Levin's Mill (Opera)
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| Title: | Levin's Mill |
| Shape: | Opera in nine scenes |
| Original language: | German |
| Music: | Udo Zimmermann |
| Libretto : | Ingo Zimmermann |
| Literary source: | Johannes Bobrowski : Levin's Mill. 34 sentences about my grandfather |
| Premiere: | March 27, 1973 |
| Place of premiere: | Large house of the Dresden State Theater |
| Playing time: | about 2 hours |
| Place and time of the action: | 1874 in what was then West Prussia (Neumühl and Briesen on the lower reaches of the Vistula) |
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Levins Mühle is an opera in nine scenes by Udo Zimmermann (music) with a libretto by Ingo Zimmermann based on Johannes Bobrowski's novel Levins Mühle. 34 sentences about my grandfather. The world premiere took place on March 27, 1973 in the Great House of the Dresden State Theater .
action
The action takes place in West Prussia in 1874. The wealthy German mill owner Johann destroyed the mill of his Jewish rival Levin by opening his sluice gates. His act is obvious, but it cannot be proven. Levin's complaint is rejected by the corrupt authorities. However, he finds support from the poor Polish residents of the place, gypsies and circus people. At Johann's victory celebration in the inn, the song singer Weiszmantel performs a revealing song and provokes a commotion in which Johann and the "better society" lose out. The morally exposed Johann gives up his mill and leaves the village. Levin and Weiszmantel escape arrest.
The following table of contents is based on the opera guides by Sigrid Neef , Peter Czerny and Ernst Krause , the scene descriptions in the Tamino Klassikforum and the video recording of the Dresden performance from 1974.
First picture: Crossroads in front of Neumühl (Drewenzwiesen)
Scene 1. Korrinth and Nieswandt, two Polish workers, cart boards and planks from the water mill of the Jew Leo Levin, which was destroyed by an accident, to their master, the German mill owner Johann. It is an open secret in Neumühl that Johann himself is responsible for the destruction of the mill. He had opened the floodgates of his weir that night in order to be able to take over the business of his competitor. The servants are angry about this act.
Scene 2. The gypsy Habedank and the strange song singer Weiszmantel learn of the destruction of the mill. Corrinth proclaims that the water “did not come by itself”. The workers move on.
Scene 3. Weiszmantel doesn't believe in misfortune. It was common knowledge that farmers preferred to go to Levin rather than Johann. Levin had paid well for the farmers' grain, while Johann asked for meal. So the latter had a good motive. Weiszmantel composes a song about the secret of the “Great Water” to an old melody: “Great miracle gave, Moses wanted to live by the water. Great water has come, it swam away immediately. "
Second picture: In Habedank's Kaluse
Scene 1. Habedank has taken in Levin, now homeless, his daughter Marie's lover. In a dream Levin relives the loss of his mill.
Scene 2. Habedank tells Marie and Levin about Weiszmantel, who went to see the ringmaster Scarletto. Marie hopes the circus will come to them too. Habedank believes that money is the cause of injustice and wickedness in the world. Those who have a lot always want more. Marie doesn't understand why the goods are so unfairly distributed. Habedank retires to the night.
Scene 3. Levin confesses to Marie that he too was striving for profit and wanted to be rich at least for a while. Marie urges him to take her Aunt Huse's advice and call the court in Briesen. The residents of Neumühl would certainly support him as a witness. However, Levin sees no hope of success. Both remember better times, his popularity with the poor, and his success in business. Marie struggles for her lover, who is more important to her than wealth. Levin resigns, however, and Marie leaves the room with the desperate exclamation "You are my love no longer!"
Third picture: Baptism in Johann's house
Scene 1. Johann's grandchild is baptized in his own house. He invited the “better society” to do so. A male choir sings German songs. Pastor Glinski quotes from the 37th Psalm: “Remain pious and do what you are right, because only such will be well.” Johann invites him to take part in the meal.
Scene 2. While eating, Johann tries to get society on his side for the upcoming trial. He impressed the German “Volksgenossen” with patriotic speeches and cheers for the imperial family.
Scene 3. Two musicians enter: Habedank with his violin and the discharged teacher Willuhn with an accordion. Willuhn has a good reputation neither with the pastor nor with Johann. Glinski says he has not come to church since his release and is now moving around with the gypsy.
