Ein Sommernachtstraum
Product Details
Description
SYNOPSIS
In the middle of preparations for the wedding of Duke Theseus, the Athenian Egeus hurries onto the scene, dragging his daughter Hermia behind him. The latter steadfastly refuses to marry Demetrius who has been chosen by her father, thereby putting her life in jeopardy: in the case of a definite refusal, according to the Duke’s judgement, she risks spending the remainder of her life closeted in a nunnery cell.
In utter desperation, Hermia agrees to the plan of her beloved Lysander to flee with him by night. The only person additionally aware of this plan is Hermia’s friend Helena, formerly the fiancée of Demetrius. In the hope of regaining his affections, she tells him of the lovers’ escape plan. Helena’s dream does however not come true: Demetrius does not return into her arms, but instead plans to follow the fleeing couple.
Once night falls, both pairs stumble around in the forest of Athens. They are soon joined by further guests: a group of craftsmen convene in the forest to rehearse a theatre play for the Duke’s wedding and Oberon, the king of the elves, is also whirring around, snorting at his spouse Titania who vehemently refuses to relinquish her favourite Indian boy to her husband.
Unwittingly, the four Athenians and the rude mechanicals are caught up in the marital quarrel between the elfin couple, whereby Oberon’s servant Droll has a not insignificant part in this situation by regularly misinterpreting his master’s orders. Oberon therefore has the difficult task of ensuring that the right couples ultimately find one another, the panic-stricken mechanicals can rehearse their play in peace and that he can become reconciled with his wife Titania.
At the concluding wedding of the ducal pair, bride and bridegroom are joined by the two recently engaged couples who also wish to exchange their wedding vows and additionally by the mechanicals with their theatre play. What is more, on the stroke of midnight, Oberon makes a hasty appearance unnoticed by the young couples to offer his congratulations
COMMENTARY
Shakespeare‘s concepts and stage settings are intermittently visible in numerous facets of Orff’s works, ranging from the four young men in Der Mond, the vagabonds in Die Kluge, in the witches’ scene in Bernauerin and the soldiers in the Osterspiel (to mention only a few). This is no great surprise in view of the composer’s lifelong fascination with the English playwright, above all with his Midsummer Night’s Dream.
In his preoccupation with this play, Orff primarily focused on a single theme: disillusionment. The stage was to be divided into a simple simultaneous area of action, some of the musicians would be placed on the stage and become involved in the scenes and the sonorous words of Shakespeare would be given priority over the music. Orff viewed this work less as a romantic world of dreams and more as a space governed by elementary powers – ultimately a hazardous Maravauxian game reflecting the power of Eros.
The music was conceived to emphasise individual features, bring vivid colouring to the action onstage, provide keywords and keynotes and provide room for manoeuvre rather than overpowering the resounding language of Shakespeare: this was music which inherently contained the impulse for action on the part of the performers. It is interesting that theatre performances of this work show that this form of musical language never forces the musically-enhanced language of the actors into a fixed mould, but instead provides them in their roles and action with firm foundations.
Orchestral Cast
Auf der Bühne (teilw. auch hinter der Bühne oder auf Band): 3 Trp. - Rüpelorchester: 2 Klar. · 2 Trp. · Pos. · S. (Beck. · kl. Tr. · gr. Tr.) · Kb. -
Hinter der Bühne: Schlitztr. · gr. Muschelhr. · Windmasch. -
Teilw. ad lib. auf Tonband: 3 Picc. - P. S. (Glsp. · Crot. · Xyl. · Bassxyl. · Marimba · Glasglockenspiel · Trgl. · Beck. · Tamt. · Tamb. · Sistrum · Bong. · 3 Holzbl. · Angklung · Bambusstäbe) - Cemb. · Klav. · Org. · Handharm. - Kb.
More Information
Schauspielhaus
Conductor: Hermann Laternser
Original staging: Robert George · Costumes: Helmut Jürgens · Set design: Helmut Jürgens
(scenic)
March 12, 1964 · Stuttgart (D)
Württembergische Staatstheater
Conductor: Klaus Nagora
Original staging: Dietrich Haugk · Costumes: Roman Weyl · Set design: Roman Weyl
(scenic)
World Premiere (Revision) (World Premiere of the "Stuttgart Version" (6th version))