Hin und zurück

Hin und zurück
Operatic sketch by Paul Hindemith
The composer in 1923
Librettist Marcellus Schiffer
Language German
Premiere 17 July 1927 (1927-07-17)
Baden-Baden Music Festival

Hin und zurück (Back and forth) is an operatic 'sketch' (Op. 45a) in one scene by Paul Hindemith, with a German libretto by Marcellus Schiffer.

Hindemith wrote the piece for a collection of miniature operas presented on 17 July 1927 at the Baden-Baden Music Festival in the Theater Baden-Baden. The work lasts for just 12 minutes. Other short works by Darius Milhaud (L'enlèvement d'Europe), Kurt Weill (Mahagonny-Songspiel) and Ernst Toch (Die Prinzessin auf der Erbse) were performed the same evening. The performance was re-enacted in October 2013 by the Gotham Chamber Opera in New York City.[1]

Roles

Role Voice type Premiere cast, 17 July 1927
(Conductor: Ernst Mehlich)
Robert tenor J. Klemperer
Helene soprano Betty Mergler
Professor baritone Gerhard Pechner
Ambulance man bass Lothar
Wise man tenor Giebel

Synopsis

In a kind of dramatic palindrome, a tragedy unfolds involving jealousy, murder and suicide, which is then replayed with the lines sung in reverse order to produce a happy ending.

References

  1. ↑ "Breaking Baden" by John Yohalem, Parterre Box, 26 October 2013
  • Casaglia, Gherardo (2005).[http://almanac-gherardo-casaglia.com/index.php?Giorno=15&Mese=07&Anno=1927&Testo=Hin_und_zurück&Parola=Stringa "Hin und zurück, 15 July 1927"]. L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia (in Italian).
  • Skelton, Geoffrey (1992), "Hin und zurück" in The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, ed. Stanley Sadie (London) ISBN 0-333-73432-7
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.