' 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 ...
by
Hans Werner Henze
Hans Werner Henze (1 July 1926 – 27 October 2012) was a German composer. His large List of compositions by Hans Werner Henze, oeuvre is extremely varied in style, having been influenced by serialism, atonality, Igor Stravinsky, Stravinsky, Mu ...
with a German
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
Hans-Ulrich Treichel, after
the poem by
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
. The work uses singers and dancers.
It was first performed by the
Bavarian State Opera
The Bavarian State Opera () is a German opera company based in Munich. Its main venue is the Nationaltheater München, and its orchestra the Bavarian State Orchestra.
History
The parent ensemble of the company was founded in 1653, under El ...
in Munich on 11 January 1997. The American première was at the
Santa Fe Opera
Santa Fe Opera (SFO) is an American opera company, located north of Santa Fe, New Mexico. After creating the ''Opera Association of New Mexico'' in 1956, its founding director, John Crosby (conductor), John Crosby, oversaw the building of the f ...
in August 2000, staged by
Alfred Kirchner, and the same production was used for the Canadian première, which took place in Toronto in 2001. The Japanese premiere was given in concert form in Tokyo on 11 January 2001.
Roles
References
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{{Authority control
Operas by Hans Werner Henze
German-language operas
1997 operas
Operas
Operas based on classical mythology
Operas based on works by William Shakespeare
One-act operas