Irische Legende
| Irische Legende | |
|---|---|
| Opera by Werner Egk | |
| Librettist | Egk |
| Language | German |
| Based on | The Countess Cathleen by W. B. Yeats |
| Premiere | 17 August 1955 |
Irische Legende (Irish Legend) is a 1955 opera by Werner Egk who also wrote the libretto after the 1892/1899 verse drama The Countess Cathleen by W. B. Yeats. It premiered at the Salzburg Festival on 17 August 1955.
History
Irische Legende was the first opera that Egk composed after World War II.
Irische Legende was premiered at the
Plot
Ireland suffers a famine. Two messengers of the devil, disguised as merchants, promise food to the hungry in return for selling their souls. Many despaired give in and end in hell. The countess Cathleen offers her soul to save the others. Egk explained that he liked the concept that one person could try, against all odds, to stand up for others in a seemingly hopeless situation ("dass ein Einzelner in scheinbar hoffnungsloser Lage – der eigenen Verantwortung bewusst und gegen alle Wahrscheinlichkeit – einen Ausbruch aus der Hoffnungslosigkeit unternimmt").[2]
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, 17 August 1955 Conductor: George Szell[3][5] |
|---|---|---|
| Cathleen | soprano | Inge Borkh |
| Der Dichter Aleel (Aleel, the poet) | baritone | Kurt Böhme |
| Die Amme Oona (Oona, the nurse) | contralto | Margarete Klose |
| Der Verwalter (The Administrator) | baritone | Franz Bierbach |
| Zwei Hirten (two Shepherds) | tenor, bass | Waldemar Kmentt, Theo Baylé |
| Der Tiger (The Tiger) | baritone | Walter Berry |
| Zwei Eulen (two Owls) | soprano, contralto | Chloe Owen, Lilian Benningsen |
| Der Geier (The Vulture) | tenor | Laszlo Szemere |
| Die Schlange | dancer | Maria Litto |
| Zwei Hyänen in Gestalt von Kaufleuten (Two Hyenas in the appearance of merchants) | tenor, baritone | Max Lorenz, Oskar Czerwenka |
| Fausts Erscheinung (Apparition of Faust) | bass | Gottlob Frick |
| Stimme hinter der Szene (Satanas) (Voice behind the scene, Satan) | bass | Gottlob Frick |
| Seele (Soul) | Patricia Brinton | |
| Die leeren Seelen, Engel, Hirten, Knechte, Volk (The empty souls, angels, shepherds, servants, crowd | ||
The story takes place in Ireland in legendary time.
Recording
- Irische Legende Wiener Philharmoniker, George Szell[3]
References
- ^ a b Ashley, Tim (17 August 2001). ""Eine kleine Nazi musik?"". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
- ^ a b c d Hornig, Norbert (30 September 2001). "Werner Egk – "Irische Legende"". Deutschlandfunk. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
- ^ a b c "Irische Legende". Operone (in German). Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
- ^ The Oxford Dictionary of Music 0199578540 ed. Michael Kennedy, Tim Rutherford-Johnson, Joyce Kennedy, 2013 p. 256: "operas: Columbus (1933 radio, 1942 stage); Die Zaubergeige (1935, rev. 1954); Peer Gynt (1938); Circe (1945, rev. 1966 as 17 Tage und 4 Minuten); Irische Legende (after Yeats, 1955, rev. 1970); Der Revisor (after Gogol's The Government Inspector, 1957); Die Verlobung in San Domingo (1963)."
- ^ 17-08-1955 Almanacco
External links
- Irische Legende (in German) musirony.de
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