Catalogue of Stage Works

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Theatre Plays

composer: Aribert Reimann
librettist: Aribert Reimann
author of original text: Federico García Lorca
German edition: Enrique Beck

Oper in drei Akten

Text von Federico García Lorca
Deutsche Textfassung vom Komponisten nach der Übersetzung von Enrique Beck

Commissioned work: Auftragswerk der Bayerischen Staatsoper München / Commissioned by Bayerische Staatsoper München
Premiere: October 30, 2000 München, Nationaltheater (D) · Helga Dernesch; Inge Keller; Anne Pellekoorne; Jennifer Trost; Margarita De Arellano; Claudia Barainsky; Anna Korondi; Isoldé Elchlepp; Snejinka Avramova · Conductor: Zubin Mehta · Choir director: Udo Mehrpohl · Staging: Harry Kupfer · Costumes: Klaus Bruns · Stage design: Frank Philipp Schlößmann · Organizer: Bayerische Staatsoper München in Koproduktion mit der Komischen Oper Berlin (scenic performance)
Orchestra instrumentation: Picc. · 1 · Altfl. · Bassfl. · 0 · Es-Klar. · 1 · Bassetthr. · Bassklar. · Kb.-Klar. · 0 - 0 · 3 · 3 · 1 - 4 Konzertflügel (z. B. Steinway B oder Yamaha C6) - 12 Vc. - Die vier Konzertflügel werden auch präpariert verwendet. Die Violoncelli werden teilweise obligat bzw. solistisch geführt.
Cast of characters: Bernarda Alba (60 Jahre) · dramatischer Alt - María Josefa (Bernardas Mutter, 80 Jahre) · Sprechrolle - Bernardas Töchter: Angustias (39 Jahre) · Mezzosopran - Magdalena (30 Jahre) · Sopran - Amelia (27 Jahre) · Sopran - Martirio (24 Jahre) · dramatischer Koloratursopran - Adela (20 Jahre) · hoher lyrischer Sopran - La Poncia, Magd (60 Jahre) · dunkler dramatischer Sopran - Magd (50 Jahre) · Mezzosopran - Männerchor (T/B) hinter der Bühne - Die Frauen der Trauergemeinde
Publisher: Schott Music
Duration: 130' 0''
Year of composition: 1998/2000
Language: German
Material on hire

Aribert Reimann

The opera opens with the maid La Poncia complaining about her tyrannical mistress, Bernarda, who is returning with her five daughters from the funeral of her second husband. She orders eight years of sorrow, during which her daughters have to live isolated from society. A young man, Pepe, wants to marry Angustias, Bernarda’s daughter from her first marriage.
However, La Poncia has observed that Pepe not only visits his bride Angustias at her window but also Adela, the youngest of the five sisters. When Angustias realises that the picture of Pepe which she had kept under her pillow is missing, Bernarda orders a thorough search and the picture is finally found in Martirio’s room. The atmosphere in the house is unbearably tense. Martirio confesses that she is also in love with Pepe; she betrays Adela to Bernarda. Bernarda drives Pepe out of the barn, where he was waiting for Adela, with a rifle shot. At Bernarda’s command everybody in the house remains silent for ever.

"Aribert Reimann has fully succeeded in realising Lorca’s disturbing play as powerful music theatre, with a superlative score of unremitting clarity and force. This piece leaves no member of its audience unmoved." (Peter Hagmann, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 1 November, 2000)