Das Wunder der Heliane
Encyclopedia
Das Wunder der Heliane Op.20
is an opera
in three acts by Erich Wolfgang Korngold
with a libretto by Hans Müller-Einigen
, after Hans Kaltneker. It was first performed at the Hamburg State Opera
on 7 October 1927. A suite for violin and piano based on the music from the aria "Ich ging zu ihm" is in print at Schott publishing.
The work is generally considered to have been a flop for Korngold following the critical and public success of Die Tote Stadt
and several other operas by the composer. Within the artistic community however there is evidence that there was admiration for the work, soprano Lotte Lehman even stating that the title role was her favorite. Heliane was forgotten for some time, but has recently been revived with high profile performances in London and the recent recording and performance at the BBC
's The Proms
of opera's the most famous musical sequence, "Ich ging zu ihm" by soprano Renée Fleming
and the release of the aria on the singer's studio album.
The Stranger tells Heliane how beautiful she is and she reveals to him her long golden hair. She then exposes her bare feet and then, finally, stands completely naked before him. The stranger asks Heliane to give herself to him on his last night of life, but she refuses and goes to the chapel to pray for the Stranger. The ruler returns to the cell, proposing that if the Stranger can teach Heliane to love the Ruler then he will offer him his life and Heliane. Heliane returns, still naked. She is shocked to meet her husband in the cell. In anger, he orders the Stranger's death and Heliane's trial.
The aria "ich ging zu ihm" appears on Renée Fleming
's recording Homage
Cast:
Opus number
An Opus number , pl. opera and opuses, abbreviated, sing. Op. and pl. Opp. refers to a number generally assigned by composers to an individual composition or set of compositions on publication, to help identify their works...
is an opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
in three acts by Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Erich Wolfgang Korngold was an Austro-Hungarian film and romantic music composer. While his compositional style was considered well out of vogue at the time he died, his music has more recently undergone a reevaluation and a gradual reawakening of interest...
with a libretto by Hans Müller-Einigen
Hans Müller-Einigen
Hans Müller was a German language writer, author of screenplays and director...
, after Hans Kaltneker. It was first performed at the Hamburg State Opera
Hamburg State Opera
The Hamburg State Opera is one of the leading opera companies in Germany.Opera in Hamburg dates back to 2 January 1678 when the "Opern-Theatrum" was inaugurated with a performance of a biblical Singspiel by Johann Theile...
on 7 October 1927. A suite for violin and piano based on the music from the aria "Ich ging zu ihm" is in print at Schott publishing.
Background and Response
After many successful premieres across Germany, Korngold composed a new opera, Das Wunder der Heliane beginning in 1924. Before its premiere in 1927 Korngold claimed that this would be his masterwork. But at the world premiere in Hamburg the audiences and critics were unimpressed feeling that Korngold's music held no new surprises and it was not modern. Critics were united in their lack of esteem for the work, many simply dismissing it as kitsch.The work is generally considered to have been a flop for Korngold following the critical and public success of Die Tote Stadt
Die tote Stadt
Die tote Stadt is an opera in three acts by Erich Wolfgang Korngold. The libretto is by the composer and Paul Schott , and is based on Bruges-la-Morte, a short novel by Georges Rodenbach.-Performance history:When Die tote Stadt had its premiere on December 4, 1920, Korngold was just 23...
and several other operas by the composer. Within the artistic community however there is evidence that there was admiration for the work, soprano Lotte Lehman even stating that the title role was her favorite. Heliane was forgotten for some time, but has recently been revived with high profile performances in London and the recent recording and performance at the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's The Proms
The Proms
The Proms, more formally known as The BBC Proms, or The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in London...
of opera's the most famous musical sequence, "Ich ging zu ihm" by soprano Renée Fleming
Renée Fleming
Renée Fleming is an American soprano specializing in opera and lieder. Fleming has a full lyric soprano voice.Fleming has performed coloratura, lyric, and lighter spinto soprano repertoires. She has sung roles in Italian, German, French, Czech, and Russian, aside from her native English. She also...
