| Der Zwerg | |
|---|---|
| Opera by Alexander von Zemlinsky | |
 The composer in 1908 | |
| Translation | The Dwarf |
| Librettist | Georg C. Klaren |
| Language | German |
| Based on | "The Birthday of the Infanta" by Oscar Wilde |
| Premiere | |
Der Zwerg (The Dwarf), Op. 17, is an opera in one act by Austrian composer Alexander von Zemlinsky to a libretto by Georg C. Klaren, freely adapted from the short story "The Birthday of the Infanta" by Oscar Wilde.
Zemlinsky's choice of this story was a reflection of the end of his relationship with Alma Mahler, and the identification he felt with the drama's main character. [1] He completed the short score in December 1919 and the orchestration in January 1921. [2] The score was published by Universal Edition Vienna. [3]
The opera's premiere took place on 28 May 1922 at the Stadttheater Glockengasse in Cologne, Germany, under the baton of Otto Klemperer. Further productions followed in Vienna, Karlsruhe and Prague. [4] Its last performance in Zemlinsky's lifetime was in September 1926 at the Städtische Oper in Berlin-Charlottenburg. [5] The work runs for approximately 90 minutes and is usually paired with another work when performed.
In 1981, the Hamburg State Opera presented the first double-bill of Zemlinsky's two one-act operas Der Zwerg and Eine florentinische Tragödie . [5] Der Zwerg, however, was presented in an abridged version with a substantially altered libretto under the title The Birthday of the Infanta. The first modern performances of the opera as Zemlinsky intended were given in Cologne in February 1996 under the direction of James Conlon. [6] In 2004 'Der Zwerg' was one of the 'Eight Little Greats' season given by Opera North. [7]
In 2013, the Opéra national de Lorraine in Nancy, who had previously presented Zemlinsky's Der König Kandaules and Eine florentinische Tragödie , continued its exploration of his work with Der Zwerg, presented under the French title Le nain [8] with Erik Fenton as the Dwarf, Helena Juntuen as the Infanta, Eleanore Marguerre as Ghita and Pley Bryjak as Don Estoban. The staging was by Philipp Himmelmann with sets by Raimund Bauer and costumes by Bettina Walter.
The success of the performances in Nancy led to another adaptation in France in 2018 at the Opera de Rennes. [9]
Numi Opera Theatre's inaugural season presented Der Zwerg with excerpts from Oscar Wilde's "Birthday of the Infanta" in Los Angeles in 2019. [10]
In November 2022, Cologne Opera commemorated the centenary of the work's premiere there with a new production directed by Paul-Georg Dittrich and conducted by Lawrence Renes. [11]
| Role [3] | Voice type | Premiere cast, 28 May 1922 [12] (Conductor: Otto Klemperer) |
|---|---|---|
| Donna Clara, the Infanta | soprano | Erna Schröder |
| Ghita, her attendant | soprano | Käthe Herwig |
| Don Estoban, the chamberlain | bass | Hubert Mertens |
| The Dwarf | tenor | Karl Schröder |
| First Maid | soprano | Hedwig Werle |
| Second Maid | soprano | Hedwig Hertel |
| Third Maid | alto | Agnes Achnitz |
| Friends of the Infanta | sopranos and altos | Johanna Klemperer, Else Karsten, Adelheid Wollgarten |
Offstage music: 3 trumpets; clarinet in C, bassoon, 2 horns, tambourine, mandoline, strings
A sultan has sent a dwarf as a present to the Infanta (Spanish princess) Donna Clara on her birthday. The dwarf is unaware of his physical deformity and becomes infatuated with the Infanta. He sings her a love song and imagines himself her brave knight. She toys with him and gives him a white rose as a present. Left alone, he accidentally uncovers a mirror and sees his own reflection for the first time. In great agitation, he tries to obtain a kiss from the Infanta, but she spurns him and calls him a monster. His heart broken, he dies clutching the white rose as the Infanta rejoins the party.
James Conlon is an American conductor. He is currently the music director of Los Angeles Opera and principal conductor of the RAI National Symphony Orchestra.