Scene 4. Habedank and Willuhn play to dance. Johann's father-in-law, the hard of hearing Fagin, complains to his daughter Christina that Johann only speaks to the pastor. When Christina explains to him that the trial is about Levin's mill, Fagin simply says that Levin should leave for Russia. Meanwhile, Johann promises the pastor money for the church roof. Willuhn starts a Polish folk dance (" Oberek "). Ms. Kossakowski also remembers previous night-long polonaises . The meanwhile drunk Johann puts an end to the dance: "No more Polackerei". Instead, Habedank should play something German.
Scene 5. With the song “ Always practice faithfulness and honesty! “Johann's own conscience makes itself felt. He hallucinates of his victims, the "Jew" Levin and his "pack", the "vermin" that he wants to "trample" on. Then he collapses completely. All gather around him, frightened.
Fourth picture: In Rosinke's little dining room
Scene 1. Habedank, Willuhn, Nieswandt and Korrinth are talking at one of the tables; At the next table the German farmers Kossakowski and Tomaschewski drink together; at a third table sits the German chaplain Rogalla. Habedank and Willuhn call on Nieswandt and Korrinth to testify for Levin in the trial. However, the two fear for their job if they should turn against Johann.
Scene 2. Levin appears and sits down with the Poles. Kossakowski and Tomaschewski are disturbed by their conspiratorial whispering. The innkeeper Rosinke sends his wife to Johann to inform him.
Scene 3. Johann storms in and announces to his workers under the pretext of letting his mill go to waste: “Your wages will be paid on the 15th, and then you will leave, understand?” When Nieswandt and Korrinth protested, he threw them out of the bar. In addition, Johann Rosinke forbids serving Levin. He also leaves the room with Habedank.
Scene 4. The German chaplain Rogalla is outraged by the behavior of the German gentlemen. He “no longer tastes the wine in this company.” When Johann reminds him of his “job as a German”, he replies: “Do we have that? I'm not sure. ”He follows the Poles out. Willuhn joins him, since "the last person" has now also left. Johann calls after him: "I'll get you all!"
Fifth picture: In the district court of Briesen
Scene 1. The supporters of the plaintiff Levin and the defendant Johann have a lively discussion ( aleatoric speaking and whispering choirs). The corrupt district judge Nebenzahl has the presidency. His counterpart is Marie's incorruptible Aunt Huse, who openly accuses Johann of opening his lock. During the subsequent tumult between the two parties, the judge steps in. Justice Secretary Bonikowski's bell is ignored. Only Aunt Huse's intervention ensures that the hall is quiet.
Scene 2. After the hearing is opened by Nebenzahl, Levin brings his complaint. Johann denies everything.
Scene 3. When Korrinth and Nieswandt reluctantly testify against Johann, Johann tells them to “shut up” and insults them as “ungrateful rabble”.
Scene 4. Aunt Huse gives a courageous speech to expose Johann's cunning. Nebenzahl asks her to remain silent and explains that "her statements [...] are of no value to the court".
Scene 5. The next number can be confirmed by Johann that Korrinth and Nieswandt were dismissed by him. He sees this as evidence of the bias of the witnesses, who are rejected. Although Levin continues to insist on his right, Nebenzahl Johann acquits. Its supporters cheer. Johann invites everyone to the German House to celebrate the victory and also calls on Scarletto's gypsy troop, who are just passing by, to come to Neumühl on Sunday.
Sixth picture: In Habedank's Kaluse
Scene 1. Marie, singing, spreads calamus on the floor.
Scene 2. After the trial, Levin realizes that his rights are not those of the rich. He takes refuge in Marie’s arms and tells her that his father has written to him and advised him to return to Różan. Since Marie doesn't want to move there (“You don't belong there anymore”), he happily promises to stay in the place.
Scene 3. Habedank, Weiszmantel, Willuhn and the gypsies from Scarletto's circus arrive, including the dancer Antonja, the juggler Emilio and little Antonella. They make music, juggle, dance and sing happily.
Scene 4. The village policeman Adam checks the papers of the gypsy troops, which prove to be inadequate: they have no residence or trade permit. Only when Scarletto points out Johann's personal invitation does Adam leave again. He wants to make inquiries.
Scene 5. Weiszmantel asks about Levin's plans. Levin explains that he no longer wants to operate a mill: "You will never see it again, Johann and his way, that I imitate them." Weiszmantel sings the song of freedom from the Polish uprising that was suppressed ten years earlier . The others join the song one by one.