and the release of the aria on the singer's studio album.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, 7 October 1927 (Conductor: Egon Pollak) |
|---|---|---|
| Heliane | soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody... |
Maria Hussa |
| The ruler, her husband | baritone Baritone Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or... |
Rudolf Bockelmann |
| The stranger | tenor Tenor The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2... |
Carl Günther |
| The messenger | alto Alto Alto is a musical term, derived from the Latin word altus, meaning "high" in Italian, that has several possible interpretations.When designating instruments, "alto" frequently refers to a member of an instrumental family that has the second highest range, below that of the treble or soprano. Hence,... |
Sabine Kalter |
| The doorman | bass | Hermann Markowski |
| The blind judge | tenor | Gunnar Graarud Gunnar Graarud Gunnar Graarud was a Norwegian operatic tenor. After making his debut in 1919, he was a leading artist at the Berlin State Opera from 1924-1926 and at the Vienna State Opera from 1929-1937. In 1927 he created the role of The blind judge in the world premiere of Erich Wolfgang Korngold's Das Wunder... |
| The young man | tenor | Jan Berlik |
| The six judges: | Paul Schwarz, Hermann Siegel, Julius Gutmann, Peter Kreuder, Herbert Taubert, Arnold Greve | |
| Die seraphischen stimmen: | Olga Schramm-Tschörner, Franziska von Issendorf, Olga Wiese, Frieda Singler, Sophie Bock, Erna Homann, Janna Maria Balß | |
| The folk | choir Choir A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus... |
|
Act One
The cruel ruler exercises his power the over the land. The Ruler suffers because he is unable to win the love of his wife Heliane. Since he is unhappy, he will not tolerate his subjects living in happiness. A young Stranger has recently arrived in the land and was bringing the people joy; as a result he was arrested and sentenced to death. He will be executed at sunrise. The ruler visits him in order to learn the reason for his actions. The Stranger pleads for mercy but the Ruler is intent on his death. However, he agrees to allow the Stranger to remain unchained this last night of his life. When her husband has left, Heliane comes to the cell to comfort the Stranger. As she speaks to the Stranger and realizes his goodness, her feelings of pity and sadness turn to love.The Stranger tells Heliane how beautiful she is and she reveals to him her long golden hair. She then exposes her bare feet and then, finally, stands completely naked before him. The stranger asks Heliane to give herself to him on his last night of life, but she refuses and goes to the chapel to pray for the Stranger. The ruler returns to the cell, proposing that if the Stranger can teach Heliane to love the Ruler then he will offer him his life and Heliane. Heliane returns, still naked. She is shocked to meet her husband in the cell. In anger, he orders the Stranger's death and Heliane's trial.
Act Two
The ruler and his messenger (also his former lover whom he has rejected) await the coming of the executioner and the members of the high court. Heliane will be tried when the six judges and the blind Chief Justice arrive. The Ruler accuses her of adultery with the Stranger. Heliane cannot deny that she stood naked before the Stranger , but she insists that she gave herself to him in thought only. The Ruler presses his dagger into her breast telling her she should kill herself. The Stranger is brought in to testify but he will not speak, wanting to be left alone for a few moments with Heliane. He kisses her and then takes the dagger and kills himself, making it impossible for the Ruler to prove that Heliane is lying. The Ruler dismisses the court and tells Heliane that she will be on trial before God: if she is innocent, as she claims, she must bring the Stranger back to life. In shock she agrees to undergo the trial.Act Three
A crowd has assembled outside out side of the Ruler's palace. The Judges together with the Chief Justice arrive to witness Heliane's attempt to bring the Stranger back to life. The messenger stirs up the crowd against Heliane as the test begins. She cries, she will not lie, admitting that she did love the young Stranger. When the ruler sees her cry he wants to save her, but only on the condition that she will be his. Heliane resents her husband more than ever and she refuses this last offer for life. The crowd drags her away to the stake where she will die. Suddenly all are shocked as thunder crashes. Just as suddenly, stars begin to appear in the sky and everyone is amazed to see the young Stranger's corpse rise, transfigured from the funeral bier. By some miracle he is alive. Heliane breaks away from the shocked crowd and runs into the arms of this Stranger whom she loves. In a fit of rage the Ruler plunges his sword into her breast. The Stranger offers a blessing to the people and banishes the ruler whose power is broken. The Stranger takes Heliane in his arms. United in their love they rise to heaven.Recordings
- Nicolai Gedda, Andreas Scholz, Anna Tomowa-Sintow, Gotthold Schwarz, Hartmut Welker, John de Haan, et al. Conductor: John Mauceri, Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra. 3x CD, DDD, Decca, part of the "Entartete MusikDegenerate musicDegenerate music was a label applied in the 1930s by the Nazi government in Germany to certain forms of music that it considered to be harmful or decadent. The Nazi government's concern for degenerate music was a part of its larger and more well-known campaign against degenerate art...
" series.
The aria "ich ging zu ihm" appears on Renée Fleming
Renée Fleming
Renée Fleming is an American soprano specializing in opera and lieder. Fleming has a full lyric soprano voice.Fleming has performed coloratura, lyric, and lighter spinto soprano repertoires. She has sung roles in Italian, German, French, Czech, and Russian, aside from her native English. She also...
's recording Homage
Stage Performances
- 1928 Berlin Städtische Oper (Bruno Walter, Karl Heinz Martin, Gretel Stückgold = Heliane)
- 1988 Bielefeld Municipal Theatre (Rainer Koch, John Dew, Ingeborg Schneider = Heliane) 2
- 2010 Kaiserslautern Pfalztheater (Conductor: Uwe Sandner, Director: Johannes Reitmeier, Set Designer: Daniel Dvorak, Costume Designer: Thomas Dörfler)
Cast: