The Magic Theatre (Das Wundertheater)

List of works

1943 to 2012

(English by Wesley Balk)
One scene

Year of composition 1948
Revised version 1964
Duration 45 minutes

World premiere (Version for actors) 7. May 1949

Heidelberg · Städtische Bühnen

Production Heinrich Köhler-Helffrich
Stage design Heinrich Nötzold
Conductor Carl Caelius

World premiere (Version for singers) 30. November 1965

Frankfurt am Main · Städtische Bühnen

Production Hans Neugebauer
Stage and costume design Jacques Camurati
Conductor Wolfgang Rennert

The earliest and now obsolete version of this piece (first performed in Heidelberg, 1949) was scored for actors and orchestra. This revised version of 1964 has recast the actors’ parts into roles for singers. In addition, a scaled-down orchestration was made to suit performances in small theatres. “The Magic Theatre” is suitable as one part of a triptych, of which “A Country Doctor” forms the centre and “The End of a World” the third part.

“The Magic Theatre” can still be per formed with actors: for a production given at the Schiller Theatre in Berlin, on 30 September 1965 at the Berlin Festwochen, Henning Brauel made a version for a small ensemble designed to be performed in small theatres.

This version ensures that the actors’ voices are not drowned out by the instruments.

Hans Werner Henze

Place: Spain and everywhere Time: yesterday, today and tomorrow
Time: yesterday, today and tomorrow

Teresa	soprano	daughter of Benito Repollo
Juana Castrada	mezzosoprano	daughter of Juán Castrado
Chirinos	contralto	companion of Chanfalla
Chanfalla	tenore	director of the miracle theatre
Der Knirps Pedro	tenore	a musician
Capacho	tenore	writer
Benito Repollo	baritono	mayor
Juán Castrado	baritono	alderman
Der Gobernadór	basso
Repollo	ballerino	nephew of Benito Repollo
	parte parlata	a quartermaster
	personaggio muto	a man wearing a talar
	coro ad lib.	guests at Juana Castrada’s engagement party
	personaggi muto ad lib.	pages at Juana Castrada’s engagement party

Versione Berlinese per attori e 5 musicisti

Violino solo	sul palco
Timpano
Triangolo
2 Piatti sospesi
Tamburo piccolo
Grancassa
Glockenspiel
Vibrafono
2 Campane
tubolari
Pianoforte
Clavicembalo
Tromba	dietro la scena

Versione 1964

2 Flauti	anche Ottavino
1 Oboe	anche Corno inglese
1 Clarinetto	anche Clarinetto basso
1 Fagotto
1 Corno
1 Tromba	anche dietro la scena
1 Trombone
Timpani
Percussione	Triangolo Piatti sospesi Tamburo piccolo Grancassa Glockenspiel Xilofon [per 3]
Arpa
Clavicembalo
2 Violini
1 Viola
1 Violoncello
1 Contrabbasso
1 Tromba	dietro la scena

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	Hastverstraße 32 90408 Nürnberg - Germany
	info@hans-werner-henze-stiftung.de
	+49 (0) 911 2373862

List of works

see also

A Country Doctor (Ein Landarzt)

The End of a World (Das Ende einer Welt)

The Henze Project

Das Wundertheater