Prinzessin Brambilla
Opera by Walter Braunfels
Walter Braunfels in 1902
LibrettistBraunfels
LanguageGerman
Based onE. T. A. Hoffmann's novella
Premiere
25 March 1909 (1909-03-25)

Prinzessin Brambilla (Princess Brambilla), Op. 12b, is an opera in a prologue and five scenes by Walter Braunfels. The German libretto, written by the composer, is based on the novella of the same name by E. T. A. Hoffmann published in 1820.

History

Braunfels began the composition in 1906 and completed the original two-act version in 1908. He revised the opera in 1929/1930. The second version consists of a prologue and five scenes separated by orchestral interludes. The score of this revised version is published by Universal Edition.[1]

The opera was first performed in its original two-act version on 25 March 1909 at the Stuttgart Court Theatre with Max von Schillings conducting.[1]

Roles

Roles, voice types, premiere cast
Role[1] Voice type[1] Premiere cast, 25 March 1909[2]
Conductor: Max von Schillings
PantalonebaritoneHermann Wilhelm Weil
Prince Bastaniello di PistojabaritoneReinhold Fritz
Claudio, an actortenorAlfred Goltz
Giazinta, a young seamstresssopranoAnna Sutter
Barbara, Giazinta's old friendcontraltoJohanna Schönberger
Gascon, a nobleman, Claudio's friendtenor
Brutz, Claudio's drinking companionbass
Buffel, Claudio's drinking companiontenor
Cuniberto, the landlordbass
A young girlsoprano

Recordings

In 2005 Marco Polo released a live recording, made during the October 2004 Wexford Festival Opera production run, with Daniele Belardinelli conducting the Cracow Philharmonic Orchestra. The cast included Enrico Marabelli as Pantalone, Peter Paul as Prince Bastaniello, Eric Shaw as Claudio, Elena Lo Forte as Giazinta, and a young Ekaterina Gubanova in the minor role of Barbara.[3]

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Walter Braunfels – Prinzessin Brambilla – Fantasiestück in 1 Prolog und 5 Bildern, op. 12b, revised version 1929/1930". Universal Edition. Retrieved 23 August 2010.
  2. Casaglia, Gherardo (2005)."Prinzessin Brambilla, 25 March 1909". L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia (in Italian).
  3. David Gutman (March 2006). "Review – Braunfels: Prinzessin Brambilla". Gramophone. Retrieved 23 August 2010.

Further reading

  • Müller, Ingo (2022). "Die Rezeption E.T.A. Hoffmanns in der klassischen Musik des 19. bis 21. Jahrhunderts". In Benjamin Schlodder; Christina Schmitz; Bettina Wagner; Wolfgang Bunzel (eds.). Unheimlich Fantastisch – E.T.A. Hoffmann 2022 (exhibition book, Berlin State Library in collaboration with Deutsches Romantik-Museum, Frankfurt, and Bamberg State Library) (in German). Leipzig: Spectormag. pp. 315–322. ISBN 9783959055734.
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