Seventh picture: In Rosinkes large dining room
Scene 1. Before Johann's victory celebration, Habedank, Willuhn and Weiszmantel are waiting on the stage, while Rosinke and the gendarme make sure that only the “better” people come in. Johann's supporters congratulate them on winning the process. Johann steps forward in a good mood to introduce the gypsies. Some members of the "lower classes" took advantage of this moment to penetrate the room. Rosinke and Adam laboriously force the troublemakers back into the anteroom. Provocative remarks by Weiszmantel and Willuhn hardly allow society to calm down.
Scene 2. The circus performance begins. Antonja's dance and Emilio's juggling skills received applause. When the “miracle chicken” Francesca, brought in by Antonella, appears, Fagin throws a glass at her. Riots arise. Korrinth and Nieswandt use this opportunity to enter the hall through a window. They provoke Johann and Christina. Scarletto announces Weiszmantel as a "well-traveled vocal artist" with his own song.
Scene 3. Weiszmantel sings the song "About the great miracle and the great water". Everyone knows what it's about. More and more of the poor people invade. They remind Johann of his crime with the words "Hey, Hey, Hey, the dam breaks in two at night" and get the upper hand in the scuffle that follows. Together with the gypsies, they manage to drive the "fine society" out of the room. Then they comment on their victory with surprise: “Something completely new in Neumühl”. Levin says: “There are sones and such. You have to know what you belong to. "
Eighth picture: In Johann's house
Scene 1. Johann is deeply indignant about the incident. He wants to have Levin and Weiszmantel arrested for anti-German activities, hatred and riot. But his conscience doesn't leave him in peace. In his madness, he imagines that the villagers are breaking into his property and setting a fire.
Scene 2. Johann knows that he cannot escape moral ostracism in the village. When Christina comes in with a bowl and asks him what happened, he explains that he wants to move to Briesen. His wife drops the bowl in shock.
Ninth picture: Before Neumühl
Scene 1. Levin and Marie want to try their luck elsewhere because they fear for their safety. You say goodbye to Habedank. Weiszmantel also moves away.
Scene 2. Korrinth and Nieswandt approach with a cart full of sacks. They say that Johann gave up and sold his mill to Rosinke. Since the latter had no idea about the mill work and did not want to give up his restaurant, he had no choice but to hire the two of them again for good pay. Everyone bursts out laughing.
Scene 3. A non-commissioned officer and some soldiers look for the rioters Levin and Weiszmantel. Nieswandt and Korrinth lead you astray: you yourself are on the way to Neumühl, where the wanted are. The soldiers help transport the heavy load. Levin, Marie and Weiszmantel happily leave, humming the melody of the song about the “great miracle”.
layout
Instrumentation
The orchestral line-up for the opera includes the following instruments:
- Woodwinds : two flutes (also piccolo ), alto flute (also piccolo), two oboes (2nd also English horn ), two clarinets , bass clarinet , bassoon
- Brass : three horns , three trumpets , three trombones , tuba
- harp
- Guitar (also electric guitar )
- Celesta , piano
- Timpani , percussion (four players): xylophone , vibraphone , glockenspiel , three bongos , three tom-toms , three tambourines , cymbals , tam-tam , gong , triangle
- Strings : twelve violins 1, ten violins 2, six violas , six cellos , five double basses
- Stage music: trumpet, gong, accordion , violin
libretto
For his libretto, Ingo Zimmermann used sufficient material from the plot of Johannes Bobrowski's novel to give the opera a comprehensible, dramatic form. Ulrich Schreiber pointed out, however, that "the delicate balance between narrator, levels of reality and truth content" of the original was abandoned for this. For example, the “important outsider figure” of the painter Philippi is missing. Even so, there are a large number of characters. According to Ernst Krause , reducing this further would have “simplified the solidarity of the weak into a victory for a few”.
Ingo Zimmermann had to find a balance between two different types of humor - the “baroque humor” and “having fun with the inconsistencies and absurdities of life” of the original on the one hand, and the “GDR humor”, which only goes against the Was allowed to judge “right” people on the other. He retained the overall "poetic atmosphere" of the novel and also used some of the songs that appear in the novel, albeit occasionally in a modified form.
music
The opera dispenses with typical characteristics of socialist realism such as the positively portrayed heroes or the happy ending. Nor is it a "folklore opera", although the common people in particular are occasionally characterized in the tone of a folk song. On the contrary, Zimmermann tried to avoid an "overly flat style of making music". Like a leitmotif, Weiszmantel's song of the “Great Miracle” appears again and again in different variations. Zimmermann himself commented on its importance in an article in the Neue Zeit as follows: “With him, the law comes to a breakthrough when it sounds like music to accompany the defeat of the mill owner, that of the simple ones, in the great 'tavern battle' in Rosinkes restaurant People being beaten out the door. "
A second recurring musical theme represents the “desire for a different being”. It is based on a Lithuanian folk song and appears for the first time as a "bucolic element" in the second picture (Levin and Marie) in the alto flute. In addition, it appears in the sixth picture when describing Levin's future plans and in the ninth picture when saying goodbye to Marie's father and like a chorale at the end of the opera.
