Dantons Tod

Dantons Tod
Operas by Gottfried von Einem
v · opera by composer Gottfried von Einem to a libretto by Boris Blacher and Gottfried von Einem after Georg Büchner's 1835 play Danton's Death. Its first performance took place in Salzburg, August 6, 1947. It was revised in 1955.

The successful premiere of Gottfried von Einem's opera Dantons Tod at the 1947 Salzburg Festival and its quick staging by European houses were due to more than the strong drama of Einem's score. This was a first step toward the rehabilitation of German musicians after World War II: an opera by a young Austrian composer who had not collaborated in the former regime's cultural policies. Dantons Tod dramatizes legalized governmental terror, a plague which the world at the time realized had not been eradicated with the end of the war.

Contents

Roles

First performance in Germany, Hamburg State Opera, 1948.
Role Voice type Premiere cast[1]
6 August 1947
Conductor: Ferenc Fricsay
Georges Danton baritone Paul Schöffler
Camille Desmoulins tenor Julius Patzak
Lucile soprano Maria Cebotari
Hérault de Séchelles tenor Peter Klein
Robespierre tenor Josef Witt
Saint-Just bass Ludwig Weber
Simon bass Georg Hann
Julie mezzo-soprano Gisela Thury
Hermann bass Herbert Alsen
Simon's wife contralto Rosette Anday
Young man tenor Erwin Nowaro
Two executioners tenor, bass William Wernigk, Wilhelm Felden
Woman soprano Trude Ballasch
Chorus (SATB)

Synopsis

Dantons Tod was adapted from Georg Büchner's play by von Einem and his teacher, composer Boris Blacher. The protagonist is Georges Danton, a leader in the French government during the Revolution. When he turned against Robespierre's tactics—including terror—he was guillotined in April 1794. The opera's first act establishes Danton's confrontation with Robespierre. In the first scene Danton and Camille Desmoulins express their desire for an end of the daily executions to a group of their friends playing cards. Scene two introduces the volatile crowd. Robespierre enters and in an aria sways the crowd and promises more executions. Danton confronts him. After Danton leaves, Robespierre and his colleague Saint-Just decide that he and Camille must be killed. In the last scene of the act Danton announces to Camille and his wife Lucille that he is to be arrested, but he refuses to flee.

Act 2 depicts Danton's trial and death. Two scenes before the Revolutionary Tribunal are separated by one with Danton and Camille in prison. Lucille comes to see Camille; she has lost her reason. In the trial scenes the crowd swings between demanding Danton's death and falling under the spell of his eloquent oratory. At the end, in the Place de la Révolution, the condemned prisoners sing "La Marseillaise" in counterpoint to the crowd dancing the Carmagnole. Danton and Camille are guillotined. After the crowd disperses, Lucille enters and sits on the steps of the guillotine. She cries Es lebe der Konig (Long live the king) and is arrested as the curtain falls.

Von Einem revised the score slightly after the premier, replacing an orchestral prelude with the chords that now open the opera, cutting an orchestral passage after Danton's death, and revising the final scene with Lucille. These changes make for a more dramatic beginning and ending and add to a score that deserves more frequent revivals than it has seen to date.

Recordings

A recording is available on Allegro Corporation's Opera D'Oro label.[2] The cast includes Paul Schöffler as Danton, Julius Patzak as Desmoulins and Maria Cebotari as Lucille. This is a live recording taken from the premiere in Salzburg on August 6, 1947 with the Vienna Philharmonic and Vienna State Opera Chorus conducted by Ferenc Fricsay.

References

  1. ^ "Almannaco 6 August 1947" (in Italian). AmadeusOnline. http://www.amadeusonline.net/almanacco.php?Start=0&Giorno=6&Mese=08&Anno=1947&Giornata=&Testo=&Parola=Stringa. Retrieved 12 September 2010. 
  2. ^ Dantons Tod page on Allegro website

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Dantons Tod — Daten des Dramas Titel: Dantons Tod Originalsprache: Deutsch Autor: Georg Büchner Erscheinungsjahr: 1835 …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Dantons Tod (Oper) — Werkdaten Titel: Dantons Tod Originalsprache: Deutsch Musik: Gottfried von Einem Libretto: Boris Blacher und Gottfried von Einem Literarische Vorlage …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Dantons tod — (Danton s death) by Georg Büchner    Premiered 1902. Büchner completed his play about the French revolutionary icon Georges Danton (1759 1794) in 1835; the delay between its completion as a script and its premiere on the stage was due to many… …   Historical dictionary of German Theatre

  • Der Schnitter Tod — Es ist ein Schnitter, heißt der Tod, auch Der Schnitter Tod oder einfach Schnitterlied genannt, ist ein deutsches Volkslied des 17. Jahrhunderts, dessen Verfasser unbekannt ist. Das Gedicht thematisiert den als Schnitter (Sensenmann)… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Georg Büchner — Karl Georg Büchner (* 17. Oktober 1813 in Goddelau, Großherzogtum Hessen; † 19. Februar 1837 in Zürich) war ein hessischer Schriftsteller, Mediziner, Naturwissenschaftler und Revolutionär. Er gilt trotz seines schmalen Werkes als einer der… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Büchner: Schriftsteller, Wissenschaftler, Revolutionär —   Dreiundzwanzig Jahre war Büchner alt, als er in seinem Züricher Exil an Typhus starb. Sein kurzes Leben war dicht gefügt und obendrein außerordentlich schöpferisch, als habe es darin keine Langeweile gegeben, allenfalls Atempausen zwischen… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Der Staat bin ich — Geflügelte Worte   A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Liste der Opern — Diese Tabelle ist mit einem Klick in die jeweilige Spaltenüberschrift nach Bedarf sortierbar. Originaltitel Deutscher Titel Komponist Entstehung UA Librettist Literarische Vorlage Autor der Vorlage Postillon de Lonjumeau, Le Le Postillon de… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Liste geflügelter Worte/W — Geflügelte Worte   A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z Inhaltsverzeichnis …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Danton's Death — 1981 Berlin production of Dantons Tod Written by Georg Büchner …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”