Elegy for Young Lovers

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Operas by Hans Werner Henze

Boulevard Solitude (1952)
König Hirsch (1956)
Der Prinz von Homburg (1960)
Elegy for Young Lovers (1961)
Der junge Lord (1965)
The Bassarids (1966)
Der langwierige Weg in die Wohnung
der Natascha Ungeheuer (1971)
We Come to the River (1976)
The English Cat (1983)
Das verratene Meer (1990)
Venus und Adonis (1997)
L'Upupa und der Triumph
der Sohnesliebe (2003)
Phaedra (2007)
v • d • e

Elegy for Young Lovers (in German, Elegie für junge Liebende) is an opera in three acts by Hans Werner Henze to an English libretto by W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman.

Contents

[edit] Background

The opera was first performed in a German translation by Ludwig Prinz von Hessen at the Schwetzingen Festival on 20 May 1961, conducted by Heinrich Bender. The first performance using the original English text was in Glyndebourne, also in 1961. The Juilliard Opera Theater produced the opera in New York City in 1965, with the composer conducting.[1] Henze revised the opera in the 1980's, and this revised version received its first performance on 28 October 1988 at the La Fenice Theatre, Venice, with Markus Stenz conducting.

According to Ann Saddlemyer in her book "Becoming George", the poet is partially based on W. B. Yeats, and his wife "George" (Georgie Hyde-Lees) was the inspiration for both the secretary and the woman with visions. The librettist Auden was a friend of Ezra Pound, who in turn was a friend of Yeats. David Anderson has noted that the poet also portrays Auden as well.[2] Robert Henderson has summarized the thesis of the opera as follows:

"Elegy for Young Lovers....is a bitter indictment of the Romantic notion of the artist as hero, feeding remorselessly on those around him both in the name of art and to satisfy his own monstrous and inhumanely egotistical appetites."[3]

Auden and Kallman described this opera as their equivalent of Richard Strauss' opera Arabella.[2] The dedication of the opera is to the memory of Hugo von Hofmannsthal.[4]

Henze quoted material from the aria My own, my own in his Fifth Symphony, completed in 1962.

[edit] Roles

  • Hilde Mack, a widow (coloratura soprano)
  • Carolina, Countess of Kirchstätten, secretary to Mittenhofer (alto)
  • Toni Reischmann (lyric tenor)
  • Gregor Mittenhofer, a poet (baritone)
  • Dr. Wilhelm Reischmann, a physician (bass)
  • Josef Mauer, a mountain climb leader (spoken role)

[edit] Synopsis

The opera is set in an inn called Der Schwarze Adler in the Austrian Alps in 1910. The plot concerns a poet, Gregor Mittenhofer, his faithful seceretary and a hysterical woman who has visions. Mittenhofer manipulates the people in the inn to provide inspiration to his work.[5] [6]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Keats, Sheila (1971). "Current Chronicle". The Musical Quarterly LVII (1): 141–148. 
  2. ^ a b Anderson, David E., Review of W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman: Libretti and Other Dramatic Writings by W. H. Auden, 1939-1973 (March 1995). Notes (2nd Ser.), 51 (3): pp. 948-949.
  3. ^ Henderson, Robert, "Hans Werner Henze" (July 1976). The Musical Times", 117 (1601): pp. 566-568.
  4. ^ Weisstein, Ulrich, "Reflections on a Golden Style: W. H. Auden's Theory of Opera" (Spring 1970). Comparative Literature, 22 (2): pp. 108-124.
  5. ^ "Surprise at Schwetzingen", Time, 2 June 1961. Retrieved on 2007-09-07. 
  6. ^ Bernard Holland. "A Dominion of Words", New York Times, 11 August 1988. Retrieved on 2007-09-07. 

[edit] Sources

Elegy for Young Lovers by Andrew Clements, in 'The New Grove Dictionary of Opera', ed. Stanley Sadie (London, 1992) ISBN 0-333-73432-7

[edit] External links