''Flammen'' (''Flames'') is a one-act

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

Franz Schreker Franz Schreker (originally ''Schrecker''; 23 March 1878 – 21 March 1934) was an Austrian composer, conductor, librettist, teacher and administrator. Primarily a composer of operas, Schreker developed a style characterized by aesthetic pluralit ...

, on a

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 ...

by Dora Leen, pseudonym of Dora Pollak (born 23 October 1880, died

Auschwitz Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It consisted of Auschw ...

c. 1942).

Composition history

Dora Pollak's father, the well-known Viennese doctor Siegmund Pollak, was personal physician to

Ferdinand von Saar Ferdinand Ludwig Adam von Saar (30 September 1833 in Vienna, Austrian Empire, Austria – 24 July 1906 in Döbling) was an Austrian novelist, playwright and poet. Together with Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach he was one of the most important realisti ...

, an important Austrian literary figure and also Schreker's friend and mentor in Vienna. It was von Saar who arranged the meeting between the librettist and the composer. Schreker began composition after August 1901 and completed the opera, his first, before April 1902.

Performance history

The opera was first given in a concert performance, with piano accompaniment only, on 24 April 1902 at the

Bösendorfer-Saal Bösendorfer-Saal (Bösendorfer Hall) was a concert hall in Vienna, Austria, on Herrengasse in the Innere Stadt of the city. Connected with the Viennese piano manufacturer Bösendorfer, it was opened in 1872, and many famous musicians performed th ...

in Vienna. Schreker had copies of the libretto and

vocal score The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal tract, including talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, shouting, humming or yelling. The human voice frequency is specifically a part of human sound producti ...

printed to try to promote the work but it met with little interest from the conductors and opera houses he sent it to. The complete opera remained unpublished during Schreker's lifetime. However, Schreker did have two individual numbers published by

Universal Edition Universal Edition (UE) is an Austrian classical music publishing firm. Founded in 1901 in Vienna, it originally intended to provide the core classical works and educational works to the Austrian market. The firm soon expanded to become one of t ...

in 1922: (Agnes' prayer) (from scene 11) and (Irmgard's song) (from scene 17), both for soprano and orchestra. On 2 June 1985 the opera's first staged performance took place at the Pianopianissimo Musiktheater in Munich under conductor

Frank Strobel Frank Strobel (born in 1966 in Munich) is a German conductor known for premieres and performances of works by composers Sergei Prokofiev, Franz Schreker and Siegfried Wagner. He is authorized arranger and editor of works by the composer Alfred Sc ...

with the orchestration arranged for instrumental quintet. The first staging with the full original orchestration took place at the Kiel Opera House on 17 June 2001 directed by Markus Bothe. This production used orchestral material prepared for this performance by the Franz Schreker Society in Paris. The Kiel Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus were conducted by Ulrich Windfuhr with Manuela Uhl, Jörg Sabrowski and Robert Chafin in the leading roles. In August 2022, a new production was staged in

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

by the Opera Accelerator company, directed by Karina Novikova and conducted by Martynas Stakionis.

Roles

Synopsis

:Place: The prince's castle. :Time: The end of the

First Crusade The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the Middle Ages. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Muslim conquest ...

. Three years ago, when the prince left for the Holy Land on the First Crusade, he made a covenant with God. His parting words were that if Irmgard, his wife, were to fall in love with another man during his absence, her welcome kiss on his return would strike him dead. Irmgard is hurt by this lack of confidence. Every day Agnes, the prince's sister, and the dowager Margot remind Irmgard of this covenant. This leads to an inner conflict, which becomes critical when a travelling minstrel, who stays at the castle as a guest, sings of passion and love as omnipotent forces, and arouses amorous feelings in Irmgard. A horn signal announces the imminent return of the prince, and Irmgard orders the servants to prepare a festive welcome. Agnes, who has noticed what has occurred between Irmgard and the minstrel, prays for her brother's life. Finally, Irmgard, torn between love and duty, orders the minstrel to leave. When the crusaders, led by the prince, return, the prince tries to kiss his wife. She evades his kiss by saying that she must first drink a toast to him. She collapses (the drink is poisoned), still refusing to kiss him. She then reveals to the prince how unhappy his emotional blackmail has made her, and explains that only her suicide can now save his life, alluding to her love for the minstrel. She dies and the prince, regaining his composure, enters the castle with firm strides.

Recordings

The 1985 Munich PPP Music Theatre production, with the accompaniment arranged for instrumental quintet, was released on

Marco Polo Marco Polo (; ; ; 8 January 1324) was a Republic of Venice, Venetian merchant, explorer and writer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. His travels are recorded in ''The Travels of Marco Polo'' (also known a ...

in 1993. In 2001 CPO released the world premiere recording of the full original version: a live recording of the 17 June 2001 performance at the Kiel Opera, with Ulrich Windfuhr conducting the Kiel Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus.

References