Der Trompeter von Säckingen

Der Trompeter von Säckingen (The Trumpeter of Säckingen) is an opera in a prologue and three acts by Viktor Nessler. The German libretto was by Rudolf Bunge [de], based on the epic poem, Der Trompeter von Säkkingen [sic], by Joseph Victor von Scheffel.

Der Trompeter von Säckingen
Opera by Viktor Nessler
The composer
Translation	The Trumpeter of Säckingen
Librettist	Rudolf Bunge [de]
Language	German
Based on	Trompeter von Säkkingen by Joseph Viktor von Scheffel
Premiere	4 May 1884 (1884-05-04) Carola Stadttheater in Leipzig

Performance history

Arthur Nikisch, to whom Nessler dedicated the opera,^[1] conducted the first performance at the Carola-Theater [de] (or Stadttheater) in Leipzig on 4 May 1884. It was Nessler's greatest success, albeit in part because of the popularity of von Scheffel's poem. It was subsequently given at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City on 23 November 1887, and at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, in London on 8 July 1892 by the Hamburg Stadttheater, conducted by Leo Feld.^{[citation needed]}

Roles

Roles, voice types, premiere cast

Role	Voice type	Premiere cast, 4 May 1884 Conductor: Arthur Nikisch
Werner Kirchhofer, law student, later a trumpeter	baritone	Otto Schelper
Konradin, a trumpeter	bass	Karl Grengg
Baron von Schönau	bass	Karl Grengg
Maria, daughter of the Baron	soprano	Margarethe Jahns
Count von Wildenstein	bass	Karl Grengg
Countess Wildenstein, Maria's aunt, former wife of the Count	contralto
Damian, son of the Count by a subsequent wife	tenor	George Marion
The majordomo	baritone
The rector	bass	Karl Grengg

Synopsis

Setting: 17th-century Heidelberg and Säkkingen, after the Thirty Years' War. The trumpeter Werner loves Maria, the daughter of the Baron, but her father and mother want her to marry the cowardly Damian. Werner proves himself a hero and is opportunely discovered to be of noble birth, so all ends happily.

Recordings

• Nessler: Der Trompeter von Säckingen – WDR Rundfunkorchester Köln and Chorus, conductor: Helmuth Froschauer, Alfred Kuhn (bass); Christoph Späth (tenor); Franz Hawlata [de] (bass); Hermann Prey (baritone); Katharina Kammerloher (mezzo-soprano); 2013 [1994] Capriccio C5187 (CD)^[2]