König Hirsch
| König Hirsch Il re cervo | |
|---|---|
| Opera by Hans Werner Henze | |
 The composer in 1960 | |
| Librettist | Heinz von Cramer |
| Language | German |
| Based on | fable by Carlo Gozzi |
| Premiere |
23 September 1956 Theater des Westens, Berlin |
König Hirsch (in English, The Stag King) is an opera in three acts by Hans Werner Henze to a German libretto by Heinz von Cramer after a fable by Carlo Gozzi.
Performance history
König Hirsch was first performed in a shortened version by the Städtische Oper Berlin on 23 September 1956 in the Theater des Westens. It was rewritten as Il re cervo, oder Die Irrfahrten der Wahrheit (The Stag King or The Odysseys of Truth) and performed at the Staatstheater Kassel on 10 March 1963. This version was also produced at the Santa Fe Opera on 4 August 1965. The complete work was given for the first time on 5 May 1985 at the Staatsoper Stuttgart.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 23 September 1956 (Conductor: Hermann Scherchen) |
|---|---|---|
| The king (Leandro) | tenor | Sándor Kónya |
| The governor (Tartaglia) | bass-baritone | Leopold Clam |
| The maiden (Costanza) | soprano | Helga Pilarczyk |
| The preceptor | bass | Tomislav Neralic |
| Checco | tenor | Helmut Krebs |
| Coltellino | tenor | Martin Vantin |
| Scollatella I | soprano | Nora Jungwirth |
| Scollatella II | soprano | |
| Scollatella III | mezzo-soprano | |
| Scollatella IV | contralto | |
| Woman in black | contralto | |
| Statue I | soprano | |
| Statue II | soprano | |
| The stag | mime | |
| Voices in the forest, courtiers, animals, huntsmen, soldiers, city dwellers (chorus) | ||
Synopsis
The king, who has been cast into the forest as a child by the governor, returns to his kingdom. However he is tricked by the governor and forced to go back to the forest where he turns into a stag. Eventually he goes back once again, the governor is killed, and he is transformed again into human form.
Instrumentation
- woodwinds: 3 flutes (3rd doubling on piccolo), 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon
- Brass: 4 horns, 3 trumpets (3rd doubling on piccolo trumpet in C [ad lib.]), 2 trombones, tuba
- percussion (7 players): triangle, tubular bells, suspended cymbals, pair of cymbals, tamtam, 3 tom-toms, tambourine, snare drum, military drum, bass drum (with or without cymbals), claves, maracas, legno, Gegenschlagstöcke, rumba bells, glockenspiel, xylophone
- Other: harp, piano, celesta, organ (ad lib.), harpsichord, accordion, guitar, mandolin
- On-stage Band: flute, clarinet, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, percussion: triangle, small bells, tubular bells, suspended cymbals, pair of cymbals, tambourine, 2 snare drums, military drum, bass drum, glockenspiel, vibraphone, mandolin, celesta, organ, violin
References
- Casaglia, Gherardo (2005).[http://www.amadeusonline.net/almanacco?r=&alm_giorno=23&alm_mese=09&alm_anno=1956&alm_testo=K%F6nig_Hirsch "König Hirsch, 23 September 1956"]. Almanacco Amadeus (Italian).
- Warrack, John and West, Ewan (1992), The Oxford Dictionary of Opera, 782 pages, ISBN 0-19-869164-5
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