The Young Milord (Der junge Lord)
after a parable from “The Sheik of Alexandria and his Slaves” by Wilhelm Hauff
(English by Eugene Walter)
Commissioned by the Deutsche Oper Berlin
Year of composition 1964
Duration 140 minutes
Dedicated to Folker Bohnet
World premiere
World premiere 7. April 1965
Berlin · Deutsche Oper
Production Gustav Rudolf Sellner
Stage and costume design Filippo Sanjust
Conductor Christoph von Dohnányi
Note
In this opera, Ingeborg Bachmann and I experimented with the buffo genre. The action takes place in the German provinces, looking much as they might have done two hundred years ago. Both libretto and music make use of the comic opera of that time, with a certain, not entirely amorous complicity and detachment. At the end the humorous story changes into one of nocturnal bleakness and folly, although the style of the whole is little altered by such developments. see also “Zwischenspiele” · “Divertimenti”
Hans Werner Henze
Cast
| Luogo dell’azione | The little German town of Hülsdorf-Gotha about 1830 | |
| Frau Oberjustizrat Hasentreffer | soprano acuto | |
| Luise | soprano lirico spinto | ward of the Baroness Grünwiesel |
| Ida | soprano leggero | her friend |
| soubrette | a chamber maid | |
| Baronin Grünwiese | mezzosoprano | |
| Frau von Hufnagel | mezzosoprano | |
| Begonia | mezzosoprano | the Jamaican cook |
| Lord Barrat | tenore acuto | nephew of Sir Edgar |
| Prof. von Mucker | tenore buffo | |
| Wilhelm | tenore lirico | a student |
| Amintore La Rocca | tenore eroico | circus director |
| Hasentreffer | baritono | chief magistrate |
| Scharf | baritono | town comptroller |
| baritono | Sir Edgar’s secretary | |
| basso-baritono | the mayor | |
| basso | a lamp cleaner | |
| Sir Edgar | personaggio muto | |
| Herr La Truiare | personaggio muto | master of dance and ceremonies |
| personaggio muto | the teacher | |
| Meadows | personaggio muto | the butler |
| Jeremy | personaggio muto | a moor |
| ballerini | circus performers: | |
| Rosita | girl of the air, a little tightrope walker from the two Sicilies | |
| Brimbilla | juggler from dangerous Istria | |
| Vulcano | a fire eater from great Milan | |
| Adam | the ape | |
| personaggio muto | a sweeper | |
| personaggi muti | two men with paints and brushes | |
| coro | ladies and gentlemen, young girls and young men of the good society of Hülsdorf- Gotha | |
| coro | some citizens | |
| coro | children |
Instrumentation
| 2 Flauti | anche Ottavini |
| 2 Oboi | |
| 2 Clarinetti | |
| 2 Fagotti | |
| 4 Corni | |
| 2 Trombe | |
| 2 Tromboni | |
| 1 Tuba | |
| Timpani | |
| Percussione | 3 Triangoli Piatti sospesi 2 Piatti a due Tamtam Tamburino 4 Tomtom Tamburo militare 3 Bongos Cassa rullante Grancassa e piatto Grancassa Maracas Frusta Glockenspiel Xilofono Crotali [per 6] |
| Arpa | |
| Celesta | |
| Pianoforte | |
| Chitarra | |
| Mandolino | (2° ad lib.) |
| Archi |
Banda (guarnigione)
| 2 Ottavini | |
| 2 Oboi | |
| 2 Clarinetti | |
| 2 Trombe | |
| 2 Tromboni | |
| 1 Tuba | |
| Albero di sonagli | |
| Triangolo | |
| Grancassa e piatto | |
| Piatti a due | |
| Bei kleineren Bühnen können folgende Instrumente der Garnisonsmusik weggelassen werden: | |
| 2 Ottavini | |
| Albero di sonagli | |
| 1 Oboe | (notfalls) |
Sul palcoscenico
| Pianoforte | (2° scena) |
| Tromba | (3° scena) |
| Percussione | (3° scena) Triangolo Piatti sospesi Hi-hat (o Piatti a due) Tamburo basco Tamburo militare Grancassa e piatto (pedale della Grancassa) |
Orchestra da camera (6° scena)
| Ottavino | |
| Clarinetto | |
| Tromba | |
| Percussione | Triangolo Tamburo militare Grancassa |
| Pianoforte a martelli | |
| Violino | |
| Violoncello | |
| Contrabbasso |