King's Children

Three-act Fairy Tale Opera (1910) Music by Engelbert Humperdinck Text by Engelbert Humperdinck after Elsa Bernstein-Porges (= Ernst Rosmer) Humperdinck achieved worldwide fame with Hänsel und Gretel, and his subsequent Fairy Tale Opera Königskinder has once again impressively confirmed the high artistic rank of composer Engelbert Humperdinck. Originally conceived as a melodrama, he transformed the work into a grand-scale through-composed opera, which had its successful premiere at the New York Metropolitan Opera at the end of 1910 and was heard and seen for the first time just a few weeks later at the Opernhaus Unter den Linden. Various fairy tale motifs have been incorporated into the otherwise freely invented plot, with high symbolic value and poetic magic. The characters that appear on stage are deeply human, thinking freely yet still bound by constraints, simultaneously included in a play of great emotions. With countless sound colors of the late-romantic orchestra and immense expressive intensity, the score of Königskinder possesses special musical qualities, which are revitalized by the Staatskapelle Berlin and their Generalmusikdirektor Christian Thielemann. With friendly support Cast: Musical direction: Christian Thielemann Stage direction: David Bösch Set design: Patrick Bannwart Costumes: N.N. Chorus rehearsal: Dani Juris Dramaturgy: Detlef Giese The Goose Girl: Diana Damrau The King's Son: Sebastian Kohlhepp The Minstrel: Christian Gerhaher The Witch: Evelyn Herlitzius The Scarecrow Maker: Stephan Rügamer The Woodcutter: Manuel Winckhler The Eldest Counselor: Roman Trekel The Innkeeper: Friedrich Hamel The Innkeeper's Daughter: Sandra Laagus The Tailor: Chen Li The Maid in the Stable: Jingjing Xu Child: Soloist of the Children's Choir First Watchman: Martin Iivarinen Second Watchman: Temur Bidzishvili State Opera Chorus, Children's Choir of the State Opera, Staatskapelle Berlin State Opera Chorus, Children's Choir of the State Opera, Staatskapelle Berlin