Guntram (opera)
Encyclopedia
Guntram is an opera
in three acts by Richard Strauss
with a German
libretto written by the composer.
It was Strauss' first opera and shows a strong Wagnerian
influence. The music of Guntram is quoted in Strauss's tone-poem Ein Heldenleben
. The composer revised the score in 1940.
The first performance took place on 10 May 1894 at the Grossherzogliches Hoftheater
in Weimar
. The soprano role of Freihild was sung by Pauline de Ahna
, Strauss's future wife. Later performances conducted by Strauss included those in Munich
on 16 November 1895 and in Prague
on 9 October 1901. A performance in Frankfurt
was given on 9 March 1910 conducted by Ludwig Rottenberg
.
The revised version was first given in Weimar on 29 October 1940, conducted by Paul Sixt, and later in 1942 in Berlin
conducted by Robert Heger
.
In Hamburg
, on 4 February 1895, Gustav Mahler
included the Prelude to Act 1 in his 6th Philharmonic Concert. He included the Preludes to Acts 1 and 2 in a concert in Vienna
on 19 February 1899, and in New York
on 30 March 1910 with the New York Philharmonic
.
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 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...
with a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
libretto written by the composer.
It was Strauss' first opera and shows a strong Wagnerian
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
influence. The music of Guntram is quoted in Strauss's tone-poem Ein Heldenleben
Ein Heldenleben
Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40, is a tone poem by Richard Strauss. The work was completed in 1898, and heralds the composer's more mature period in this genre...
. The composer revised the score in 1940.
Performance history
The opera was not very successful, and was only staged a few times during Strauss' lifetime:The first performance took place on 10 May 1894 at the Grossherzogliches Hoftheater
Staatskapelle Weimar
The Deutsche Nationaltheater and Staatskapelle Weimar is the most important musical and theatrical venue in Weimar in Germany. It is a twin institution, consisting of the theatrical Deutsches Nationaltheater and the symphony orchestra known as the Staatskapelle Weimar...
in Weimar
Weimar
Weimar is a city in Germany famous for its cultural heritage. It is located in the federal state of Thuringia , north of the Thüringer Wald, east of Erfurt, and southwest of Halle and Leipzig. Its current population is approximately 65,000. The oldest record of the city dates from the year 899...
. The soprano role of Freihild was sung by Pauline de Ahna
Pauline de Ahna
Pauline Maria de Ahna was a German operatic soprano. She is best remembered today as the wife of composer Richard Strauss who wrote several of his works for her.-Biography:...
, Strauss's future wife. Later performances conducted by Strauss included those in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
on 16 November 1895 and in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
on 9 October 1901. A performance in Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
was given on 9 March 1910 conducted by 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...
.
The revised version was first given in Weimar on 29 October 1940, conducted by Paul Sixt, and later in 1942 in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
conducted by Robert Heger
Robert Heger
Robert Heger was a German conductor and composer from Strasbourg, Alsace-Lorraine.He studied at the Conservatory of Strasbourg, under Franz Stockhausen, then in Zurich under Lothar Kempter, and finally in Munich under Max von Schillings. After early conducting engagements in Strasbourg he made his...
.
In Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, on 4 February 1895, 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...
included the Prelude to Act 1 in his 6th Philharmonic Concert. He included the Preludes to Acts 1 and 2 in a concert in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
on 19 February 1899, and in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on 30 March 1910 with the New York Philharmonic
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
.
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... |
Premiere cast, 10 May 1894 Conductor Conducting Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble... : Richard Strauss |
|---|---|---|
| The old Duke | 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... |
Karl Bucha |
| Freihild, his daughter | 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... |
Pauline de Ahna Pauline de Ahna Pauline Maria de Ahna was a German operatic soprano. She is best remembered today as the wife of composer Richard Strauss who wrote several of his works for her.-Biography:... , then Strauss's fiancée |
| Duke Robert, 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... |
Franz Schwarz |
| Guntram, singer | 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... |
Heinrich Zeller |
| Friedhold, singer | bass | Ferdinand Wiedey |
| The Duke's jester | tenor | Hans Gießen |
| An old woman | 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... |
Louise Tibelti |
| An old man | tenor | Hr. Lutz |
| Two younger men | basses | Hr. Barth Hermann Buche |
| Three vassals | basses | Hr. Fischer, Hr. Schustherr, Hr. Henning |
| A messenger | baritone | Hermann Buche |
| Four Minnesingers | tenors, basses | Hr. v. Szpinger, Hr. Knöfler, Hr. Glitsch, Hr. Weyrauch |
| Vassals, Minnesingers, monks, servants, vagrants | ||
Synopsis
Set in medieval Germany, the triangular Wagnerian-style story of love and redemption is about the minstrel Guntram, the evil Duke Robert and his saintly wife Freihild. (The story is not connected with the Merovingian king Guntram of Burgundy.)Recordings
| Year | Cast (Guntram Freihild The Old Duke Duke Robert Friedhold |
Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra |
Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | William Lewis, Carole Farley, Patrick Wheatley, Terence Sharpe, John Tomlinson |
John Pritchard BBC Symphony Orchestra BBC Symphony Orchestra The BBC Symphony Orchestra is the principal broadcast orchestra of the British Broadcasting Corporation and one of the leading orchestras in Britain.-History:... and BBC Singers |
Audio CD: Gala Cat: GL 100787 |
| 2005 | Gian Luca Zampieri, Elena Comotti, Andrea Martin, Raphael Sigling, Thomas Gazheli |
Gustav Kuhn Tirol Festival, Erl Erl Erl is a municipality in the Kufstein district of Austria and is located15 km north of Kufstein at the western border to Bavaria, Germany. The village is the most northern location of the Tyrol and has 1429 inhabitants.... Orchestra and male chorus (Live recording) |
DVD: Col Legno 80004 |