Franz Schreker was an Austrian composer, conductor, librettist, teacher and administrator. Primarily a composer of operas, Schreker developed a style characterized by aesthetic plurality, timbral experimentation, strategies of extended tonality and conception of total music theatre into the narrative of 20th-century music.
Eine florentinische Tragödie, Op. 16, is an opera in one act by Alexander von Zemlinsky composed in 1915–16 to a libretto adapted by the composer from a German translation by Max Meyerfeld of Oscar Wilde's unfinished play A Florentine Tragedy.
Der König Kandaules is an opera in three acts by the Austrian composer Alexander von Zemlinsky. Its libretto was adapted by the composer from Franz Blei's German translation of the play Le roi Candaule by French author André Gide.
Der Traumgörge, Op. 11, is an opera in two acts and an epilogue by Austrian composer Alexander Zemlinsky. The libretto was written by Leo Feld based on the fairy tale "Vom unsichtbaren Königreiche" by Richard von Volkmann and the poem "Der arme Peter" by Heinrich Heine. After the prepared premiere at the Vienna State Opera in 1907 did not happen, the work was finally first performed by the Staatstheater Nürnberg in 1980.
König Hirsch is an opera in three acts by Hans Werner Henze to a German libretto by Heinz von Cramer after Il re cervo, a theatrical fable (1762) by Carlo Gozzi. He revised it as Il re cervo, premiered in 1963 at the Staatstheater Kassel.
Hagith, Op. 25, is an opera in one act by the Polish composer and pianist Karol Szymanowski. The opera premiered at the Grand Theatre, Warsaw in 1922, nine years after its creation. The libretto in German was written by the Viennese secessionist poet and Szymanowski's friend Felix Dörmann.
Der ferne Klang is an opera by Franz Schreker, set to his own libretto. Begun in 1903, it was first performed by the Oper Frankfurt on 18 August 1912. It was the composer's breakthrough to fame, and was frequently performed up until 1931, shortly after which the composer's music was proscribed by the Nazi regime. Largely forgotten after World War II, it has been revived by several opera companies in the 21st century.
Antony Beaumont is an English and German musicologist, writer, conductor and violinist. As a conductor, he has specialized in German music from the first half of the 20th century, including works by Zemlinsky, Weill, and Gurlitt. As a musicologist, he has published books on Busoni, Zemlinsky, and Mahler.
Die Gezeichneten is an opera in three acts by Franz Schreker with a German-language libretto by the composer, based on Frank Wedekind's play Hidalla.
Der Schatzgräber is an opera in a prologue, four acts and an epilogue by Franz Schreker with a libretto by the composer.
Kleider machen Leute is a comic opera in a prologue and two acts by Austrian composer Alexander Zemlinsky. The libretto was written by Leo Feld, based on the 1874 novella of the same name by Gottfried Keller.
Es war einmal is a fairy-tale opera in a prologue and three acts by the Austrian composer Alexander von Zemlinsky, composed during 1897-99. The libretto, an adaptation of Marie von Borch's German translation of the fairy-tale play Der var engang by the Danish author Holger Drachmann, was written by Maximilian Singer.
Alexander Zemlinsky or Alexander von Zemlinsky was an Austrian composer, conductor, and teacher.
Bluthochzeit is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Fortner. The libretto, also by Fortner, is based on Enrique Beck's German translation of García Lorca's 1933 play Bodas de sangre. It premiered at the Cologne Opera on 8 June 1957.
Aladdin or Aladin, Op. 43, is an opera by the Swedish composer Kurt Atterberg, to a libretto written by Bruno Hardt-Warden and Ignaz Michael Welleminsky. Two versions exist, in Swedish and German. The opera is based on the story, "Aladdin's Magic Lamp" from One Thousand and One Nights. It was first performed on 18 March 1941 at the Royal Swedish Opera, Stockholm.
Symphonische Gesänge, Op. 20 is a set of songs for baritone and orchestra composed in 1929 by Austrian composer Alexander von Zemlinsky.
Olivier Tambosi is an Austrian opera and operetta director.
The Sinfonietta, Op. 23, is a composition for orchestra by Austrian composer Alexander Zemlinsky.
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