| Die beiden Neffen | |
|---|---|
| Singspiel by Felix Mendelssohn | |
 The composer, who wrote the piece for a family performance around 1822, in 1821 | |
| Translation | The Two Nephews or The Uncle from Boston |
| Other title | Der Onkel aus Boston |
| Librettist | Johann Ludwig Casper |
| Language | German |
| Premiere | 3 February 1824 Mendelssohn's home |
Die beiden Neffen (The Two Nephews), also known as Der Onkel aus Boston (The Uncle from Boston ), is a three-act Singspiel by Felix Mendelssohn to a libretto by Johann Ludwig Casper.
Die beiden Neffen was written by between May 1822 and 1823, during which time Mendelssohn celebrated his fourteenth birthday. The libretto was by Casper who had provided books for his three previous Singspiels, Die Soldatenliebschaft (Soldier's Love) (1820), Die beiden Pädagogen (The Two Teachers) (1821) and Die wandernden Komödianten (The Roving Actors) (1822). Die beiden Neffen was the last of their collaborations. These pieces were designed for performance within the family circle at the musical gatherings regularly organised by Felix's father Abraham Mendelssohn. Die beiden Neffen was performed in the garden house of the Mendelssohn family on Felix's 15th birthday (3 February 1824). Like Mendelssohn's other juvenile operas, the work shows the influence of Mozart and Carl Maria von Weber, but without any of the individuality which began to show in the later Die Hochzeit des Camacho .
The dialogue for the third act has been lost, but has been reconstructed, enabling the first modern performances; on 3 October 2004 (concert performance in Essen), and on 14 April 2007 (staged performance, Pfalztheater, Kaiserslautern). There is also a CD recording conducted by Helmuth Rilling. [1]
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 3 February 1824 (Conductor: - ) |
|---|---|---|
| Fanny | soprano | |
| Lisette | soprano | |
| Count Felsig | bass | |
| Carl | tenor | |
| Theodor | tenor | |
| Berg | bass | |
| Peasants, etc. | ||
Brandenburg in the 1780s. Baron von Felsig has returned unexpectedly from New England. The consequent problems of mistaken identities and misunderstandings fill out an undistinguished storyline leading to a traditional happy ending.
Die beiden Neffen oder Der Onkel aus Boston, Kate Royal, Lothar Odinius, Carsten Süß, Gächinger Kantorei, Bach-Collegium Stuttgart, Helmut Rilling, Hänssler Classics, 2004
Helmuth Rilling is a German choral conductor and an academic teacher. He is the founder of the Gächinger Kantorei (1954), the Bach-Collegium Stuttgart (1965), the Oregon Bach Festival (1970), the Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart (1981) and other Bach Academies worldwide, as well as the "Festival Ensemble Stuttgart" (2001) and the "Junges Stuttgarter Bach Ensemble" (2011). He taught choral conducting at the Frankfurt Musikhochschule from 1965 to 1989 and led the Frankfurter Kantorei from 1969 to 1982.
Peter Schreier was a German tenor in opera, concert and lied, and a conductor. He was regarded as one of the leading lyric tenors of the 20th century.
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Die Freude reget sich, BWV 36.3, BWV 36b), is a secular cantata composed by Johann Sebastian Bach. The work appears to date from c. 1737-1738, when Bach was living in Leipzig. Bach drew on material he had composed more than a decade earlier for the cantata Schwingt freudig euch empor, BWV 36.1.
Schwingt freudig euch empor, BWV 36.1, is a secular cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed it in Leipzig, most likely in 1725. There is evidence that the cantata was performed in April or May that year, and that it was re-staged six years later for the 40th birthday of Johann Matthias Gesner. Bach reused parts of the cantata in two other secular cantatas, and in a church cantata for the first Sunday in Advent, Schwingt freudig euch empor, BWV 36.
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Bach-Collegium Stuttgart is an internationally known German instrumental ensemble, founded by Helmuth Rilling in 1965 to accompany the Gächinger Kantorei in choral music with orchestra. Its members are mostly orchestra musicians from Germany and Switzerland who get together for projects associated with the choir and also instrumental programs of their own.
Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart is a foundation in Stuttgart, founded by Helmuth Rilling in 1981 to foster international concerts and workshops, namely Musikfest Stuttgart, dedicated especially to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach in relation to present day composition. Its director has been Hans-Christoph Rademann from 1 June 2013.
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