Neues vom Tage
Encyclopedia
Neues vom Tage is an opera
(lustige Oper) in three parts by Paul Hindemith
, with a German
libretto
by Marcellus Schiffer.
The opera is a satire of modern life, celebrity and marriage, involving parodies of both Puccini's music and Berlin
cabaret. The opera became notorious for a scene with a naked soprano (Laura) singing in the bath about the wonders of modern plumbing, though Hindemith replaced her with the tenor (Hermann) in the revised version.
, at the Kroll Opera House, Berlin
, under the musical direction of Otto Klemperer
. Hindemith revised the opera, changing the text and adding a little new music, for the Teatro San Carlo, Naples
on 7 April 1954
. The United States premiere of the work was at the Santa Fe Opera
in 1961.
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
(lustige Oper) in three parts by Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith was a German composer, violist, violinist, teacher, music theorist and conductor.- Biography :Born in Hanau, near Frankfurt, Hindemith was taught the violin as a child...
, with a German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
by Marcellus Schiffer.
The opera is a satire of modern life, celebrity and marriage, involving parodies of both Puccini's music and Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
cabaret. The opera became notorious for a scene with a naked soprano (Laura) singing in the bath about the wonders of modern plumbing, though Hindemith replaced her with the tenor (Hermann) in the revised version.
Performance history
It was first performed on 8 June 19291929 in music
-Events:*January 1 – Pianist and composer Abram Chasins makes his professional debut playing his own piano concerto with the Philadelphia Orchestra.*January 11 – Karol Szymanowski's Stabat Mater is premiered....
, at the Kroll Opera House, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, under the musical direction of Otto Klemperer
Otto Klemperer
Otto Klemperer was a German conductor and composer. He is widely regarded as one of the leading conductors of the 20th century.-Biography:Otto Klemperer was born in Breslau, Silesia Province, then in Germany...
. Hindemith revised the opera, changing the text and adding a little new music, for the Teatro San Carlo, Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
on 7 April 1954
1954 in music
-Events:*January 14 - First documented use of the abbreviated term "Rock 'n' Roll" to promote Alan Freed's Rock 'n' Roll Jubillee, held at St. Nicholas Arena in New York, New York...
. The United States premiere of the work was at the Santa Fe Opera
Santa Fe Opera
The Santa Fe Opera is an American opera company, located north of Santa Fe in the U.S. state of New Mexico, headquartered on a former guest ranch of .-General history:...
in 1961.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 8 June 1929 (Conductor: Otto Klemperer) |
Revised version, 7 April 1954 (Conductor: Paul Hindemith) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laura | 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... |
Grete Stückgold Grete Stückgold -Biography:She was born in 1895. She married Gustav Schützendorf.Her debut at the Metropolitan Opera was on November 2, 1927 the role of Eva in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. In 1929 she created the lead in Paul Hindemith's opera Neues vom Tage. She died in 1977.-External links:* at the... |
Mercedes Fortunati |
| Eduard, Laura's husband | baritone Baritone Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or... |
Giuseppe Valdengo Giuseppe Valdengo Giuseppe Valdengo was an Italian operatic baritone. Opera News said that, "Although his timbre lacked the innate beauty of some of his baritone contemporaries, Valdengo's performances were invariably satisfying — bold and assured in attack but scrupulously musical."-Biography:Valdengo first... |
|
| Hermann, a professional co-respondent | 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... |
Erik Wirkl | Gino Sinimberghi |
| Herr M | tenor | Arthur Cavara | Alessandro Pellegrini |
| Frau M | mezzo-soprano Mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above... |
Sabine Kalter | Adamo |
| Baron d'Houdoux, an entrepreneur | bass | Deszö Ernster | Giuseppe Modesti Giuseppe Modesti Giuseppe Modesti was an Italian bass-baritone.Giuseppe Modesti made his operatic debut at La Scala in 1940, as Schelkalov in Boris Godunov... |
| Frau Pick, a newspaper reporter | contralto Contralto Contralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above... |
Myriam Pirazzini | |
| Uli | bass | Fritz Krenn | Coriolano Jorio |
| Hotel director | bass | Gerardo Gaudiosi | |
| Room maid | soprano | ||
| Guide | bass | Plinio Clabassi | |
| Head waiter | tenor | ||
| Registrar | bass | Giovanni Amodeo | |
| First manager | tenor | Nino Adami | |
| Second manager | tenor | Silvio Santarelli | |
| Third manager | tenor | Gianni Avolanti | |
| Fourth manager | tenor | Piero De Palma | |
| Fifth manager | bass | Aldo Terrosi | |
Recordings
Hindemith: Neues vom Tage - WDR Rundfunkorchester Köln- Conductor: Jan Latham-König
- Principal singers: Elisabeth Werres (Laura), Claudio Nicolai, (Eduard), Ronald Pries (Hermann) / Horst Hiestermann (Herr M), Martina Borst (Frau M), Oscar Garcia de Gracia (Hotel director), Arwed Sandner (registrar) / Celso Antunes (1st manager; head waiter), Wolf Geuer (2nd manager), Thomas Donecker (3rd manager), Christoph Scheeben (4th manager; guide), Dieter Gillessen (5th manager), Heribert Feckler: bass (6th manager), Sabine Bitter (room maid)
- Recording date: 1987
- Label: WERGO - 28 61922 (CD)