Das geheime Königreich

Das geheime Königreich (The Secret Kingdom) is an opera in one act with words and music by Ernst Krenek, his Op. 50[1] and the second of three one-acters (with Der Diktator and Schwergewicht, oder Die Ehre der Nation) which premiered on 6 May 1928 at the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden as part of the Mai-Festwoche Wiesbaden. It is subtitled Märchenoper in 1 Akt[1] (fairy-tale opera in one act) and has been called a satirical fairy-tale opera.

Das geheime Königreich
Märchenoper in 1 Akt
Opera by Ernst Krenek
TranslationThe Secret Kingdom
LibrettistKrenek
LanguageGerman
Premiere
6 May 1928 (1928-05-06)
Mai-Festwoche Wiesbaden

History

A note to the press by the publisher Universal Editio (UE), probably from the end of 1927 and entitled Ein Einakter-Zyklus (A cycle of one-acters) announces that Ernst Krenek composed three one-act operas after the success of Jonny spielt auf, to be premiered together at the Festspiele Wiesbaden of 1928. Das geheime Königreich is listed as the second of the three, and described as a satirical fairy-tale (Satirisches Märchen).[2] The premiere of the three operas was part of the Mai-Festwoche at the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden on 6 May 1928.[1][3] It was the first festival after 1914.[4]

Roles
Role Voice type Premiere cast, 6 May 1928
Conductor: Joseph Rosenstock[5]
King baritone Herr (Karl) Köther
Queen coloratura soprano Frl. (Anny) van Kruyswyk
Jester baritone Herr (Heinrich) Hölzlin
Rebel tenor Herr (Eyvind) Laholm
3 Singing Ladies soprano, mezzo-soprano, contralto Fr. (Therese) Müller-Reichel, Frl. Bommers, L. Haas
First Revolutionary tenor buffo Herr (Heinrich) Schorn
Second Revolutionary bass buffo Herr Mechler
Guard tenor

Performances and recordings

Das geheime Königreich was recorded in 1999, conducted by Marek Janowski, with Michael Kraus as the King and Claudia Barainsky as the Queen.[6] The opera was coupled with Erich Korngold's Der Ring des Polykrates at the Lübeck Opera in 2012. A reviewer described the music as intellectual and musical fireworks ("intellektuelles und musikalisches Feuerwerk"), with music at the same time ambitious and effective. He notes similarities to Shakespeare's The Tempest and Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, with a King who wants to resign after a revolution, and his Jester, and a Queen who falls in love with a revolutionary leader, and is turned into a tree.[7] The same year, it was performed at the Semperoper in Dresden. A reviewer notes the stories ending about the divinity of a simple creature, and the more complex and darker dimensions ("komplexere, dunklere Dimension") below this surface.[8]

The opera was performed, along with its companion pieces by the Oper Frankfurt on 30 April 2017, entitled Drei Opern (Three operas). The stage director, David Hermann, placed it at the end of the evening, making the King the person who started as the Dictator in the first opera. The conductor was Lothar Zagrosek.[9]

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References
  1. "Ernst Krenek / The Secret Kingdom". Universal Edition. 1928. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  2. Krenek, Ernst. Ernst Krenek – Briefwechsel mit der Universal Edition (1921–1941) (in German). Böhlau Verlag. p. 416. ISBN 9783412205706.
  3. Stewart, John Lincoln. Ernst Krenek – Briefwechsel mit der Universal Edition (1921–1941) (in German). Böhlau Verlag. pp. 89–90. ISBN 9783412205706.
  4. "Maifestwoche des Staatstheaters in Wiesbaden, 6. Mai 1928" (in German). lagis-hessen.de. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
  5. "Die Mai-Festwochen in Wiesbaden", Wiesbadener Bade-Blatt, 8 Mai 1928, p. 1 (for all the cast) PDF (in German)
  6. "Ernst Krenek / The Secret Kingdom" (in German). Operone. Archived from the original on 25 September 2017. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
  7. Doppler, Bernhard (2 March 2012). "Zigaretten-Komponisten / Doppelabend mit Korngold und Krenek zum Thema "Glück" im Theater Lübeck" (in German). Deutschlandfunk. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
  8. Eckle, Barbara (20 October 2012). "Musiktheaterkritik / Des Königs späte Reue" (in German). Die deutsche Bühne. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
  9. Böhmer, Ursula (2 May 2017). "Drei Kurz-Opern von Krenek an der Oper Frankfurt / Triptychon mit Narr" (in German). SWR. Retrieved 6 May 2017.

Literature
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