''Die ersten Menschen'' ''(The first humans)'' is an opera in two acts by Rudi Stephan. For the

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

the composer chose a drama of the same name by Otto Borngräber. The opera was premiered at the

Oper Frankfurt The Oper Frankfurt (Frankfurt Opera) is a German opera company based in Frankfurt. Opera in Frankfurt am Main has a long tradition, with many world premieres such as Franz Schreker's ''Der ferne Klang'' in 1912, ''Fennimore and Gerda, Fennimore ...

on 1 July 1920.

History

The poet Otto Borngräber wrote ''Die ersten Menschen'', subtitled "Erotisches Mysterium" (Erotic mystery) in 1908. The play is based on the characters from the biblical

Genesis creation narrative The Genesis creation narrative is the creation myth of both Judaism and Christianity, told in the book of Genesis chapters 1 and 2. While the Jewish and Christian tradition is that the account is one comprehensive story, modern scholars of ...

. When it was premiered in Munich in 1912, it caused a scandal and was banned in the Kingdom of Bavaria. Rudi Stephan set the text to music as an opera in two acts. He began in 1909 and completed it in 1914, shortly before World War I. The premiere was planned at the

for the winter 1915; however, by then the composer had died at the Eastern Front. The opera was finally premiered on 1 July 1920, conducted by Ludwig Rottenberg. The critics received the performance positively, but the audience less so, leading to few performances. Karl Holl (1892–1972) made a shortened version, cutting objectionable passages. It was played at the Theater Münster on 17 November 1924. The opera was neglected from the 1950s, and revived in the late 1980s. The original score was played almost unchanged in a concert performance at the

Konzerthaus Berlin The Konzerthaus Berlin is a concert hall in Berlin, the home of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin. Situated on the Gendarmenmarkt square in the central Mitte district of the city, it was originally built as a theater. It initially operated from 1 ...

, by the

Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin The Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra (''Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin'') is a German symphony orchestra based in Berlin. In Berlin, the orchestra gives concerts at the Konzerthaus Berlin and at the Berliner Philharmonie. The orchestra has al ...

conducted by Karl Anton Rickenbacher. It was recorded with soloists Siegmund Nimsgern as Adahm, as Chawa, Florian Cerny as Kajin, and Hans Aschenbach as Chabel. Another performance of the original version was performed on 24 November 2009 at the Freiburg Konzerthaus, with Fabrice Bollon conducting the Philharmonisches Orchester Freiburg. On 3 June 2021,

François-Xavier Roth François-Xavier Paul Roth (born 6 November 1971) is a French conductor. Biography Roth is the son of the organist Daniel Roth—the two share the same first name. His brother Vincent is a violist. Before turning to conducting, he was a flauti ...

conducted the

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (, ) is a Dutch symphony orchestra, established in 1888 at the Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw (concert hall). It is considered one of the world's leading orchestras. It was known as the Concertgebouw Orchestra u ...

in a stage production of

Stopera The Stopera is a building complex in Amsterdam, Netherlands, housing both the city hall of Amsterdam and the Dutch National Opera and Ballet (formerly Het Muziektheater), the principal opera house in Amsterdam that is home of Dutch National Ope ...

in Amsterdam, directed by

Calixto Bieito Calixto Bieito (Miranda de Ebro, 2 November 1963) is a Spanish theater director known for his radical interpretations of classic operas. Biography Born in the small town of Miranda de Ebro, Bieito moved to Barcelona with his family when he was ...

.Dutch National Opera: Die ersten Menschen
/ref> On 2 July 2023, a new stage production of the opera with Sebastian Weigle conducting the Frankfurter Opern- und Museumsorchester premiered at Oper Frankfurt.

Plot

The opera takes place after the expulsion from paradise according to the

. The scene is a landscape in spring. The libretto can be described as psychological poetry. The opera deals with the matrimonial conflict between Adahm (

Adam Adam is the name given in Genesis 1–5 to the first human. Adam is the first human-being aware of God, and features as such in various belief systems (including Judaism, Christianity, Gnosticism and Islam). According to Christianity, Adam ...

) and Chawa (

Eve Eve is a figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. According to the origin story, "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the universe and its inhabitants came to be. Creation myths develop through oral traditions and there ...

) and the sexual intrigues between the sons Kajin (

Cain Cain is a biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within Abrahamic religions. He is the elder brother of Abel, and the firstborn son of Adam and Eve, the first couple within the Bible. He was a farmer who gave an offering of his crops to God. How ...

) and Chabel (

Abel Abel ( ''Hébel'', in pausa ''Hā́ḇel''; ''Hábel''; , ''Hābēl'') is a biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within the Abrahamic religions. Born as the second son of Adam and Eve, the first two humans created by God in Judaism, God, he ...

), who both desire the only woman available, their mother.

Roles

Recordings

* , Siegmund Nimsgern, Florian Cerny, Hans Aschenbach,

Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra The Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra (''Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin'') is a German symphony orchestra based in Berlin. In Berlin, the orchestra gives concerts at the Konzerthaus Berlin and at the Berliner Philharmonie. The orchestra has a ...

conducted by Karl Anton Rickenbacher, cpo 1998 * Nancy Gustafson, , , Donnie Ray Albert,

Orchestre National de France The Orchestre National de France (; ; abbr. ONF) is a French symphony orchestra based in Paris, founded in 1934. Placed under the administration of the French national radio (named Radio France since 1975), the ONF performs mainly in the Grand ...

conducted by Mikko Franck,

Naïve Naivety (also spelled naïvety), naiveness, or naïveté is the state of being naive. It refers to an apparent or actual lack of experience and sophistication, often describing a neglect of pragmatism in favor of moral idealism. A ''naïve'' may ...

(abridged version by Karl Holl)

References

External links

SWR2 Oper, Rudi Stephan: Die ersten Menschen
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ersten Menschen, Die 1920 operas Cultural depictions of Adam and Eve German-language operas Operas Operas based on the Bible