A birthday boy from Siegburg
Program
Engelbert Humperdinck
'Königskinder' ('King's Children'). Opera in three acts (1897)
Artists
Anja Silja soprano
Marie Seidler mezzo soprano
Daniel Johannsen tenor
Gregor Dalal baritone
Chor N.N.
Neue Philharmonie Westfalen
Michael Hofstetter conductor
Engelbert Humperdinck, the composer who set one of the romantic era’s most famous fairy-tales, died a century ago. His opera Hansel and Gretel proved a huge success from its very first performance in 1893. Soon came another commission for a piece on a literary fairy-tale, Königskinder, for which this composer from Siegburg wrote incidental music. It was premièred in Munich in 1897 as a melodrama with Sprechgesang, a mixture of song and speech. Ten years later Humperdinck reworked the material into a full-length opera. The title figures remained the same: a Goose-Girl and a King’s Son on their wanderings. In reality, both are of royal blood. There is also a Witch, a Minstrel and a large (deluded) populace. The story takes a tragic turn, with mighty crashes as well as simple tunes. Conductor Michael Hofstetter will present a concert performance of the original melodrama – the more progressive version from today’s perspective.
Rhein Sieg Forum
