''Der Barbier von Bagdad'' (''The Barber of Baghdad'') is a

comic opera Comic opera, sometimes known as light opera, is a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending and often including spoken dialogue. Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a ne ...

in two acts by

Peter Cornelius Carl August Peter Cornelius (24 December 1824 – 26 October 1874) was a German composer, writer about music, poet and translator. Life He was born in Mainz to Carl Joseph Gerhard (1793–1843) and Friederike (1789–1867) Cornelius, actors in ...

to a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

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 the composer, based on ''The Tale of the Tailor'' and ''The Barber’s Stories of his Six Brothers'' in ''

One Thousand and One Nights ''One Thousand and One Nights'' (, ), is a collection of Middle Eastern folktales compiled in the Arabic language during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as ''The Arabian Nights'', from the first English-language edition ( ...

''. The first of three operas by Cornelius, the piece was first performed at the

Hoftheater in Weimar The (DNT), or German National Theater and Weimar State Orchestra, is the most significant arts organization in Weimar. The institution unites the (German National Theater) with the (Weimar State Orchestra). It plays on a total of six stages ...

on 15 December 1858.Holden, p. 88

Performance history

Cornelius planned the work as a one-act comedy, but on the advice of

Franz Liszt Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic music, Romantic period. With a diverse List of compositions by Franz Liszt, body of work spanning more than six ...

expanded it to two. Franz Liszt later arranged the second overture for orchestra (S.352). Unlike most German comic operas of the period, which have spoken dialogue, ''Der Barbier von Bagdad'' is through composed. Cornelius offered the inventive and complex opera as an alternative to the contemporary German opera composers such as

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

, whose ideological fervor he found overwhelming.Information from answers.com
/ref> At its first performance the opera was a failure, and it was not played again in the composer's lifetime. The composer's mentor and friend

conducted the premiere. However, political actions by the director of the theater resulted in demonstrations against Liszt and the so-called neo-German school of composition. The opera closed after only one performance, and Liszt resigned his post. Cornelius also left Weimar. In the late 19th century two versions were made, by the noted Wagnerian conductors

Felix Mottl right Felix Josef von Mottl (between 29 July/29 August 1856 – 2 July 1911) was an Austrian conductor and composer. He was regarded as one of the most brilliant conductors of his day. He composed three operas, of which ''Agnes Bernauer'' (Weima ...

and

Hermann Levi Hermann Levi (7 November 1839 – 13 May 1900) was a History of the Jews in Germany, German Jewish orchestral conductor. Levi was born in Giessen, Germany, the son of a rabbi. He was educated at Giessen and Mannheim, and came to Vinzenz Lach ...

. In

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

the work was first played in 1890 by the Metropolitan Opera House Company and in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in 1891. Finally, in June 1904, the original version as composed by Cornelius was again staged in the Weimar Hoftheater, this time to popular approval and critical acclaim. In the 20th century, the opera was performed infrequently abroad but held its own in German opera companies using the original text, rather than Mottl's or Levi's revisions. It has a minor niche in the operatic repertoire.

Roles

Synopsis

The hero, Nureddin, is in love with Margiana, daughter of the Cadi. Bostana, a relative of the Cadi, approving of Nureddin, helps him to woo Margiana by making himself presentable. Abdul Hassan, the barber is summoned, and like his confrère of Seville in Rossini's earlier opera, he adopts the role of co-conspirator in the romance. (Like Rossini's Figaro, he delivers a virtuoso patter aria, "Bin Akademiker".In his song, he describes all of his various qualifications, "I'm an academic, doctor and chemist, ...": :Bin Akademiker :Doktor und Chemiker, :Bin Mathematiker :Und Arithmetiker, :Bin auch Grammatiker, :Sowie Ästhetiker, :Ferner Rhetoriker, :Grosser Historiker, :Astrolog, Philolog, :Physiker, Geolog. ) Margiana waits for Nureddin in the women's quarters of her father's house. He is proposing to marry her off to a rich friend, but when he leaves, Nureddin enters to woo Margiana. A traditional farcical plot then unfolds, with the barber breaking in, Nureddin hiding in a treasure chest and being carried away by servants, and a happy ending when the Caliph arrives and Nureddin is released and betrothed to Margiana.

Recordings

*1939: Leonhardt – Eipperle/Waldenau/Osswald/Ludwig-W/Welitsch/Hann – Koch Schwann (live in Stuttgart) *1951: Keilberth – Schlemm/Roesler/Offermanns/ Schock/Schmitt-Walter/Böhme – Gebhardt *1952: Hollreiser – Jurinac/ Rössl-Majdan/Majkut/ Schock/Poell/Frick – Melodram (live in Vienna, mono) *1956: Leinsdorf – Schwarzkopf/Hoffmann/Unger/Gedda/Prey/Czerwenka – EMI *1957: Matzerath -

Helmut Krebs Helmut Krebs (October 8, 1913 in Dortmund – August 30, 2007 in Berlin) was a German tenor in opera and concert, who sang a wide range of roles from Baroque to contemporary works. Professional career Krebs studied at the Dortmund Conservatory and ...

Benno Kusche Benno Paul Kusche (30 January 1916 – 14 May 2010) was a German operatic baritone, who was praised as one of the best Mozart and Wagner singers, especially in character roles and opera buffa. Career Born in Freiburg im Breisgau, Kusche was the ...

Anneliese Rothenberger Anneliese Rothenberger (19 June 192424 May 2010) was a German operatic soprano who had an active international performance career which spanned from 1942 to 1983. She specialized in the lyric coloratura soprano repertoire, and was particularly a ...

Josef Greindl Josef Greindl (23 December 1912 - 16 April 1993) was a German operatic bass, remembered mainly for his performances of Wagnerian roles at Bayreuth beginning in 1943. Josef Greindl was born in Munich and studied at the Munich Music Academy with ...

, Richard Holm & Gisela Litz - Walhall Eternity Series *1973: Hollreiser – Geszty/Schmidt-T/Unger/Kraus-Ad/Weikl/ Ridderbusch, Bavarian Radio Chorus and

Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (, BRSO) is a German radio orchestra. Based in Munich, Germany, it is one of the city's four orchestras. The BRSO is one of two full-size symphony orchestras operated under the auspices of Bayerischer Rundf ...

– Eurodisc (live in Munich),

Preiser Records Preiser Records is an independent Austrian record label. It was founded in 1952 by Otto G. Preiser (1920–1996). The label is particularly important for recordings from the Viennese cabaret scene, especially from the 1950s and 1960s (Helmut Qua ...

, CD Cat: MONO 20035 2CD *1974: Leitner – Donath/ Schiml/Peter/Laubenthal/Duesing/Sotin;

Kölner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester The WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne (German: WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln) is a German radio orchestra based in Cologne, where the orchestra performs at two main concert halls: the WDR Funkhaus Wallrafplatz and the Kölner Philharmonie. History ...

und Chor – Profil, CD Cat: PH08037

References

Notes Sources *Holden, Amanda (ed), ''The Penguin Opera Guide'', London: Penguin Books, 1995,
Information from answers.comExtensive synopsis at the Music encyclopedia website
*Pines, Roger, ''The Opera Quarterly'', Volume 20, Number 1, Winter 2004, pp. 141–143 (available a

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barbier von Bagdad, Der German-language operas Romantische Opern Operas 1858 operas Operas by Peter Cornelius Music based on One Thousand and One Nights Operas set in the Middle East