If I were king
| Work data | |
|---|---|
| Title: | If I were king |
| Original title: | Si j'étais roi |
| Shape: | Opéra-comique in three acts |
| Original language: | French |
| Music: | Adolphe Charles Adam |
| Libretto : | Adolphe d'Ennery + Jules Henri Brésil |
| Premiere: | September 4, 1852 |
| Place of premiere: | Paris |
| Playing time: | about two hours |
| Place and time of the action: | Fantasy kingdom in the early 16th century |
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If I were King ' (French original title: Si j'étais roi ) is an opéra-comique in three acts that belongs to French romanticism. The composition is by Adolphe Adam ; the libretto was written by Adolphe d'Ennery and Jules-Henri Brésil. The work had its world premiere on September 4, 1852 at the Théâtre-Lyrique in Paris. In Germany, the opera was performed for the first time on January 21, 1904 in Breslau. Occasionally it was played in German-speaking countries under the title König for a day .
action
The opera is set in a fantastic kingdom that has access to the sea in the early 16th century.
first act
Sea beach with a fisherman's hut
Many years have passed since the poor fisherman Zephoris saved a girl's life. Without his courageous intervention, the creature would have drowned. To this day he has not been able to find out her name or whereabouts. He would like to give her back the precious ring that had slipped off her finger during the rescue operation.
Right now the king is passing his hut. In his entourage, Zephoris discovers a face that reminds him of the beautiful girl from back then, and he is not mistaken: it is her! She is also the king's daughter. In his naivete, Zephoris turns to the princess's companion, Prince Kadoor, and tells him about his long-ago experience. The latter orders him to keep silent if his life is dear to him. Then he orders his servant to steal the ring from Zephoris. He has the idea of getting the princess to wife with the help of the ring, because then he can pretend to be her savior. Secretly he intends to overthrow the king after his wedding and to usurp the rule himself. Zephoris saw through this intention, and henceforth he guards the ring like the apple of his eye.
When the high people have disappeared, he writes "If I were king ..." in the sand, goes to sleep and dreams of what he would do then.
Shortly afterwards, the king's path leads past Zephoris' hut again. When he notices the sleeping fisherman and the words he has scribbled in the sand, an idea occurs to him: he orders him to be brought to his castle. When he wakes up the next day, he should show for a day what he can do as a “king”.
Second act
Magnificent room in the castle
Zephoris thinks he is dreaming when he is treated like a king by the court after his awakening. But in dreams you can do anything. Because the king is at the same time the highest commander of the army and his empire is being besieged by the Portuguese, he devises a plan to drive out the enemy. And lo and behold - the plan succeeds! He also reveals that his adversary, Prince Kadoor, has secretly conspired with the enemy. He has not forgotten the status of the fishermen either: by decree he decrees that they have more rights. He reveals to Princess Nemea that she owes her life not to Kadoor, but to him. As proof, he shows her the ring. At that moment it falls like scales from the princess's eyes. She now knows that Kadoor has fooled her all along. She now only feels contempt for him; her heart now beats for Zephoris. He wants to seize the opportunity and initiate the wedding with his beloved, but these thoughts knock the bottom out of the barrel from the king's point of view. That's enough for him! He has Zephoris given a sleeping pill and brought him back to his poor hut.
Third act
Sea beach with a fisherman's hut
After waking up, Zephoris suffers a terrible heartache. Even his beloved sister Zelide cannot calm him down. Suddenly he discovers Prince Kadoor, who approaches his hut with a few armed helpers. Zephoris becomes aware of what his adversary is up to. He must now fear for his life. Fortunately, Princess Nemea is also approaching. You manage to prevent the worst.
In the meantime, the king himself has found out which villain he has sheltered under his roof. He has Kadoor arrested and expelled from his kingdom. He raised the poor fisherman, to whom he owed so much, to the nobility and gave him his daughter as a wife.
music
The work is one of those cheerful, typically French operas that are very easy to understand even for the inexperienced listener. It does not place any higher demands on him, but that does not mean that the work is undemanding. It just wants to be entertained, and it succeeds. The musical highlights include the overture, Zephoris' romance “Don't know your status, your name” in the first act, Nemea's aria “You are the happy prince” in the second act and the finale “Thanks to Almighty God” in the third act.
literature
- Piper's Enzyklopädie des Musiktheater , Volume 1, Ed. Carl Dahlhaus and Research Institute for Music Theater of the University of Bayreuth under the direction of Sieghart Döhring, ISBN 3-492-02411-4