Il Re Cervo or The Vagrancies of Truth (Die Irrfahrten der Wahrheit)

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Re Cervo, Il or The Vagrancies of Truth

Libretto after Gozzi by Heinz von Cramer

Year of composition 1962
Duration 150 minutes

World premiere 10. March 1963

Kassel

Staatstheater
Production Hans Hartleb
Stage and costume design Ekkehard Grübler
Conductor Hans Werner Henze

This work is a version of the original “King Stag” shortened by about 60 minutes, easier to stage and requiring a smaller orchestra. The introduction of a speaking part (the magician Cigolotti) provides a link between the blocks of scenes taken from the original. Other discarded scenes have been replaced by recitatives and further new music.

Hans Werner Henze

The scene is set in a southern European landscape – a Venice between woods and sea

Costanza	soprano lirico spinto	a girl
Scollatella divisibile	soprano leggero	a lady of parts
Scollatella II	soubrette
Scollatella III	mezzosoprano
Scollatella IV	mezzosoprano (o contralto)
Armida	mezzosoprano	a lady in black
Leandro	tenore eroico	the king
Checco	tenore buffo	a dreamy lad
Coltellino	tenore buffo	a shy murderer
Tartaglia	baritono eroico	the governor
	soprano 2 mezzosoprani tenore basso	voices of the forest
	voci	voices of the forest
	ballerino	a stag
Cigolotti	attore	a magician (parrot)
	voci infantili	2 statues
	coro	women
	ballerini	spirits of the wind
	ballerini	animals
	coro e comparse	voices of man, the court, the people, soldiers

2 Flauti	2° anche Ottavino
2 Oboi	2° anche Corno inglese
2 Clarinetti	2° anche Clarinetto basso
2 Fagotti	2° anche Clarinetto basso
3 Corni
2 Trombe
1 Tromba piccola antica in do	ad lib.
2 Tromboni
Timpani
Percussione	Piatti sospesi Piatti a due Tamtam Tamburino 3 Tomtom Tamburo basco Tamburo militare Grancassa Legnetti (ad lib.) Claves Xilofono [per 6]
Arpa
Celesta
Pianoforte
Clavicembalo
Organo	ad lib.
Chitarra
Archi

Sul palco

3 Trombe
Mandolino
Tamburo militare
Glockenspiel
Triangolo
Vibrafono

Dietro la scena

3 Trombe
2 Corni
Piatti a due
Tamburo militare
Grancassa
10 Campane tubolari
Clavicembalo
Organo	Armonio ad lib.

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Il Re Cervo or The Vagrancies of Truth (Die Irrfahrten der Wahrheit)

Opera in three acts

World premiere

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Cast

Instrumentation

see also

King Stag (König Hirsch)