Undine (Hoffmann)
| Work data | |
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| Title: | Undine |
| Original title: | Undine |
| Shape: | Singspiel |
| Original language: | German |
| Music: | ETA Hoffmann |
| Libretto : | Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué |
| Literary source: | Fairy tale novella "Undine" by the librettist |
| Premiere: | August 3, 1816 |
| Place of premiere: | Berlin |
| Playing time: | about 3 hours |
| Place and time of the action: | Germany, fairytale time |
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Undine is a romantic magic opera in three acts by ETA Hoffmann . Although Hoffmann was also a great poet - he is much better known in this field than as a composer - he had his friend Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué write the libretto based on his own model, the fairytale novella of the same name. It premiered on August 3, 1816 in the Royal Theater on Gendarmenmarkt in Berlin on the occasion of the birthday party of Friedrich Wilhelm III. of Prussia. The architect and painter Karl Friedrich Schinkel , who was already very famous at the time , created the set. The work is not - as mentioned in some opera guides - through-composed . The individual music numbers are linked to one another through spoken dialogues.
action
first act
The inside of a fisherman's hut with a window on the back wall
The old fishermen are once again worried about their foster daughter Undine, who should actually be home long ago. Knight Huldbrand von Ringstetten, who found refuge with them when he had to flee from a storm, learns from the couple that they had a daughter sixteen years ago. However, fate was cruel to them, because after a year the girl drowned in the nearby lake. Maybe she was kidnapped by a water spirit because her body was never found. By a lucky coincidence, Undine was brought to them on the same day. She is a very moody being, but they love her like their own child. Ritter Huldbrand explains that he wants to go out into the night and look for Undine.
Metamorphosis: night. Lakeshore with rocks and falling water
Undine quarrels with her uncle Kühleborn, the mighty water prince. He had warned her about the humans often enough, but still Undine had insisted on leaving her wet element to find a mortal who would marry her. She hopes to gain a soul in this way. As the argument comes to a head, Huldbrand appears and Kühleborn disappears into the lake with his water spirits.
Huldbrand is delighted with Undine's beauty. He feels magically drawn to her. But also for Undine, Huldbrand is love at first sight. They quickly get closer, and Huldbrand asks Undine to come with him to his castle. From the depths of the lake, the water spirits warned them again and again to Undine's ear, but she could not be disturbed. She gladly accepts the knight's invitation.
Transformation: back inside the fisherman's hut
When the couple in love have entered the fisherman's hut, the two discover a new visitor: it is Father Heilmann, who is on a pilgrimage and stops here. Undine and Huldbrand come in handy. Without further ado, they ask the clergyman to trust them. After Undine's foster parents have no objection, the wedding takes place.
Sunshine drove away the storm. After Undine, Huldbrand and the priest have said goodbye to the fishermen, they set off for Ringstetten Castle. Little do they know that someone is secretly following them. It is Kühleborn, who is still worried about his niece and wants to stand by her if she should get in danger.
Second act
Large square in the imperial city, surrounded by trees, in the middle of a fountain
Undine and Berthalda go for a walk and talk. You could get the impression that they are friends. But the sophisticated Berthalda, who recently promised Huldbrand marriage, only plays Undine's confidante. In reality, she is just out to uncover the mystery of where she came from. In order to gain her trust, she complains to Undine that the Duke once discovered her as a little foundling on a meadow during a ride and took her to his castle. She would love to know who her real parents are.
Meanwhile, Kühleborn climbs up from the well and warns his niece again to be on guard. In addition, Undine learns that Berthalda is in truth the allegedly drowned child of the fishermen.
Metamorphosis: In Knight Huldbrand's inn
Undine welcomes her foster parents and invites them to come to Huldbrand's castle.
Transformation: Large State Hall
The Duke invited many knights and their wives to a feast. During the banquet, Undine enters the hall, followed by her foster parents. Undine thinks she can bring joy to Berthalda by introducing her to her birth parents. But her thoughts were probably too naive. Berthalda is far too proud to admit that her ancestors were poor fishermen. She even accuses Undine of witchcraft and leaves the room angrily. Suddenly Huldbrand feels that his love for his former bride has not yet completely died out. He accuses Undine of deliberately trying to offend Berthalda.
