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Eli (opera)
Opera by Walter Steffens, 1966 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Eli, Op. 7, is a German-language opera in three acts with music by Walter Steffens to a libretto based on a play by Nelly Sachs. The world premiere was in 1967 at the Opernhaus Dortmund.[1]
History
Eli was a commission from the city of Dortmund[2] as the first world premiere to be performed at the new Opernhaus Dortmund which was inaugurated in 1966.[3] The composer wrote the libretto[2] for the opera in three acts (12 scenes) based on a 1943 mystery play by Nelly Sachs.[4] The city of Dortmund awards a literature prize in her name, the Nelly Sachs Prize.[3] Her play was first entitled Eli: Ein Legendenspiel vom Leiden Israels (Eli: A mystery play of the sufferings of Israel), later changed to Eli: Ein Mysterienspiel ...[5] It was premiered by Theater Dortmund on 14 March 1962.[4] The opera was published by Bärenreiter.[2]
The action is in single episodes, without a plot. It is set in a Polish village right after World War II, where a Jewish boy, Eli, was slain by a German soldier during a pogrom, and is remembered in various ways.[6] Walter Steffens, a resident of Dortmund,[7] worked on the composition from 1964 to 1966.[4][1]
The world premiere of the opera was on 5 March 1967 in the Opernhaus Dortmund,[5][8][7] directed by Hans Hartleb, with Hainer Hill as designer of stage and costumes, and Wilhelm Schüchter conducting.[1][5]
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Roles
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The first performance was at the Opernhaus Dortmund on 5 March 1967, conducted by Wilhelm Schüchter. Many singers take more than one role:[1]
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Reception
A reviewer from Süddeutsche Zeitung noted that Steffens transports the poetry to a different level of emotional intensity.[8] He described the vocal and instrumental lines as expressive and melodic ("Expressiv-melodische Diktion"), and the electro-acoustic parts as unreal voices.[8]
References
Further reading
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