Feuersnot Op. 50, is a Singgedicht (sung poem) or 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 one act by Richard Strauss

Richard Strauss

Richard Georg Strauss was a leading German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. He is known for his operas, which include Der Rosenkavalier and Salome; his Lieder, especially his Four Last Songs; and his tone poems and orchestral works, such as Death and Transfiguration, Till...

. The German

German language

German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....

 libretto was written by Ernst von Wolzogen

Ernst von Wolzogen

Ernst von Wolzogen Ernst von Wolzogen Ernst von Wolzogen (April 23, 1855 - August 30, 1934 was a cultural critic, a writer and a founder of Cabaret in Germany.-Biography:Wolzogen came from a noble Austrian family; he studied Literature, Philosophy, and the history of art in Strasbourg and Leipzig. ...

, based on J. Ketel's report "Das erloschene Feuer zu Audenaerde" in the Oudenaarde Gazette, Leipzig

Leipzig

Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...

, 1843. It was Strauss' second opera.

Thematically, the opera has been interpreted as a parody of Richard Wagner

Richard Wagner

Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...

's idea of "redemption through love", with the character of Kunrad representing Strauss himself.

Performance history

The premiere was at the Dresden

Dresden

Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....

 Hofoper

Semperoper

The Semperoper is the opera house of the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden and the concert hall of the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden . It is located near the Elbe River in the historic center of Dresden, Germany.The opera house was originally built by the architect Gottfried Semper in 1841...

 on 21 November 1901. Gustav Mahler

Gustav Mahler

Gustav Mahler was a late-Romantic Austrian composer and one of the leading conductors of his generation. He was born in the village of Kalischt, Bohemia, in what was then Austria-Hungary, now Kaliště in the Czech Republic...

 directed the Vienna premiere at the Hofoper on 29 January 1902, in the presence of the composer, but it was not a commercial success, in spite of Mahler's careful musical preparation. At the time of the premiere, the sexual and erotic subtexts and psychology were disturbing to audiences, as well as the perceived "advanced" nature of the music itself to more conservative-minded musicians. The Berlin premiere was on 28 October 1902.

Since Strauss's time, the opera has rarely been staged or performed. In London it was presented on 9 July 1910, while the US premiere was not given until 2 December 1927 by the Philadelphia Civic Opera Company

Philadelphia Civic Opera Company

The Philadelphia Civic Opera Company was an American opera company located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that was actively performing between 1924 and 1930. Founded by Philadelphia socialite Mrs. Henry M. Tracy, the company was established partially through funds provided by the city of...

 at Philadelphia's Metropolitan Opera House

Metropolitan Opera House (Philadelphia)

The Metropolitan Opera House is a historic opera house located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at 858 North Broad Street. Built over the course of just a few months in 1908, it was the ninth opera house built by impresario Oscar Hammerstein I. It was initially the home of Hammerstein's Philadelphia...

 with George Rasely

George Rasely

George Rasely was an American tenor who had an active career in operas, concerts, and musicals during the first half of the 20th century. He was also a frequent performer on American radio during 1920s through the 1940s. He won the National Music League singing competition in 1927 and the Walter W...

 as Gundelfingen and Alexander Smallens

Alexander Smallens

Alexander Smallens was a Russian-born American conductor and music director.Smallens was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and emigrated to the United States as a child, becoming an American citizen in 1919...

 conducting. The Zurich premiere was not until 1953. The New York City premiere was in 1985, at the Manhattan School of Music.

It was given by the Santa Fe Opera

Santa Fe Opera

The Santa Fe Opera is an American opera company, located north of Santa Fe in the U.S. state of New Mexico, headquartered on a former guest ranch of .-General history:...

 during its summer 1988 Festival season. In the UK, Chelsea Opera Group presented a concert performance in 2000.

