moment they are surprised by their pursuers and can only flee together by force.

Third act

The Duke has meanwhile vowed to make his daughter's savior son-in-law. The refugees are provided by ducal troops and Rosamunde pretends to be Martin as her savior. Because of his job, Martin has reservations about marrying Rosamunde. He reveals himself to the Duke as an executioner. The Duke Martin then solemnly proposes to the Count.

history

Emergence

The composition (op. 35) was composed from 1929 and was premiered in Swedish in 1934 at the Royal Stockholm Opera under the baton of Nils Grevillius. The main role was sung by Jussi Björling , who a short time later sang the popular aria I Männer över lag og rätt on record. The other singers were Helga Görlin (Rosamund), Joël Berglund (Jost der Hundsheimer) and Britta Ewert, Conny Molin, Sven d'Ailly, Emil Stiebel and Leon Björker .

The opera was very successful. Björling alone sang the role 22 times over the next five years.

reception

The German premiere took place two months later at the Braunschweig State Theater . The performance was enthusiastically received and there were subsequent performances in Lübeck, Chemnitz and Dortmund.

Recordings / discography

  • Kungliga Teatern Orkester Stockholm: Fanal ( Flammendes Land ) (complete recording in Swedish), Line Music, 1957

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Erik Levi: Opera in the Nazi period. In: John London (Ed.): Theater under the Nazis , Manchester University Press, 2000, pp. 136-186.
  2. ↑ Flammendes Land , review on musirony, accessed on January 31, 2017.
  3. ↑ January 27, 1934: "Fanal". In: L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia ..
  4. ^ Stephan Hastings: The Björling Sound. University of Rochester Press, 2012
  5. ↑ Karl-Josef Kutsch , Leo Riemens : Large singer lexicon . Volume 4, 4th edition, de Gruyter, 2004