A third motif is derived from Habedank's twelve-tone row . It has a dance-like character and always appears when the common people gain self-confidence - first, when Weiszmantel and Habedank agree to use the song against Johann, and finally in Nieswandt's and Korrinth's report on their salary negotiations with the new mill owner.
Zimmermann also used the row technique of officially negative twelve-tone music for tonal themes by using their interval relationships in a constructive way. As in Paul Dessau's opera Puntila , tonal and atonal elements stand side by side on an equal footing. In the music of the christening ceremony in the third image, several layers overlap: a German male choir (D major), gypsy music (D flat major), the “bound aleatoric ” of the orchestra and other components rub against each other like a collage. Zimmermann wrote: “[...] one recognizes that crime and stupidity are paired with one another here and that this makes that possible. The specific musical dramaturgy, based on quotations, helps to expose a society. "
According to Sigrid Neef , some of Zimmermann's typical musical formulas are “marcato beats from the orchestra, chord clusters, garish breaks from the brass, vocal layers to mark arousal curves”. At the end of the seventh picture, the song of the “Great Water” culminates in a chortoccata.
The musical arrangement of the scene of Marie and Levin in the second picture caused uncertainty among the audience. In it he tried to find a new way to musically represent a conversation carried out in everyday language, since the form of an aria or a duet is not suitable for this "without compulsion". The instrumental part became the form-giving element. The vocal dialogue is "conducted completely freely, without any bar line". Below is the already mentioned Lithuanian folk song melody in the alto flute, over which a twelve-tone structure of the strings is created. Zimmermann said in a conversation: “It seems as if more and more smoke is coming into a room where two people are talking to each other, and in the end people don't see each other anymore, they talk past each other and scream at each other. "
Work history
Levins Mühle is the third opera by the brothers Udo and Ingo Zimmermann after White Rose and The Second Decision . It is based on the 1964 novel Levins Mühle , published simultaneously in both German states . 34 sentences about my grandfather by Johannes Bobrowski .
The opera was commissioned by the Dresden State Theater . After first considering the subject in December 1969, Ingo Zimmermann worked on the libretto for a year and a half. The director Harry Kupfer , who was scheduled for the premiere, was involved at an early stage. The composition was written between March 1971 and August 1972.
In the run-up to the premiere there were some problems with performers and cultural officials. For example, the head director of the Neustrelitz Theater, Sieglinde Wiegand, criticized the fact that "the processes in the play-shop are not socially justified, but generally human". Since the story in Bobrowski's original is presented as a family story, there is no rigid ideological boundary between good and bad. The novel also revealed the anti-Polish and anti-Semitic tendencies that continued in the GDR. Zimmermann had to make some tactical explanations in order to successfully bring the work to the stage.
The world premiere took place on March 27, 1973 in the Great House of the Dresden State Theater . The conductor was Siegfried Kurz , and the director was Harry Kupfer, as planned. The ensemble also consisted of excellent singers. The opera was very well received by the public and the specialist press. It established Zimmermann's international reputation as a contemporary composer. There were 26 performances in Dresden alone.
The very next day, March 28, 1973, the opera was played at the German National Theater in Weimar . The Stralsund Theater followed in 1975, the Meininger Theater in 1979 and the Städtisches Theater Karl-Marx-Stadt in 1980 . The Dresden State Opera made guest appearances in 1974 in Leningrad, 1975 in Wiesbaden, 1976 in Prague (Festival Prager Frühling ) and in Berlin (Berliner Festtage). After this relatively large number of productions within a few years, opera fell silent again in the GDR, for which the aforementioned cultural-political reasons were probably to blame. It was first performed in West Germany in 1975 under the direction of Kurt Horres at the Wuppertal Theaters . There were further performances in Hanover, Darmstadt, Bielefeld, Kassel, Düsseldorf and Braunschweig. In 2000 there was a new production in Leipzig (conductor: Michail Jurowski , staging: Alfred Kirchner , stage and costumes: Maria-Elena Amos).
