Die Abreise is a comic opera

Comic opera

Comic opera denotes a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending.Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a new operatic genre, opera buffa, emerged as an alternative to opera seria...

 in one act by composer Eugen d'Albert

Eugen d'Albert

Eugen Francis Charles d'Albert was a Scottish-born German pianist and composer.Educated in Britain, d'Albert showed early musical talent and, at the age of seventeen, he won a scholarship to study in Austria...

. The libretto was written by Ferdinand Sporck, a friend of the composer, after a play by August Ernst Steigentesch.

Composition history

Eugen d'Albert composed the opera in 1896. The score was published by Brockhaus in 1898
, and is now available from Boosey & Hawkes.

Performance history

The opera was first performed 20 October 1898 at the Alte Oper

Alte Oper

The Alte Oper is a major concert hall and former opera house in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. The building was inaugurated in 1880. Many important works have been premiered at the Alte Oper, including Carl Orff's Carmina Burana in 1937....

 in Frankfurt, under the baton of Ludwig Rottenberg

Ludwig Rottenberg

Ludwig Rottenberg was an Austrian/German composer and conductor.-Biography:Rottenberg came from a German-speaking Jewish family in Czernowitz, the then-capital of Bukovina, which at the time was part of the Austrian-Hungarian Monarchy...

.

Roles

Role	Voice type	Premiere Cast 20 October 1898 (Conductor: Ludwig Rottenberg Ludwig Rottenberg Ludwig Rottenberg was an Austrian/German composer and conductor.-Biography:Rottenberg came from a German-speaking Jewish family in Czernowitz, the then-capital of Bukovina, which at the time was part of the Austrian-Hungarian Monarchy... )
Gilfen, a baron	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 Brinkman
Luise, his wife	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...	Hedwig Schacko
Trott, a baron, their friend	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...	Max Pichler

Synopsis

Time and place: the garden hall of a summer residence in central Germany, at the end of the 18th century.

Gilfen and Luise have been married for many years, and the passion in their relationship has dimmed considerably. Gilfen has been planning to undertake a long journey, but he has postponed his departure every time because he was afraid his wife would take advantage of the situation. And so, he never departed.

Trott, a friend of the couple, is in love with Luise, so it is easily understood why he advises his friend to finally undertake the long planned journey. Gilfen (who has guessed Trott's motives) plays along and takes leave from his wife, faking his departure. Trott immediately seizes the opportunity, but Luise rejects him.

Gilfen then returns to find (much to his surprise and delight) that his wife has been faithfull to him. Now it is Trott's turn to leave. Gilfen and Luise finally have time for each other again and they decide to renew their love.

Recordings

In 1998 CPO

CPO

-Officers:* Chief Performance Officer of the United States* Chief Petty Officer, a military rank* Chief privacy officer, an executive responsible for managing issues of privacy laws and policies...

 released a recording made in 1978 at the Recklinghausen

Recklinghausen

Recklinghausen is the northernmost city in the Ruhr-Area and the capital of the Recklinghausen district. It borders the rural Münsterland and is characterized by large fields and farms in the north and industry in the south...

 . János Kulka

János Kulka

János Kulka was an Hungarian conductor and composer.-Professional career:...

 conducted the Philharmonia Hungarica

Philharmonia Hungarica

The Philharmonia Hungarica was a symphony orchestra, based in Germany, which existed from 1956 to 2001.It was first established in Baden bei Wien near Vienna by Hungarian musicians who had fled their homeland after it was invaded by Soviet troops...

; the singers were Hermann Prey

Hermann Prey

Hermann Prey was a German lyric baritone. He is most famous for lieder and for light comic baritone roles in opera.-Biography:...

 (Gilfen), Edda Moser

Edda Moser

Edda Moser is a German soprano. She was particularly well-known for her interpretations of music by Mozart. Her 1973 recital LP "Virtuoso Arias by W. A...

 (Luise) and Peter Schreier

Peter Schreier

Peter Schreier is a German tenor and conductor.-Early life:Schreier was born in Meissen, Saxony, and spent his first years in the small village of Gauernitz, near Meissen, where his father was a teacher, cantor and organist...

(Trott).