Hans Heiling
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| Title: | Hans Heiling |
Title page of the piano reduction |
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| Shape: | Romantic opera in three acts plus a prelude |
| Original language: | German |
| Music: | Heinrich Marschner |
| Libretto : | Eduard Devrient (also singer of the title role Hans Heiling in the world premiere) |
| Literary source: | Hans Heilings Felsen , Bohemian folk tale |
| Premiere: | May 24, 1833 |
| Place of premiere: | Berlin |
| Playing time: | approx. 2 ¾ hours |
| Place and time of the action: | The Bohemian Ore Mountains , 14th century . |
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Hans Heiling is a romantic opera with spoken dialogues in three acts and a prelude by Heinrich Marschner based on a libretto by Eduard Devrient , who also sang the title role in the world premiere. This took place on May 24, 1833 at the Berlin Royal Court Opera . With this work Marschner gained his reputation as one of the most important opera composers of his time, but he was unable to improve his position as Hofkapellmeister in Hanover . As in Marschner's The Vampire , unearthly elements and effects are in play in Hans Heiling .
action
prolog
The subterranean cave was lit by a dim reddish light
After Hans Heiling falls in love with the mortal Anna, he plans to leave the underworld of the earth spirits in order to marry her. He ignores his mother's attempts to persuade him to stay. He takes some jewels and a magical book that will allow him to gain power over the subjects of the underworld.
first act
The inside of Heiling's apartment
Healing rises to earth in search of his future bride. He finds Anna and her mother who encourages Anna to accept the rich stranger's advertisement. In an unobserved moment, Anna looks at his book, which immediately fills her with horror. Heiling burns the book at her request and reluctantly accompanies Anna to a village festival.
Free space in front of the village inn
Lots of people drink, dance and sing in a pub. Stephan and Niklas meet with Konrad, who has loved Anna for a long time. Anna and Heiling join in, and Konrad asks Anna for a dance. Heiling raises an angry objection, which Anna ignores. She reminds Heiling that they are not yet married and leaves the scene with Konrad.
Second act
Wild forest and rocky area, red sunset
Anna is walking through a forest on her way home. She realizes that she loves Konrad, but she is still engaged to Heiling. Suddenly the queen appears and asks the girl to release her son, who is not a human but a prince of the underworld. Anna faints. Konrad discovers her and brings her home.
Gertrude's hut, night
Heiling visits Anna in her house and offers her jewels to win her over. Anna gives it back to him, she now knows its origin. In a fit of anger, Heiling stabs Konrad and runs away.
Third act
Desolate rock valley, night
Heiling returns to the earth spirits. He calls his former subjects together, only to learn again that without his book he has lost his power over them. Then he hears that Konrad is not dead and is to marry Anna the next day. In desperation, he throws himself to the ground. When they see that Heiling has lost so much, his subjects swear loyalty to him again. With the news of the impending wedding in his mind, he returns to the upper world to take revenge with his newfound powers.
Forest with a rock chapel
Konrad and Anna get married in a forest chapel. Heiling approaches and grabs Anna's hand. Anna asks for mercy. Konrad storms to his wife's aid, but his knife breaks when he stabs Heiling. Heiling summons the earth spirits to kill all people, but at that moment the queen appears. She persuades Heiling to reconcile, and they then return to the underworld.
music
Hans Heiling is a central opera of the era between Carl Maria von Weber and Richard Wagner . Their structure is highly original. The overture to the first act does not open the opera as usual. Instead there is a prologue before the overture, which begins after the curtain has fallen and is played during a change of scene.
Heiling's aria from the first act (“On that day”) is still being recorded and performed in concerts both in Germany and abroad. It is widely regarded as the gem of this opera. Also the aria of the queen (“O stay with me”), the finale of the first act with the peasant choir (“Juchheisa”), Anna's scene and aria (“Once there was such a deep peace in my heart”), ensemble and aria Queen with chorus (“From the gullet”), Gertrude's melodrama and song (“Des Nachtswohl auf der Haide”), Konrad's and Anna's duet (“Ha! This word”) and Heiling's evocation (“Up”) are noteworthy.
Instrumentation
The orchestral line-up for the opera includes the following instruments:
- Woodwinds : two flutes (2nd also piccolo ), two oboes , two clarinets , two bassoons
- Brass : four horns , two trumpets , three trombones
- Timpani
- Strings
- Thunder machine
- Incidental music on the scene: two flutes, two clarinets, two bassoons, two horns, trumpet
- Stage music behind the scene: four horns ad lib., Bells
- Incidental music under the scene: three trombones
Work history
Literary template
In the 18th century the rock formations of the Hans Heiling rocks on the Eger were interpreted as a petrified dwarf wedding and the name of Hans Heiling was also mentioned. This emerges from the introduction to the chivalric novel Hans Heiling by Christian Heinrich Spieß in 1798. Calling the narrative form of the material chosen by him and Theodor Körner as a “Bohemian folk tale” is misleading, as it must remain open what is due to the literary imagination of Spieß und Körner. The Brothers Grimm reduced Körner's story to an alleged core of a legend.
premiere
Originally the opera was tailored to the singer Traugott Gey . But since this engagement was in Hanover and the premiere took place in Berlin, this was prevented.
The premiere took place on May 24, 1833 under the direction of the composer at the Berlin Royal Court Opera . Johanna Lehmann (Queen of Earth Spirits), Eduard Devrient (Hans Heiling), Caroline Grünbaum (Anna), Henriette Valentini (Gertrud), Carl Adam Bader (Konrad) and Gustav Becker (Niklas) sang .
reception
In September 2015 Hans Heiling was performed at the Theater an der Wien . The opera was also shown in the 2015/2016 season at the Regensburg Theater .
With a new production at the Aalto Musiktheater in Essen, the director Andreas Baesler placed the work in 2018, the year of the end of the coal mining in the Ruhr area , in the context of the cultural history of the Ruhr coal mining .
Trivia
The middle foyer of the Vienna State Opera building (front of the Ringstrasse) is decorated with pictures of Moritz von Schwind and busts of composers, including Heinrich Marschner and scenes from Hans Heiling . The work was on the repertoire of the Vienna Court Opera and Vienna State Opera from 1846 to 1924 .
Discography
- Marianne Eklof, Magdalena Hajossyova, Karl Markus, Thomas Mohr, Ladislav Neshyba, Jan Rozehnal, Eva Seniglova, Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra & Choir, conductor: Ewald Körner . CD, recording: 1992, Naxos 8.223306-07 (Marco Polo imprint).
- Hans Franzen, Harald Meister, Hermann Prey , Hetty Plümacher, Leonore Kirschstein, Karl-Josef Hering et al. WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne & Choir, conductor Joseph Keilberth . CD, live recording from July 1966, Cologne. Opera d'Oro, UPC 723724387027
- Mary Gilles, Karl-Josef Hering , Leonore Kirschstein, Hetty Plümacher, Hermann Prey , Ursula Schröder-Feinen, Liane Synek, Bernd Weikl , Gerti Zeumer, orchestra and choir of the RAI Turin, conductor: George Alexander Albrecht . CD, recorded in June 1972. Gala Records GLA 730, UPC 675754665821
- Markus Werba , Anna Caterina Antonacci , Herbert Lippert, Gabriele Fontana, Cornelia Wulkopf, Nicola Ebau, Brian Garth Nickel, Teatro lirico di Cagliari & Chor, conductor: Renato Palumbo . DVD, recorded July 26, 2005. Dynamic 33467, UPC 675754849825
literature
- Ian Brunskill: Hans Heiling. In: Amanda Holden (Ed.): The Viking Opera Guide. Viking, London / New York 1993, ISBN 0-670-81292-7 , pp. 610-611.
- Booklet of the DVD Dynamic 33467.
Web links
- Hans Heiling : Sheet music and audio files in the International Music Score Library Project
- Libretto, Munich 1847. Digitized at Google Books
- Libretto at Zeno.org .
- Action by Hans Heiling at Opera-Guide target page due to URL change currently not available
- Page at Opera Today with English translation and German libretto (PDF)
- Page from John Mucci about Marschner with an English biography and a German libretto
Individual evidence
- ^ Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm: Hans Heilings Felsen. In: German legends. ( zeno.org ).
- ^ Theodor Körner: Hans Heilings Felsen in the Gutenberg-DE project
- ^ Ulrich Konrad: Hans Heiling. In: Piper's Encyclopedia of Musical Theater . Volume 3: Works. Henze - Massine. Piper, Munich / Zurich 1989, ISBN 3-492-02413-0 , pp. 681-684.
- ^ Ludwig Eisenberg : Large biographical lexicon of the German stage in the XIX. Century. Verlag von Paul List, Leipzig 1903, p. 324, ( Textarchiv - Internet Archive ).
- ↑ Traugott Gey at Operissimo on the basis of the Great Singer Lexicon
- ↑ May 24, 1833: "Hans Heiling". In: L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia ., Accessed on August 7, 2019.
- ↑ Schedule of Hans Heiling at the Theater an der Wien , accessed October 19, 2015.
- ↑ Michaela Schabel: An operatic revolt. In: The German Stage . September 21, 2015, accessed April 13, 2018.
- ^ Roland H. Dippel: Alfried Krupp, the earth spirit - Marschner's "Hans Heiling" in Essen. Review of the performance in Essen 2018. In: Neue Musikzeitung , March 2, 2018, accessed on August 7, 2019.
- ^ Franz Hadamowsky: Die Wiener Hoftheater (State Theater). Part 2. Vienna 1975. S. 190 f.