' ( TVWV 21:9, Hamburg 1721) is a comic German-language opera in three acts by

Georg Philipp Telemann Georg Philipp Telemann (; – 25 June 1767) was a German Baroque composer and multi-instrumentalist. Almost completely self-taught in music, he became a composer against his family's wishes. After studying in Magdeburg, Zellerfeld, and Hild ...

to a libretto by . The opera was Telemann's first full length purely comic opera, and was performed at the

Oper am Gänsemarkt The Oper am Gänsemarkt was a theatre in Hamburg, Germany, built in 1678 after plans of Girolamo Sartorio at the Gänsemarkt square. It was the first public opera house to be established in Germany: not a court opera, as in many other towns. E ...

, while

Reinhard Keiser Reinhard Keiser (9 January 1674 – 12 September 1739) was a German opera composer based in Hamburg. He wrote over a hundred operas. Johann Adolf Scheibe (writing in 1745) considered him an equal to Johann Kuhnau, George Frideric Handel and Georg ...

was still running the opera. The professional UK premiere was in 1974 by

Kent Opera Kent Opera was a British opera company active between 1969 and 1989. It was based in Ashford and regular venues included The Orchard Theatre, Dartford; Assembly Halls, Tunbridge Wells; Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury; Kings Theatre, Southsea; Theatre ...

conducted by Roger Norrington, with

April Cantelo April Rosemary Cantelo (born 2 April 1928) is an English soprano. Life and career Cantelo was born in Purbrook, Hampshire in 1928. She attended Chelmsford County High School for Girls. She studied in London under Vilém Tauský, Joan Cross, I ...

, Thomas Lawlor and Linda Esther Gray among the cast.Platt N. ''Making Music.'' Ashford, Pemble Productions, 2001, p. 70.

Recordings

* ' – József Gregor, Éva Vámossy, Katalin Farkas, Éva Bártfai-Barta, Julia Paszthy,

Guy de Mey Guy de Mey (born 4 August 1955) is a Belgian tenor from Sint-Niklaas. He studied with Stella Dalberg, Erna Spoorenberg, Peter Pears and Éric Tappy. It all began in 1975 when he won the first prize at the Belgian National Pro Civitate competiti ...

, Paul Esswood, István Gáti, Capella Savaria

Nicholas McGegan James Nicholas McGegan OBE (born 14 January 1950 in Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, England) is a British harpsichordist, flutist, conductor and early music expert. Biography McGegan received his early education at Nottingham High School. He sub ...

Hungaroton Hungaroton is the oldest record and music publisher company in Hungary. Hungaroton was founded in 1951, when its only competitors in the Hungarian music market were record labels like Melodiya, Supraphon and from other socialist countries. Prev ...

1987

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Geduldige Socrates, Der German-language operas 1721 operas Operas by Georg Philipp Telemann Operas Cultural depictions of Socrates Opera world premieres at the Hamburg State Opera