Flammen
Encyclopedia
Flammen is a one-act opera
by Franz Schreker
, on a libretto
by Dora Leen, pseudonym of Dora Pollak (b. 23 October 1880, d. Auschwitz c.1942).
, an important Austrian literary figure and also Schreker's friend and mentor in Vienna. It was von Saar who arranged the meeting between the librettist and the composer. Schreker started the composition after August 1901 and completed the opera (his first) before April 1902.
On 2 June 1985 the opera's first staged performance took place at the Pianopianissimo Musiktheater in Munich, with accompaniment by an instrumental quintet under conductor Frank Strobel. The first fully staged performance with complete orchestral accompaniment took place at the Kiel Opera House
on 17 June 2001 under director Markus Bothe. The production used orchestral material based on the autograph score prepared especially for this performance by the Franz Schreker Society in Paris. This performance featured the Kiel Philharmonic Orchestra under conductor Ulrich Windfuhr.
Three years ago, when the prince left for the Holy Land on the First Crusade, he made a covenant with God. His parting words were that if Irmgard, his wife, were to fall in love with another man during his absence, her welcome kiss on his return would strike him dead. Irmgard is hurt by this lack of confidence. Every day Agnes, the prince's sister, and the dowager Margot remind Irmgard of this covenant. This leads to an inner conflict, which becomes critical when a travelling minstrel, who stays at the castle as a guest, sings of passion and love as omnipotent forces, and arouses amorous feelings in Irmgard.
A horn signal announces the imminent return of the prince, and Irmgard orders the servants to prepare a festive welcome. Agnes, who has noticed what has occurred between Irmgard and the minstrel, prays for her brother's life. Finally, Irmgard, torn between love and duty, orders the minstrel to leave.
When the crusaders, led by the prince, return, the prince tries to kiss his wife. She evades his kiss by saying that she must first drink a toast to him. She collapses (the drink is poisoned), still refusing to kiss him. She then reveals to the prince how unhappy his emotional blackmail has made her, and explains that only her suicide can now save his life, alluding to her love for the minstrel. She dies and the prince, regaining his composure, enters the castle with firm strides.
released the world premiere recording: a live recording of the 17 June 2001 performance at the Kiel
Opera, with Ulrich Windfuhr conducting the Kiel Philharmonic Orchestra.
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...
by Franz Schreker
Franz Schreker
Franz Schreker was an Austrian composer, conductor, teacher and administrator. Primarily a composer of operas, his style is characterized by aesthetic plurality , timbral experimentation, strategies of extended tonality and...
, on a libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
by Dora Leen, pseudonym of Dora Pollak (b. 23 October 1880, d. Auschwitz c.1942).
Composition history
Dora Pollak's father, the well-known Viennese doctor Siegmund Pollak, was personal physician to Ferdinand von SaarFerdinand von Saar
Ferdinand Ludwig Adam von Saar was an Austrian novelist, playwright and poet....
, an important Austrian literary figure and also Schreker's friend and mentor in Vienna. It was von Saar who arranged the meeting between the librettist and the composer. Schreker started the composition after August 1901 and completed the opera (his first) before April 1902.
Performance history
The opera was first given in a concert performance, with piano accompaniment only, on 24 April 1902 at the Bösendorfer Saal in Vienna. Schreker had copies of the libretto and vocal score printed in order to try and promote the work but it met with little interest from the conductors and opera houses he sent it to. The full score was never published. However, Schreker did have two individual numbers from the opera published by Universal Edition in Vienna in 1922: (Agnes' prayer) (from Scene 11) and (Irmgard's song) (from Scene 17): both are scored for soprano and orchestra.On 2 June 1985 the opera's first staged performance took place at the Pianopianissimo Musiktheater in Munich, with accompaniment by an instrumental quintet under conductor Frank Strobel. The first fully staged performance with complete orchestral accompaniment took place at the Kiel Opera House
Kiel Opera House
The Peabody Opera House is a civic performing arts building in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded as the Kiel Opera House, it opened it 1934 and operated until 1991, when it and the adjacent Kiel Auditorium were closed so the auditorium could be demolished and replaced by the Scottrade Center...
on 17 June 2001 under director Markus Bothe. The production used orchestral material based on the autograph score prepared especially for this performance by the Franz Schreker Society in Paris. This performance featured the Kiel Philharmonic Orchestra under conductor Ulrich Windfuhr.
Roles
| Role | Voice type Voice type A voice type is a particular kind of human singing voice perceived as having certain identifying qualities or characteristics. Voice classification is the process by which human voices are evaluated and are thereby designated into voice types... |
|---|---|
| The prince | 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... |
| Irmgard, 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... |
| Agnes, his sister | soprano |
| The minstrel | 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... |
| Margot, a dowager | 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... |
| A knight | bass Bass (voice type) A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C... |
Synopsis
- Place: the prince's castle.
- Time: the end of the First Crusade.
Three years ago, when the prince left for the Holy Land on the First Crusade, he made a covenant with God. His parting words were that if Irmgard, his wife, were to fall in love with another man during his absence, her welcome kiss on his return would strike him dead. Irmgard is hurt by this lack of confidence. Every day Agnes, the prince's sister, and the dowager Margot remind Irmgard of this covenant. This leads to an inner conflict, which becomes critical when a travelling minstrel, who stays at the castle as a guest, sings of passion and love as omnipotent forces, and arouses amorous feelings in Irmgard.
A horn signal announces the imminent return of the prince, and Irmgard orders the servants to prepare a festive welcome. Agnes, who has noticed what has occurred between Irmgard and the minstrel, prays for her brother's life. Finally, Irmgard, torn between love and duty, orders the minstrel to leave.
When the crusaders, led by the prince, return, the prince tries to kiss his wife. She evades his kiss by saying that she must first drink a toast to him. She collapses (the drink is poisoned), still refusing to kiss him. She then reveals to the prince how unhappy his emotional blackmail has made her, and explains that only her suicide can now save his life, alluding to her love for the minstrel. She dies and the prince, regaining his composure, enters the castle with firm strides.
Recordings
In 2001 CPOCPO
-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 the world premiere recording: a live recording of the 17 June 2001 performance at the Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
Opera, with Ulrich Windfuhr conducting the Kiel Philharmonic Orchestra.