Recordings
- Mar. 26, 1973 - Siegfried Kurz (conductor), Harry Kupfer (staging), Staatskapelle Dresden , ladies and gentlemen of the Dresden State Opera Choir.
Wolfgang Hellmich (Levin), Günter Dreßler (Habedank), Helga Termer (Marie), Karl-Heinz Stryczek (Weiszmantel), Rolf Haunstein (Willuhn), Johannes Kemter (Nieswandt), Rolf Wollrad (Korrinth), Brigitte Pfretzschner (Aunt Huse) , Hajo Müller (Johann), Barbara Gubisch (Christina), Günter Neef (Fagin), Stephan Spiewok (Gustav), Heidemarie Bergmann (Gustav's wife), Karl-Friedrich Hölzke (Pastor Glinski), Ruth Lange (Mrs. Glinski), Jürgen Hartfiel (Kaplan Rogalla), Armin Ude (Innkeeper Rosinke), Renate Biskup (Mrs. Rosinke), Konrad Rupf ( District Judge Nebenzahl), Karl-Heinz Koch (Justice Secretary Bonikowski), Horand Friedrich (Dorfgendarm Adam), Wolfgang Markgraf (Kossakowski), Evelyn Lippmann (Mrs. Kossakowski), Karl Wüstemann (Tomaschewski).
Preview from the Dresden State Opera.
Transmission on the radio of the GDR. - 1974 - Siegfried Kurz (conductor), Harry Kupfer (staging), Peter Friede (stage design and costumes), Jens Buhmann (television director), Staatskapelle Dresden , ladies and gentlemen of the Dresden State Opera Choir.
Cast as in the preview.
Video, complete recording, live from the Dresden State Opera.
Production of the television of the GDR, broadcast in October 2003 at Eins Festival . - 1974 - Siegfried Kurz (Conductor), Walter Room (radio and director), Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra , Radio Choir Leipzig .
Werner Haseleu (Weiszmantel), remaining cast as in the preview.
Abridged version with spoken text in between.
Production of the radio of the GDR. - 1974 - Siegfried Kurz (Conductor), Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra , Radio Choir Leipzig .
Cast as in the radio production.
Short version by the composer, excerpts from the radio production.
Nova 885 119 (1 LP), noble 0094512BC (1 CD).
Web links
- Work data on Levins Mühle based on the MGG with discography at Operone
- Work information from Breitkopf & Härtel
- Manfred Rückert: Detailed table of contents after the piano reduction. In: Tamino Klassikforum
- Scenes from the world premiere production in the Deutsche Fotothek.
Remarks
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Sigrid Neef : Deutsche Oper in the 20th Century - GDR 1949–1989. Lang, Berlin 1992, ISBN 3-86032-011-4 , pp. 544-554.
- ^ Peter Czerny: Opera book. Henschelverlag Art and Society, Berlin 1981, pp. 494–496.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h Ernst Krause : Oper A – Z. An opera guide. 6th edition. VEB Deutscher Verlag für Musik, Leipzig 1981, ISBN 3-370-00148-9 , pp. 694-697.
- ↑ a b c d e f Ulrich Schreiber : Opera guide for advanced learners. 20th Century II. German and Italian Opera after 1945, France, Great Britain. Bärenreiter, Kassel 2005, ISBN 3-7618-1437-2 , pp. 166-169.
- ↑ Udo Zimmermann: Creating rich poetry. In: Neue Zeit of March 21, 1973, p. 4.
- ^ A b Udo Zimmermann: Conversation with Fritz Hennenberg. In: Mathias Hansen: Composing at the moment. Conversations with composers from the GDR. Leipzig 1988. Quoted from Neef.
- ↑ Detlef Gojowy: Levin's mill. In: Grove Music Online (English; subscription required).
- ↑ Klaus Georg Koch: "Levins Mühle" performed by Udo Zimmermann in the Leipzig Opera. Review of the Leipzig performance in 2000. In: Berliner Zeitung of October 2, 2000, accessed on May 1, 2017.
- ↑ Udo Zimmermann: Levins Mühle on wunschliste.de, accessed on May 2, 2017.
- ↑ Udo Zimmermann. In: Andreas Ommer: Directory of all complete opera recordings (= Zeno.org . Volume 20). Directmedia, Berlin 2005, p. 24344.
White Rose (1967/1968) | The second decision (1970) | Levin's Mill (1973) | The Schuhu and the Flying Princess (1976) | The wondrous shoemaker's wife (1982) | White Rose (1986)