Schuld an Bühne
BARD COLLEGE NEW YORK
2019
oper von korngold
DAS WUNDER
DER HELIANE
von
Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Bard College New York
Premiere: 26. Juli 2019
Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Bard College New York
Premiere: 26. Juli 2019
Set in an unnamed totalitarian state, The Miracle of Heliane (Das Wunder der Heliane) features an intricate, erotic triangle between a ruthless despot, The Ruler; his beautiful and neglected wife, Heliane; and a young, messianic Stranger. An allegorical tale, about the destruction of a dictatorship by a woman, Heliane premiered to great acclaim in Hamburg in 1927, and remains extraordinarily relevant today.
This new production is directed by Christian Räth, with sets and costumes by Esther Bialas, both making their SummerScape debuts. The consistently excellent cast includes the stunning Lithuanian soprano Ausrine Stundyte in an all-too-rare U.S. appearance alongside rising star tenor Daniel Brenna, and the heralded bass-baritone Alfred Walker.
This new production is directed by Christian Räth, with sets and costumes by Esther Bialas, both making their SummerScape debuts. The consistently excellent cast includes the stunning Lithuanian soprano Ausrine Stundyte in an all-too-rare U.S. appearance alongside rising star tenor Daniel Brenna, and the heralded bass-baritone Alfred Walker.
Photos: Stephanie Berger © 2019
Besetzung
|
mit
Regie Musikalische Leitung Bühne und Kostüme Mitarbeit Bühne |
Ausrine Stundyte
Daniel Brenna Alfred Walker Christian Räth Leon Botstein Esther Bialas Daniel Unger |
Photos: Stephanie Berger © 2019
Pressestimmen
"Bard SummerScape is offering the belated American premiere of “Das Wunder der Heliane” as part of a deep dive into Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s work. [...] At Bard, Christian Räth’s production is more literal, with a clearer broadcasting of the libretto’s dated obsessions, like sexual purity and the eternal feminine. But, for an opera not seen in this country until now, the staging is valuably crisp, the singing solid. Even though Korngold’s most enduring legacy may be in film, his take on 1920s Viennese opera is well worth a trip to take in. 'What you learn from ‘Heliane’ is that his particular, very distinctive melodic and harmonic language was there already before he went to Hollywood,' Mr. Botstein said. 'There is something naïvely optimistic about his music, subconsciously beautiful. And winningly so.'"
The New York Times
"In choosing an opera to stage in conjunction with this year’s Bard Music Festival, which is dedicated to the life and times of Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Bard SummerScape bypassed the composer’s most famous work, 'Die Tote Stadt,' in favor of 'Das Wunder der Heliane' ('The Miracle of Heliane'). A grand opera colored in rich harmonies and steeped in religious symbolism, “Heliane” stars Ausrine Stundyte as a queen who defies her despotic husband (Alfred Walker) and embraces a mysterious stranger (Daniel Brenna). Leon Botstein conducts the American Symphony Orchestra in the work’s U.S. stage première, at the Fisher Center, in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York; Christian Räth directs."
The New Yorker
"Better late than never: 'Das Wunder der Heliane' makes long-awaited US debut. Erich Wolfgang Korngold considered 'Das Wunder der Heliane' his masterpiece, but history hasn’t kept up with that opinion. Unheard for decades before a recent renewal of interest, the opera makes a much-belated US debut as part of the Bard SummerScape festival, some 92 years after its premiere in Hamburg. As seen at the second of five performances, the production – directed by Christian Räth and conducted by Leon Botstein – offers a clue as to why the conductor valued it so highly, and why it has become a repertory rarity. Bard’s assumption [...] stands as an important and commendable achievement, for bringing a neglected and worthwhile work back into the spotlight."
Bachtrack
The New York Times
"In choosing an opera to stage in conjunction with this year’s Bard Music Festival, which is dedicated to the life and times of Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Bard SummerScape bypassed the composer’s most famous work, 'Die Tote Stadt,' in favor of 'Das Wunder der Heliane' ('The Miracle of Heliane'). A grand opera colored in rich harmonies and steeped in religious symbolism, “Heliane” stars Ausrine Stundyte as a queen who defies her despotic husband (Alfred Walker) and embraces a mysterious stranger (Daniel Brenna). Leon Botstein conducts the American Symphony Orchestra in the work’s U.S. stage première, at the Fisher Center, in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York; Christian Räth directs."
The New Yorker
"Better late than never: 'Das Wunder der Heliane' makes long-awaited US debut. Erich Wolfgang Korngold considered 'Das Wunder der Heliane' his masterpiece, but history hasn’t kept up with that opinion. Unheard for decades before a recent renewal of interest, the opera makes a much-belated US debut as part of the Bard SummerScape festival, some 92 years after its premiere in Hamburg. As seen at the second of five performances, the production – directed by Christian Räth and conducted by Leon Botstein – offers a clue as to why the conductor valued it so highly, and why it has become a repertory rarity. Bard’s assumption [...] stands as an important and commendable achievement, for bringing a neglected and worthwhile work back into the spotlight."
Bachtrack
Photos: Stephanie Berger © 2019
Video
Trailer zur Aufführung am Bard College New York
Video: Fisher Center © 2019