Roles

Premiere, November 21, 1901 (Ernst von Schuch Ernst von Schuch Ernst Edler von Schuch, born Ernst Gottfried Schuch was an Austrian conductor, who became famous through his working collaborations with Richard Strauss at the Dresden Court Opera.... )
Schweiker von Gundelfingen, the bailiff	low 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...	Franz Petter
Ortolf Sentlinger, the mayor	low bass	Franz Nebuschka
Diemut, his daughter	high 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...	Annie Krull Annie Krull Anna Maria Krull was German operatic soprano. She is most remembered today for having created the title role in Richard Strauss' opera Elektra.-Biography:...
Elsbeth, her friend	mezzo-soprano Mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...	Frl. Lautenbacher
Wigelis, her friend	low contralto Contralto Contralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above...	Irene von Chavanne
Margret, her friend	high soprano	Minnie Nast Minnie Nast Minnie Nast was a German soprano. She was born in Karlsruhe and studied at the Karlsruhe Conservatory, making her début at Aachen in 1897....
Kunrad, the alchemist	high 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...	Karl Scheidemantel Karl Scheidemantel Karl Scheidemantel was a baritone singer, and later an opera director.-Life and career:...
Jörg Pöschel, the Leitgeb	low bass	Ernst Wachter
Hämmerlein, the haberdasher	baritone	Josef Höpfl
Kofel, the blacksmith	bass	Friedrich Plaschke Friedrich Plaschke Friedrich Plaschke was a Czech operatic bass-baritone. From 1900 to 1937 he was a member of the Dresden Hofoper. He also appeared as a guest artist with companies in the United States, the Bayreuth Festival, and at the Royal Opera House in London....
Kunz Gilgenstock, the baker and brewer	bass	Hans Geißler
Ortlieb Tulbeck, the cooper	high tenor	Anton Erl
Ursula, his wife	contralto	Franziska Schäfer
Ruger Asbeck, the potter	tenor	Theodor Kruis
Walpurg, his wife	high soprano	Gisela Staudigl
Citizens, women, children, retainers

Synopsis

Place: Medieval Munich

Time: Midsummer Night

During the Midsummer festival, lovers swear fidelity by leaping through the flames of a bonfire (known traditionally as Johannisfeuer). A sorcerer, Kunrad, has appeared in the city, and his presence disturbs the people. Kunrad is attracted to Diemut, daughter to the mayor. He kisses her in public. She rebuffs him by promising to bring him up to her room in a basket, but then leaves him hanging halfway up. In retaliation, he quenches all the festival bonfires and denounces the people as philistines. The only way to restore the fires is via "the body of a virgin in heat", which shocks the populace. They persuade Diemut to yield to Kunrad. She does so, and after she has her first-ever sexual experience (depicted in the orchestra), with a light glowing in her room, the fires are restored.

Recordings

Year	Cast (Diemut Kunrad)	Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra	Label
1958	Maud Cunitz, Marcel Cordes	Rudolf Kempe Rudolf Kempe Rudolf Kempe was a German conductor.- Biography :Kempe was born in Dresden, where from the age of fourteen he studied at the Dresden State Opera School. He played oboe in the opera orchestra of Dortmund and then in the Leipzig Gewandhaus orchestra, from 1929... Bavarian State Opera Bavarian State Opera The Bavarian State Opera is an opera company based in Munich, Germany.Its orchestra is the Bavarian State Orchestra.- History:The opera company which was founded under Princess Henriette Adelaide of Savoy has been in existence since 1653...  Orchestra and Chorus (Live Recording)	Orfeo D'Or Cat: 423962
1984	Bernd Weikl Bernd Weikl Bernd Weikl is an Austrian operatic baritone, best known for his performances in the operas of Richard Wagner.- Early career :... , Julia Varady Julia Varady Júlia Várady is a German soprano of Hungarian origin born in Nagyvárad, Hungary .At the age of six she began violin lessons at the music conservatory in Cluj-Napoca and then, aged fourteen, voice training with Emilia Popp...	Heinz Fricke Heinz Fricke Heinz Fricke is a German maestro and was the principal conductor of the Washington National Opera in Washington, D.C. He was appointed as music director in 1993. Before joining the Washington National Opera, he held the position of music director of the Staatsoper Berlin, and the Den Norske Opera... Munich Radio Orchestra with Tölzer Boys Choir and Bavarian Radio Chorus	Audio CD: Arts Music Cat: