Die Schneekönigin
Fairy-tale opera by George Alexander Albrecht
LibrettistPeter Truschner
LanguageGerman
Based onAndersen's "The Snow Queen"
Premiere
28 November 2015 (2015-11-28)
Nationaltheater Weimar

Die Schneekönigin (The Snow Queen) is a fairy-tale opera by George Alexander Albrecht to a libretto by Peter Truschner based on Andersen's "The Snow Queen". It premiered at the Nationaltheater Weimar in 2015. The vocal parts are scored for professional soloists and children's choir, with choir members acting.

History

On an initiative by Gudrun Schröfel, the conductor of the Mädchenchor Hannover, George Alexander Albrecht composed his only opera as an opera for children, to be performed by soloists and a chorus of children who also have to act.[1][2] At the time, he was already aged 78, and had worked mostly as an opera conductor.[1] The libretto was written by Peter Truschner, who wrote a rhymed version of Andersen's "The Snow Queen".[2]

The opera premiered at the Nationaltheater Weimar in 2015, conducted by Dominik Beykirch, and directed by Maximilian von Mayenburg with set designs and costumes by Thilo Reuther.[3] The premiere was prepared by a series of lectures at the Musikhochschule Weimar.[2]

Roles

Source:[3][4][5]

Roles, voice types, premiere cast
Role Voice type Premiere cast, 28 November 2015[6]
Conductor: Dominik Beykirch[7]
Schneekönigin (The Snow Queen) dramatic coloratura soprano Lini Gong[8]
Kobold (The Troll) tenor Jörn Eichler[9]
Kay mezzo-soprano Eleonora Vacchi
Gerda soprano Steffi Lehmann
Großmutter (The Grandmother) alto Rebecca Teem
Ronja mezzo-soprano Sayaka Shigeshima
Rabe (The Crow) bass Daeyoung Kim
Rentier (Bae) baritone Alik Abdukayumov
Choir

Music

The vocal parts are scored for professional soloists and children's choir, with choir members acting in roles such as flowers (Blumen), ravens (Raben), robbers (Räuber), snow flakes (Schneeflocken), wind and ice crystals.[2] The music around the Snow Queen character is set atonal, contrasting with the human world.[2] The children, Gerda and Kay, are characterised by song-like music, the troll declaims like Mime in Wagner's Siegfried, the Snow Queen sings in extremely high register, and scenes for ravens and robbers resemble operetta. The opera takes around 80 minutes to perform.[3]

The score calls for an orchestra including flute, oboe, 2 clarinets, bassoon, 2 horns, trumpet, trombone, tuba, timpani, 2 drums, harp and strings.[4]

Reception

Roland H. Dippel wrote in a review published in Leipziger Volkszeitung, Oper & Tanz and Neue Musikzeitung, that the opera deals with great emotions, proving oneself in dangers, and faith in the good. ("Es geht um große Gefühle, Gefahren, Bewährungen und den Glauben an das Gute.") He summarised: "A real opera with a large orchestra that fascinates its young audience for the art form" ("Eine echte Oper mit großem Orchester, die ihr junges Publikum für die Kunstform fasziniert").[3]

References

  1. 1 2 "Albrecht, George Alexander" (in German). Ries & Erler. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Märchen als Oper? George Alexander Albrecht: "Die Schneekönigin"" (PDF). Musikhochschule Weimar (in German). 2015. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4
  4. 1 2 "George-Alexander-Albrecht » Die Schneekönigin". George-Alexander-Albrecht (in German). Retrieved 25 December 2021.
  5. ↑ "Opera Schedules from The Opera Critic". The Opera Critic. 23 December 2015. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  6. ↑ "Kinderoper "Die Schneekönigin" in Weimar". Ries & Erler (in German). 1 November 2015. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  7. ↑ "Dominik Beykirch" (in German). MDR. 5 June 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  8. ↑ "Erfahrungen im Bereich Moderne Musik". Lini Gong Sopran (in German). 8 December 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  9. ↑ Eichler, Tanja Lea. "Oper". Joern Eichler: Repertoire (in German). Retrieved 26 December 2021.

Further reading

  • Die Schneekönigin George Alexander Albrecht, Peter Truschner (program book) (in German). 2015. OCLC 971235724.
  • Die Schneekönigin / Oper (score) (in German), Ries & Erler, 2015, OCLC 937039731
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