Der Ring des Polykrates (The Ring of Polykrates), Op. 7 is a one-act opera by Erich Wolfgang Korngold

Erich Wolfgang Korngold

Erich Wolfgang Korngold was an Austro-Hungarian film and romantic music composer. While his compositional style was considered well out of vogue at the time he died, his music has more recently undergone a reevaluation and a gradual reawakening of interest...

. The libretto, written by Leo Feld

Leo Feld

Leo Feld was an Austrian librettist, dramaturge, stage director, and writer. He also worked as a translator for publishing companies, and was notably responsible for translating many of Charles Dickens' English language works for their first German language publications.Born with the name Leo...

 and reworked (unattributed) by the composer's father Julius Korngold

Julius Korngold

Julius Korngold was a noted music critic. He was regarded as the top critic in Vienna in the early twentieth century, when that city was viewed as the centre of classical music. He is most notable for championing the works of Gustav Mahler at a time when many did not think much of him...

, is based on a drama by Heinrich Teweles.

Performance history

Korngold composed the opera (his first) in 1914, when he was only seventeen years old. The one-act domestic comedy was contrasted by his second opera Violanta

Violanta

Violanta is a one-act opera by Erich Wolfgang Korngold. The libretto is by the Austrian playwright Hans Müller-Einigen. It is Korngold's second opera, written when he was only seventeen years old.-Performance history:...

, a one-act tragedy. Both were premiered together on 28 March 1916 at the National Theatre Munich. Bruno Walter

Bruno Walter

Bruno Walter was a German-born conductor. He is considered one of the best known conductors of the 20th century. Walter was born in Berlin, but is known to have lived in several countries between 1933 and 1939, before finally settling in the United States in 1939...

 conducted and the cast included Karl Erb

Karl Erb

Karl Erb was a German tenor vocalist who made his career first in opera and then in oratorio and lieder recital. He excelled in all these genres, and before 1920 gave classic performances of key roles in modern works, and created lead roles in those of Hans Pfitzner...

 and Maria Ivogün

Maria Ivogün

Maria Ivogün was a distinguished soprano singer of Hungarian origin. She was especially an outstanding interpreter of the works of Mozart: her recording of the aria of the Queen of the Night became legendary.- Biography and artistic career :Maria Ivogün was born Ilse Kempner...

. Both operas were repeated in Vienna, with Selma Kurz

Selma Kurz

Selma Kurz was an Austrian operatic soprano known for her brilliant coloratura technique.-Background:...

 and Alfred Piccaver

Alfred Piccaver

Alfred Piccaver was a British-American operatic tenor. He was particularly noted for his performances as Rodolfo in Giacomo Puccini's La bohème and other popular mainstream operatic roles.-Early years:...

 in Polykrates and Maria Jeritza

Maria Jeritza

Maria Jeritza , born Marie Jedličková, was a celebrated Moravian soprano singer, long associated with the Vienna State Opera and the Metropolitan Opera...

 as Violanta.

Roles

Role	Voice type	Premiere cast 28 March 1916 (Conductor: – Bruno Walter Bruno Walter Bruno Walter was a German-born conductor. He is considered one of the best known conductors of the 20th century. Walter was born in Berlin, but is known to have lived in several countries between 1933 and 1939, before finally settling in the United States in 1939... )
Wilhelm Arndt, Hofkapellmeister	tenor Tenor The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...	Karl Erb Karl Erb Karl Erb was a German tenor vocalist who made his career first in opera and then in oratorio and lieder recital. He excelled in all these genres, and before 1920 gave classic performances of key roles in modern works, and created lead roles in those of Hans Pfitzner...
Laura, his wife	soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...	Maria Ivogün Maria Ivogün Maria Ivogün was a distinguished soprano singer of Hungarian origin. She was especially an outstanding interpreter of the works of Mozart: her recording of the aria of the Queen of the Night became legendary.- Biography and artistic career :Maria Ivogün was born Ilse Kempner...
Florian Döblinger, timpanist and music copyist	tenor	Franz Gruber Franz Gruber (tenor) Franz Gruber was a German operatic tenor who had an active career in his native country and in Austria during the first half of the 20th century.-Professional career:...
Lieschen, Laura's servant	soprano
Peter Vogel, Wilhelm's friend	bass Bass (voice type) A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C...

Synopsis

The librettist Leo Feld placed the story in the 18th century, when Friedrich Schiller

Friedrich Schiller

Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller was a German poet, philosopher, historian, and playwright. During the last seventeen years of his life , Schiller struck up a productive, if complicated, friendship with already famous and influential Johann Wolfgang von Goethe...

's ballade of the same title

Der Ring des Polykrates (poem)

Polycrates' Ring is a ballad written in June 1797 by Friedrich Schiller. It was first published the following year. It gave its name to the Korngold opera Der Ring des Polykrates, set in or around 1797....

 was new.

The musician Wilhelm Arndt seems to have everything going for him: he is happily married to Laura, he has been appointed Hoffkapellmeister and he has just inherited a small fortune. Only the return of his long-lost friend Peter Vogel could make him even more happy. When Vogel actually returns, he is jealous of Wilhelm's happiness, and convinces him that in order not to challenge fate, he should sacrifice something (after the example set in Schiller's ballade Der Ring des Polykrates). Wilhelm starts an argument with his wife about her former life, but the couple's love is strong enough to overcome all difficulties. In the end, all agree that the sacrifice that has to be offered is the intriguer that tried to ruin their happiness: Peter Vogel has to leave again.

Recordings

In 1996 CPO

Classic Produktion Osnabrück

Classic Produktion Osnabrück is a record label founded in 1986 by Georg Ortmann and several others. Its declared mission is to fill niches in the recorded classical repertory, with an emphasis on romantic, late romantic and 20th-century music...

 released a 1995 recording, with Klauspeter Seibel conducting the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin

Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin

The Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin is an orchestra based in Berlin, Germany. It was founded in 1946 by American occupation forces as the RIAS-Symphonie-Orchester . It was also known as the American Sector Symphony Orchestra...

and singers Beate Bilandzija, Dietrich Henschel and Jürgen Sacher.

Piano music

Opera themes transcribed for piano being popular in the early 20th century, a Potpourri from Der Ring des Polycrates for piano was arranged by L. Ruffin and recorded by Martin Jones in 2001.