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Engel: Grete Minde

Started by mikehopf, Friday 18 February 2022, 08:39

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mikehopf


Eugen Engel: Grete Minde - a late romantic opera of the 1920s on Deutschlandfunk Kultur Saturday night.

Opernbühne (Starts at 1805/1:05PM): Theater Magdeburg
Aufzeichnung vom 13.02.2022
Eugen Engel ,,Grete Minde" – Oper in drei Akten
Libretto von Hans Bodenstedt nach Theodor Fontanes gleichnamiger Novelle Uraufführung

Gerdt Minde – Marko Pantelić, Bariton
Trud Minde – Kristi Anna Isene, Sopran
Grete Minde – Raffaela Lintl, Sopran
Emerentz Zernitz – Jadwiga Postrożna, Mezzosopran
Valtin – Jonathan Winell, Tenor
Der alte Gigas – Paul Sketris, Bass
Peter Guntz – Johannes Stermann, Bass
Der Puppenspieler – Johannes Wollrab, Bariton
Der Hanswurst – Benjamin Lee, Tenor
Zenobia – Na'ama Shulman, Sopran
Die Domina – Karina Repova, Mezzosopran
Ein Wirt – Frank Heinrich, Bariton

Opernchor des Theaters Magdeburg
Magdeburgische Philharmonie
Leitung: Anna Skryleva (2 hrs., 55 min.)

Sounds interesting:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/14/holocaust-victims-opera-stored-for-years-in-trunk-gets-premiere-at-last

Alan Howe

There's been some publicity about this opera on national radio too. It'll be interesting to find out exactly what the idiom is. The composer, who was a German Jew, was murdered at Sobibor Concentration Camp - hency the publicity.

https://www.jweekly.com/2022/02/07/rediscovered-in-a-basement-jewish-composers-prewar-opera-will-now-be-staged-in-germany/


Alan Howe

Some songs by Engel certainly suggest an attractive idiom:

'Nach dem ersten Kuss' (=After the First Kiss):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=in4B07sp-tc

'Herbstgefühl' (=Autumn Feeling):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzpsBMzOxtQ

'Geh!' (=Go!):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbS1fkzMfDY

Wheesht

It would appear to be that rare thing, a full opera by a self-taught amateur composer – I have my doubts but I may well want to give it a listen.

Alan Howe

'Self-taught' may not mean amateurish, of course. We'll see...

Ebubu

"that rare thing, a full opera by a self-taught amateur composer "
Like Joplin's Treemonisha, you mean ?
:D

Wheesht

Actually, I was referring to the discussion of whether there can be such a person as an amateur composer in connection with Albert Hurwit's Symphony about a month ago.
I'm no Joplin expert but I do know that he had music lessons from one Julius Weiss and that later, in 1897, he enrolled at George R. Smith College in Sedalia which offered a Bachelor of Arts in music. Apparently he studied piano and theory there.

Alan Howe

Until we actually hear the opera we won't know. The songs are beautiful, though.

By the way, what formal musical education did Elgar have? Wasn't he largely self-taught? I can imagine someone born with genius being an auto-didact...

Mark Thomas

Raff was entirely self-taught, yet he ended up as Director of a prestigious conservatory and teaching the composition class - hardly an amateur. But we digress...

Wheesht

I agree that there's not much point in discussing the opera without having heard it in full. I'll be out tonight but I hope I'll be able to listen later. The songs are beautiful, I agree. Interesting about Elgar.

I was simply reminded of Alan's statement in the Hurwit discussion:
Quotesurely it takes professional training to learn how to write music? Even those who are self-taught have to train themselves to do so.

Alan Howe

That's where genius comes in.

QuoteEven those who are self-taught have to train themselves to do so.
That's exactly what self-taught geniuses do.

Hurwitt isn't that.

Wheesht

No, he's not. Now let's hear what Milde turns out to be.

mikehopf

Did anyone record this? Colin? PLEASE!

Wheesht

It's available to listen to on the Deutschlandfunk Kultur website and there's a download button as well: "Audio herunterladen", but I don't know if this works in every country.

Mark Thomas