Die ersten Menschen
Opera by Rudi Stephan
Rudi Stephan
LibrettistOtto Borngräber
LanguageGerman
Premiere
1 July 1920 (1920-07-01)
Oper Frankfurt

Die ersten Menschen (The first humans) is an opera in two acts by Rudi Stephan. For the libretto the composer chose a drama of the same name by Otto Borngräber. The opera was premiered at the Oper Frankfurt on 1 July 1920.

History

The poet Otto Borngräber wrote Die ersten Menschen, subtitled "Erotisches Mysterium" (Erotic mystery) in 1908.[1] The play is based on the characters from the biblical Genesis creation narrative.[2] When it was premiered in Munich in 1912, it caused a scandal and was banned in the Kingdom of Bavaria.[1][3]

Rudi Stephan set the text to music as an opera in two acts.[3] He began in 1909 and completed it in 1914, shortly before World War I. The premiere was planned at the Oper Frankfurt for the winter 1915;[4] however, by then the composer had died at the Eastern Front.[1]

The opera was finally premiered on 1 July 1920, conducted by Ludwig Rottenberg.[1][5][6] The critics received the performance positively, but the audience less so, leading to few performances.[1]

Karl Holl (1892–1972) made a shortened version, cutting objectionable passages.[1] It was played at the Theater Münster on 17 November 1924.[7][8] The opera was neglected from the 1950s, and revived in the late 1980s.[1] The original score was played almost unchanged in a concert performance at the Konzerthaus Berlin, by the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin conducted by Karl Anton Rickenbacher. It was recorded with soloists Siegmund Nimsgern as Adahm, Gabriele Maria Ronge as Chawa, Florian Cerny as Kajin, and Hans Aschenbach as Chabel.[1]

Another performance of the original version was performed on 24 November 2009 at the Freiburg Konzerthaus, with Fabrice Bollon conducting the Philharmonisches Orchester Freiburg.[6] On 3 June 2021, François-Xavier Roth conducted the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in a stage production of Stopera in Amsterdam, directed by Calixto Bieito.[9][10][11][2] On 2 July 2023, a new stage production of the opera with Sebastian Weigle conducting the Frankfurter Opern- und Museumsorchester premiered at Oper Frankfurt.[12]

Plot

The opera takes place after the expulsion from paradise according to the Genesis creation narrative.[13] The scene is a landscape in spring.[6]

The libretto can be described as psychological poetry. The opera deals with the matrimonial conflict between Adahm (Adam) and Chawa (Eve) and the sexual intrigues between the sons Kajin (Cain) and Chabel (Abel), who both desire the only woman available, their mother.[14][15][16]

Roles

Roles, voice types, premiere cast
Role[6] Voice type Premiere cast,[16] 1 July 1920
Conductor: Ludwig Rottenberg
Chawa soprano Beatrice Lauer-Kottlar
Adahm bass Walter Schneider
Kajin baritone Richard Breitenfeld
Chabel tenor Otto Fanger

Recordings

  • Gabriele Maria Ronge, Siegmund Nimsgern, Florian Cerny, Hans Aschenbach, Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Karl Anton Rickenbacher, cpo 1998[1] OCLC 314635291
  • Nancy Gustafson, Franz Hawlata, Wolfgang Millgramm, Donnie Ray Albert, Orchestre National de France conducted by Mikko Franck, Naïve[17] OCLC 752069633 (abridged version by Karl Holl)

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Die ersten Menschen". Deutschlandfunk (in German). 10 May 2014. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Die ersten Menschen". Euroarts. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  3. 1 2 Pritchard, Jim (21 August 2021). "Die ersten Menschen is Rudi Stephan's musical legacy because his life was tragically short – Seen and Heard International". Seen and Heard International. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  4. ↑ "Der Merker. jahrg.6:t.1 (1915)". HathiTrust: 13 v. 6 December 2018. hdl:2027/umn.31951001237839f. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  5. ↑ "Historie". Oper Frankfurt (in German). 28 December 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Die ersten Menschen". Schott Music. 24 November 2009. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  7. ↑ Keegel, Olivier (10 June 2021). "Die ersten Menschen. Bieito arrives in Amsterdam". Opera Gazet (in German). Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  8. ↑ "Die ersten Menschen (Neufassung)". Schott Music. 20 June 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  9. ↑ Dutch National Opera: Die ersten Menschen
  10. ↑ Peter, Wolf-Dieter (16 August 2021). "Amsterdams Nederlandse Opera wagt Rudi Stephans "Die ersten Menschen" – neue musikzeitung". nmz (in German). Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  11. ↑ Friedrich, Uwe (30 June 2021). "Plüschtier und Stöckelschuhe". OPER! (in German). Retrieved 28 December 2021. (subscription required)
  12. ↑ "Spielplan". Oper Frankfurt (in German). 30 May 2023. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  13. ↑ Gier, Albert (2011). Göttliche, menschliche und teuflische Komödien europäische Welttheater-Entwürfe im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert (in German). Bamberg: Univ. of Bamberg Press. p. 10. ISBN 978-3-86309-012-8. OCLC 745493858.
  14. ↑ Riches, J. (2015). The New Cambridge History of the Bible: From 1750 to the present. Cambridge histories online. Cambridge University Press. p. 685. ISBN 978-0-521-85823-6. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  15. ↑ Leichtentritt, Hugo (1924). Sonneck, Oscar George Theodore (ed.). "German Music of the Last Decade". The Musical Quarterly. HathiTrust. 10. hdl:2027/mdp.39015008095179. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  16. 1 2 Göttig, Willy Werner (1920). "Zeitschrift für Musik : ZFM. v.087 pt.2 yr.1920". ZFM: 24 v. hdl:2027/uc1.l0066646316. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  17. ↑ Ashman, Mike. "Review: Stephan (Die) Ersten Menschen". Gramophone. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
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