Golem (Bretan opera)

This article is about the opera by Bretan. For the opera by Eugen d'Albert, see Der Golem (opera). For the opera by John Casken, see Golem (Casken opera). For the German silent film, see The Golem: How He Came into the World.

Golem is a one-act opera by Nicolae Bretan^[1] to his own libretto, based on the legend of the Golem as expressed in a drama by Illés Kaczér [de; hu].^[2] It was written over a brief period in 1923,^[3] and was first performed on 23 December 1924 at the Hungarian Opera, Cluj.^[4]

Roles

Roles	Voice type	Premiere Cast, 1924[4] (Conductor: Nicolae Bretan)
Rabbi Lőw	tenor	Ö. Réthely
Anna, (his granddaughter)	soprano	E. Bethlen
Golem	baritone	M. Takács
Baruch, the Rabbi's disciple	bass	F. Harksay
Chorus of the Autumn Winds

Instrumentation

The opera is scored^[4] for the following instruments:

• 3 flutes (piccolo), 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons
• 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba
• timpani, percussion
• strings

In 2018 the opera was arranged for chamber orchestra by Tobias Schwencke for a production at Neuköllner Oper, Berlin.^[5]

Synopsis

Prague in the 16th century.^[6] Rabbi Lőw (based on the historical figure), has created the Golem, a living creature, from clay. The Golem falls in love with the Rabbi's granddaughter, thereby infecting her with a fatal illness. The Rabbi destroys the Golem to save his granddaughter.^[7]

Recording

• Moldova Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Cristian Mandeal. Nimbus Records NI5424 (1987).