Die Zauberinsel - Schedule, Program & Tickets
Die Zauberinsel
An opera pasticcio by Jean Renshaw and Dieter Senft
after The Tempest by William Shakespeare
In English with German surtitles
New production of the Theater an der Wien in the Kammeroper
Our pasticcio version of The Magic Island is based on the adaptation of Shakespeare's The Tempest that John Dryden and Thomas Shadwell produced for London in the 1670s. The original plot is retained in its basic features, the staff, however, expanded and supplemented by numerous scenes. Caliban, for example, is given a companion by the name of Trincula, Prospero's daughter Miranda is joined by a sister named Dorinda, and Ferdinand, the son of the illegitimate King Alonso, receives a brother named Hippolito. As in Shakespeare's original, our story tells the fate of Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, who was brought to the throne by his brother Alonso and exposed to the sea. Prospero, however, was able to save himself with his daughters Miranda and Dorinda on an island. Here he made Caliban, who lived on the island, his illegitimate subject. And the air spirit Ariel, whom Prospero was able to free from a tree when he arrived, is also dependent on him. Even nature has subdued Prospero with the help of magic. To his daughters, he is a caring, but also dominant father who tolerates no contradiction. But one day - his daughters have grown into young women - Prospero seems to have had an opportunity to seek revenge for his unlawful removal. His concern for the future of his daughters also drives him to leave the island after all. With Ariel's help, he arranges for his enemies, along with their families, to shipwreck. The castaways land on the island. Now it comes to numerous entanglements. And - how could it be otherwise - Miranda and Dorinda fall in love with the sons of Prospero's enemies. Will Prospero now take revenge on his former adversaries or will there be reconciliation? Are the wedding bells ringing in the end? Will Prospero leave the island and fulfill his promise to Caliban and Ariel to finally give them freedom for their long-standing ministries?
Henry Purcell was not the first to put Shakespeare's The Tempest into music, the piece provoked his setting: "Do not be scared! The island is full of noise, full of sound and sweet songs, which delight and do no harm to anyone. "This is how Caliban describes the stranded shipwrecked in Schlegel's translation of the magic island in Shakespeare's play. It is understandable that Shakespeare's latest drama has since been most frequently set to music in all of his plays, inspiring many composers to make drama music or symphonic poems. Particularly in recent decades, a remarkable number of new operas have emerged, which appeal to Shakespeare's legacy and thus prove its relevance.
However, the first settings were made as early as the 1670s, when Thomas Shadwell reworked Shakespeare's The Tempest, based on John Dryden's adaptation of The Enchanted Island, to a highly successful, spectacular masque, and thus met the taste of the restorative period. This art form - a mixture of drama, dance and masked ball, punctuated by independent choirs, arias and instrumental interludes, enriched with spectacular settings and transformations - was established in the 17th century, especially in the UK, as the art form opera was not established until the beginning of the 18th century Century could slowly gain a foothold. The music to these Masques came mostly from different composers, in the case of The Enchanted Iceland, it was, among others. John Locke, Pelham Humfrey and Henry Purcell, the latter had originally but demonstrably contributed only a single song to it.
On the other hand, in our newly drafted version, in which the comedic scenes will of course not be neglected, you can expect a varied pasticcio consisting exclusively of pieces of music that are proven to come from the pen of "Orpheus britannicus" - as Purcell is often called , With this "Best of Purcell" we want to resurrect the Masque's art form.
Subject may change.
after The Tempest by William Shakespeare
In English with German surtitles
New production of the Theater an der Wien in the Kammeroper
Our pasticcio version of The Magic Island is based on the adaptation of Shakespeare's The Tempest that John Dryden and Thomas Shadwell produced for London in the 1670s. The original plot is retained in its basic features, the staff, however, expanded and supplemented by numerous scenes. Caliban, for example, is given a companion by the name of Trincula, Prospero's daughter Miranda is joined by a sister named Dorinda, and Ferdinand, the son of the illegitimate King Alonso, receives a brother named Hippolito. As in Shakespeare's original, our story tells the fate of Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, who was brought to the throne by his brother Alonso and exposed to the sea. Prospero, however, was able to save himself with his daughters Miranda and Dorinda on an island. Here he made Caliban, who lived on the island, his illegitimate subject. And the air spirit Ariel, whom Prospero was able to free from a tree when he arrived, is also dependent on him. Even nature has subdued Prospero with the help of magic. To his daughters, he is a caring, but also dominant father who tolerates no contradiction. But one day - his daughters have grown into young women - Prospero seems to have had an opportunity to seek revenge for his unlawful removal. His concern for the future of his daughters also drives him to leave the island after all. With Ariel's help, he arranges for his enemies, along with their families, to shipwreck. The castaways land on the island. Now it comes to numerous entanglements. And - how could it be otherwise - Miranda and Dorinda fall in love with the sons of Prospero's enemies. Will Prospero now take revenge on his former adversaries or will there be reconciliation? Are the wedding bells ringing in the end? Will Prospero leave the island and fulfill his promise to Caliban and Ariel to finally give them freedom for their long-standing ministries?
Henry Purcell was not the first to put Shakespeare's The Tempest into music, the piece provoked his setting: "Do not be scared! The island is full of noise, full of sound and sweet songs, which delight and do no harm to anyone. "This is how Caliban describes the stranded shipwrecked in Schlegel's translation of the magic island in Shakespeare's play. It is understandable that Shakespeare's latest drama has since been most frequently set to music in all of his plays, inspiring many composers to make drama music or symphonic poems. Particularly in recent decades, a remarkable number of new operas have emerged, which appeal to Shakespeare's legacy and thus prove its relevance.
However, the first settings were made as early as the 1670s, when Thomas Shadwell reworked Shakespeare's The Tempest, based on John Dryden's adaptation of The Enchanted Island, to a highly successful, spectacular masque, and thus met the taste of the restorative period. This art form - a mixture of drama, dance and masked ball, punctuated by independent choirs, arias and instrumental interludes, enriched with spectacular settings and transformations - was established in the 17th century, especially in the UK, as the art form opera was not established until the beginning of the 18th century Century could slowly gain a foothold. The music to these Masques came mostly from different composers, in the case of The Enchanted Iceland, it was, among others. John Locke, Pelham Humfrey and Henry Purcell, the latter had originally but demonstrably contributed only a single song to it.
On the other hand, in our newly drafted version, in which the comedic scenes will of course not be neglected, you can expect a varied pasticcio consisting exclusively of pieces of music that are proven to come from the pen of "Orpheus britannicus" - as Purcell is often called , With this "Best of Purcell" we want to resurrect the Masque's art form.
Subject may change.
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