Metamorphosis: Dark forest
After a long search, Huldbrand finds Berthalda on the bank of a stream. Although Kühlborn's words of warning repeatedly reach his ear from its depths, he takes Berthalda with him and surprises her with a precious necklace.
Metamorphosis: Free area on the bank of a river
Enter UNDINE with an entourage of women and squires. She is worried because she misses her husband. She fears that something might have happened to him; but soon her worry gives way to joy when she sees Huldbrand coming with Berthalda. The latter cockily holds the necklace over the waves to reflect the sun and water. Suddenly a huge fist rises from the waves and pulls the jewelry with it into the depths. Undine realizes that this joke can only be Kühleborn's work. She begs the water spirits to return the chain. Thereupon a handsome boy rises from the waves, hands Undine a coral string and immediately disappears again. When Undine tries to pass the string on to Berthalda, she is pushed back. Huldbrand accuses his wife of being in contact with evil forces and only with their help forced his love for her. But with this curse he violates the strict rule that he must never offend his wife. Undine is deeply desperate. A thick fog envelops them and draws them into the river.
Third act
Room at Ringstetten Castle
Huldbrand's love for his former bride Berthalda is fully flared again. He heard Kühleborn's threatening words over and over again, swearing terrible vengeance on him. Father Heilmann's advice, after all, that he was married and that he had to remain loyal to Undine even if she was no longer with him, did not influence his plans. The wedding is being prepared in the castle.
Metamorphosis: In the courtyard
The fishermen - Huldbrand's future in-laws - are also invited to the wedding party. However, you are not comfortable with it. She was bitterly disappointed by the coldness of her biological daughter. The fisherman in particular raves about what a good child Undine was, on the other hand, and starts a song in memory of her that she used to sing often and with pleasure.
More and more guests arrive and sit down at the tables. There is plenty of wine going around; Drinking songs sound. Berthalda is at the goal of her wishes. Now only one thing is missing: she complains to her husband that he had the beautiful fountain in the courtyard walled up. In doing so, she forgets that this only happened out of fear of the water spirits. But because it is his wife's wish for the water to gush again in the well, he orders the squires and twigs to break it open with hoes and spades. When the first jet of water shoots out after the work is done, Undine is immediately visible. Everyone is horrified - except for Huldbrand. He now realizes that his true love does not belong to Berthalda, but only to Undine. The two hug and kiss. Together they descend through the well into the realm of the water spirits. Huldbrand has exhaled his life and has become a water spirit himself.
music
Hoffmann's Undine was the first German opera to deserve the title “romantic”. However, this rating applies more to opera than to music, which is still strongly influenced by classical music (Mozart, Beethoven). It is not as catchy as in the opera of the same name by Albert Lortzing , written 29 years later, but it penetrates deeper into the characters' mental characters. Nevertheless, in the course of time, Lortzing's opera, because it is much more effective on the stage, almost completely ousted Hoffmann's work from the theater.
Sound carrier
Three CDs "Undine" by Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann, KOCH International GmbH, No. 3–1092-3, recorded in co-production with RIAS Berlin and WDR Cologne 1993. Complete recording (only the spoken dialogues are omitted) with Roland Hermann , Hans Franzen , Elisabeth Glauser, Krisztina Laki , Heikki Orama , Karl Ridderbusch , Ulrich Ress, Dora Koschak, Mani Mekler, the choir of St. Hedwig's Cathedral Berlin and the Radio Symphony Orchestra Berlin under the direction of Roland Bader . A detailed booklet is included, which contains, among other things, an unabridged libretto (including the spoken dialogues).
A complete recording - here with spoken dialogues - is available with the Bamberg Youth Orchestra and Oratorio Choir under the direction of Hermann Dechant .
Web links
- Action by Undine (Hoffmann) on Opera-Guide landing page due to URL change currently unavailable
- Performances (1770–1830) by Undine in the DFG opera project
- Work data for Undine based on MGG with discography at Operone