''Des Simplicius Simplicissimus Jugend'' is a German-language opera by

Karl Amadeus Hartmann Karl Amadeus Hartmann (2 August 1905 – 5 December 1963) was a German composer. Sometimes described as the greatest German symphonist of the 20th century, he is now largely overlooked, particularly in English-speaking countries. Life Born in ...

to a libretto by Hermann Scherchen, Wolfgang Petzet and the composer after Jakob von Grimmelhausen's picaresque novel ''

Simplicius Simplicissimus ''Simplicius Simplicissimus'' (german: link=no, Der abenteuerliche Simplicissimus Teutsch) is a picaresque novel of the lower Baroque style, written in 1668 by Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen and probably published the same year (althou ...

''. The opera was written 1934-1935 structured in three acts and more scenes, to which was added in 1939 an overture in homage to

Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, p ...

, and premiered in 1948. It was extensively revised as ''Simplicius Simplicissimus'' in 1957. The title role of the Simplicius, a naive shepherd boy is sung by a soprano, the Einsiedler is sung by a baritone.

Recordings

*1957 revised version,

Helen Donath Helen Jeanette Donath (née Erwin; born July 10, 1940) is an American soprano with a career spanning fifty years. Biography She was born in Corpus Christi, Texas and studied there at Del Mar College. Later she studied in New York with Paola Nov ...

Eberhard Büchner Eberhard Büchner (born 6 November 1939 in Dresden) is a German operatic and concert tenor. He made his debut in 1964 as Tamino in Mozart's ''Die Zauberflöte'' at the Mecklenburg State Theatre. Recordings * Franz Schubert: Messe G-Dur for sop ...

, König, Brinkmann, Scholze, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Heinz Fricke 1985

Wergo WERGO is a German record label focusing on contemporary classical music. It was founded in 1962 by German art historian and music publisher (1903–1975) and the musicologist Helmut Kirchmeyer. Their first release, filed under "WER 60001", was ...

*1935 original version,

Claudia Mahnke Claudia Mahnke is a German operatic mezzo-soprano, a member of the Oper Frankfurt, with guest appearances at leading opera houses and the Bayreuth Festival. Career Mahnke was born in Meerane in Saxony, Germany. While she attended school she was ...

, Frank van Aken, Heinz Göhrig, Staatsorchester Stuttgart, conducted by Kwamé Ryan

ArtHaus White Wolf Publishing was an American roleplaying game and book publisher. The company was founded in 1991 as a merger between Lion Rampant (game publisher), Lion Rampant

DVD 2008. *1948 version,

Camilla Nylund Camilla Nylund (born 11 June 1968) is a Finnish operatic soprano. She appears internationally in lyric-dramatic roles such as Beethoven's Leonore, Verdi's Elisabetta, and Wagner's Elisabeth and Sieglinde. She is especially known for portrayin ...

Christian Gerhaher Christian Gerhaher (born 24 July 1969, in Straubing) is a German baritone and bass singer in opera and concert, particularly known as a Lieder singer. Career Christian Gerhaher studied with Paul Kuën and Raimund Grumbach at the Hochschule ...

, Will Hartmann,

Michael Volle Michael Volle (; born 1960) is a German operatic baritone. After engagements at several German and Swiss opera houses, he has worked freelance since 2011. While he first appeared in Mozart roles such as Guglielmo, Papageno and Don Giovanni, he m ...

Die Singphoniker is a German male classical vocal ensemble based in Munich, founded in 1980 by six students of the , after the model of the Comedian Harmonists. They sing a broad repertory, from Gregorian chant to contemporary music, including Volkslieder, Christ ...

, RO München,

Ulf Schirmer Ulf Schirmer (born 1959) is a German conductor and opera house administrator. Born in Eschenhausen, Lower Saxony, Schirmer studied at the Bremen Conservatory, and also at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg, with György Ligeti, Christ ...

BR-Klassik 2008 *1957 revised version,

Juliane Banse Juliane Banse (born 10 July 1969 in Tettnang, Germany) is a German opera soprano and noted singer. Banse received her vocal training at the Zürich Opera, and with Brigitte Fassbaender in Munich. She won first prize in the singing competition o ...

, Peter Marsch, Will Hartmann, Netherlands Radio Choir, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra,

Markus Stenz Markus Stenz (born 28 February 1965, Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, Rhineland-Palatinate) is a German conductor. He studied at the Hochschule für Musik Köln with Volker Wangenhein and at Tanglewood with Leonard Bernstein and Seiji Ozawa. Stenz has ...

Challenge Classics 2013

References

Compositions by Karl Amadeus Hartmann 1935 operas German-language operas Operas {{German-opera-stub