Genesius (opera)
| Work data | |
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| Title: | Genesius |
| Shape: | Opera |
| Original language: | German |
| Music: | Felix Weingartner |
| Libretto : | Hans Herrig |
| Premiere: | November 1892 |
| Place of premiere: | Court Opera, Berlin |
| Place and time of the action: | Rome in the 3rd century AD |
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Genesius is an opera in three acts by the composer Felix Weingartner ; for the libretto drew Hans Herrig responsible using his drama "Geminianus".
action
Act 1 - Rocky Cave near Rome
A group of Christians gathers in a cave for secret prayer. The old man Cyprianus warns the Christian community about Emperor Diocletian. He then speaks confidentially with Pelagia, who loves the actor Genesius. He had secretly mingled with the group of prayers and - when he heard Pelagia's confession - stepped forward with delight. In order to marry Pelagia, he desperately wants to convert to the Christian faith. Before Pelagia can answer, Cyprianus rejects him. In his opinion, one shouldn't adapt one's beliefs to the right circumstances. Since Pelagia takes the side of Cyprianus in this discussion about love and faith, Genesius turns away and swears his vengeance to them.
- Metamorphosis - Large open space in Rome with an inn
Blinded in his megalomania, Emperor Diocletian allows his people to worship him as a god. Genesius discovers old Cyprianus among those present and brings him to the place of sacrifice. When Cyprianus refuses to worship foreign gods, Genesius betrays him as a Christian and urges him to be arrested. Pelagia appears and stands aside for Cyprianus. When she realizes who is the instigator of this betrayal, she turns away from Genesius and wants to suffer death with her fatherly friend. Genesius realizes too late what he has done and tries to save Pelagia at least.
Act 2 - The Imperial Gardens
Emperor Diocletian became aware of the young Pelagia. He tries in vain to win her over. When she no longer knows how to resist the imperial intrusiveness, she begins to pray. Suddenly she is surrounded by a ray of sunshine and Emperor Diocletian falls senseless to the ground. Soldiers and servants rush over, arrest Pelagia and take care of the emperor. From that moment on, Diocletian is confused and delusional. To get him to change his mind, a play should be performed. The main role is to play the emperor's best actor - Genesius.
In the meantime he has drunk his courage and, although the singer Claudia warns him, appears as “Phoebus Apollo” before his emperor. Genesius interrupts the poet's monologue and tells of his anguish; he wants to atone for the crime he has committed against Pelagia and Cyprianus. When he begins to praise the God of Christians, the servants and soldiers present panic. The mentally confused actor repeatedly crosses the resulting chaos with the words “My hands are tied! - Lead me to death! - I am a Christian! ”Emperor Diocletian condemns Genesius to death without further ado and has him taken away.
3rd act - the imperial dungeon
Exhausted, Pelagia lies asleep on the floor. Next to it, also chained, sits Genesius and ponders his actions. Then the dungeon door opens and Claudia enters. In her love for Genesius, she bribed the guards to see him again. Pelagia wakes up and is delighted to learn that Genesius has now professed Christianity from the bottom of his heart. Claudia gives Pelagia a ring that the guards use as a secret sign. With this ring she could now escape together with Genesius and, connected to him, live in the Christian faith. This, however, reminds them of their fellow believers who are still imprisoned and of eternal bliss in paradise. Pelagia sees what she owes her faith and urges Genesius to be reconciled with Cyprianus. Cyprianus, Genesius and Pelagia now walk calmly towards their death.
Origin and reception
Weingartner was best known as a conductor and Kapellmeister, even if he saw himself at least as much as a composer. In terms of content and style, his Genesius belongs to a series of operas that were written at the time closely based on Wagner : Guntram by Richard Strauss (1894), Le roi d'Ys by Édouard Lalo (1895), Der arme Heinrich by Hans Pfitzner (1895 ), Homeric World by August Bungert (1896–1903) and L'Étranger by Vincent d'Indy (1903). All of these works could barely gain a foothold in those days and have practically disappeared from the repertoire today . In the “morbid glorification of death” Genesius is closest to the Wagner opera Tristan und Isolde .
literature
- Felix Losert: Fight for the audience. German and Italian operas in Berlin in 1892: Weingartner's “Genesius” and Tasca's “A Santa Lucia” . In: Sebastian Werr, Daniel Brandenburg (ed.): The image of the Italian opera in Germany . LIT Verlag, Münster 2004, ISBN 3-8258-8279-9 , pp. 200-224.
- Leo Meltiz: Guide to the Operas . Globus-Verlag, Berlin 1914, pp. 105-106.
- Felix Weingartner: Genesius. Opera in three acts . Bote & Bock, Berlin 1910.
Individual evidence
- ^ Sebastian Werr, Daniel Brandenburg: The image of the Italian opera in Germany. Lit-Verlag, December 2004, ISBN 3-8258-8279-9 , p. 200.
- ↑ John Deathridge: Wagner and beyond . In: Mervyn Cooke (Ed.): The Cambridge companion to twentieth-century opera . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2005, ISBN 0-521-78009-8 , pp. 17-18.
- ^ Mark-Daniel Schmid: The Richard Strauss companion . Greenwood Publishing, New York 2003, ISBN 0-313-27901-2 , p. 239.