Richard Strauss: Friedenstag "Peace Day" op.80 (1936) opera in one act
Libretto: Joseph Gregor (1888–1960)
Strauss' 12th opera
*** For the Synopsis see the Pinned Comment***
00:00 01. Hast was gesehn? - Morgen dämmert
(Wachtmeister/Schütze)
03:34 02. La rosa, la rosa che un bel fiore
(Piemonteser/Konstabel/Schütze/Musketier/Hornist/Chor)
09:05 03. Hunger! Hunger!
(Chor/Schütze/Konstabel/Wachtmeister/Hornist/Musketier/Offizier)
13:04 04. Hier ist des Kaisers Boden
(Kommandant/Chor/Bürgermeister/Prälat)
16:39 05. Sieg! Welch ein Fanal
(Kommandant/Chor)
17:54 06. (Krieg!)...Mein Kommandant!
(Frontoffizier/Kommandant/Chor)
19:06 07. Schweige! Hier in meiner Hand
(Kommandant/Die Frau/Chor)
20:56 08. Es seil Doch hört
23:33 09. Ihr Alten habt in mancher Schlacht
(Kommandant/Chor)
25:39 10. Zu Magdeburg in.der Reiterschlacht
(Kommandant/Wachtmeister/Konstabel/Schütze/Musketier/Hornist/Chor)
30:46 11. Geht, geht alle!
(Kommandant)
32:52 12. Wie? Niemand hier?
35:39 13. Nur einer hier in diesem wilden Turm
38:03 14. Wohl durft ich dir den Harnisch lösen
(Maria)
41:14 15. Nein - leere Hoffnung alles!
43:33 16. In einer Stunde verschwindet diese Stadt
48:26 17. Krieg, furchtbarer Würger/Krieg, herrlicher Gedanke
(Maria/Kommandant)
52:09 18. Erwünschtes Zeichen!
(Kommandant/Wachtmeister/Chor)
52:44 19. Nein, nicht Todesnebell!
(Maria/Wachtmeister/Konstabel/Schütze)
55:52 20. Der Feind, der Feind!
(Kommandant/Wachtmeister/Schütze/Maria/Offizier)
57:15 21. Das Zeichen, das Zeichen
(Bürgermesiter/Prälat/Chor/Kommandant)
1:00:06 22. Marsch (Orchester)
Wo ist der Mann
(Holsteiner/Kommandant)
1:01:35 23. Hör, Kommandant
(Holsteiner/Maria/Chor/Kommandant)
1:04:41 24. Geliebter, nicht das Schwert!
(Maria/Chor/Bürgermeister/Prälat)
1:10:17 25. Warum kämpften wir Jahre
(Kommandant/Holsteiner/Maria/Chor)
1:12:21 26. Wagt es zu denken
(Chor/Maria/Acht solostimmem)
Roles:
Baryton: Kommandant/Commandant - BERND WEIKL
Soprano: Maria seine Frau/his wife - SABINE HASS
Bass: Wachtmeister/Sergeant of the Guard - JAAKKO RYHÄNEN
Tenor: Schütze/Private/Soldat - JAN VACIK
Tenor: Konstabel/Munitions Officer - JAN-HENDRIK ROOTERING
Tenor: Musketier/ Mousquetaire - ALFRED KUHN
Bass: Holsteiner/Holsteiner Commander - KURT MOLL
Hornist/Bugler - GERHARD AUER
Offizier/Officer - FLORIAN CERNY
Frontoffizier/Front-line Officer - THOMAS WOODMAN
Piemonteser/Piedmontese - EDUARDO VILLA
Bürgermeister/Mayor - ROBERT SCHUNK
Prälat/Prelate - KARL HELM
Frau aus dem Volk/Townswoman - CORNELIA WULKOPF
8 Solo voices - DOROTHEA GEIPEL, ANNEGEER STUMPHIUS,CORNELIA HELFRICHT, MARLENE PAUL, GERHARD BRÜCKEL, KEVIN CONNERS, ANDREAS KOHN, ANDREW MURPHY
Chor der Bayerischen Staatsoper
Chorus Master: Udo Mehrpohl
Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Chorus Master: Hans-Peter Rauscher
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Conductor: Wolfgang Sawallisch
EMI – 1988 LIVE
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Friedenstag (Peace Day) is an opera in one act by Richard Strauss, his Opus 81 and TrV 271, to a German libretto by Joseph Gregor. The opera was premiered at the National Theatre Munich on 24 July 1938 and dedicated to the leading singer Viorica Ursuleac and her husband, conductor Clemens Krauss. Strauss had intended Friedenstag as part of a double-bill, to be conducted by Karl Böhm in Dresden, that would include as the second part his next collaboration with Gregor, Daphne. The opera thematically expresses anti-war sentiments, which William Mann has described as "a determined counter to the militaristic policies of Nazi Germany". These caused the work to be shelved after the outbreak of World War II.
Composition history
Stefan Zweig came up with the idea of the opera, which he outlined in a letter to Strauss following up a meeting between the two at the Salzburg Festival in 1934. Both Zweig and Strauss were united in their common opposition to the growing militarism and anti-Semitism of the Nazis. Strauss had hoped to work again with Stefan Zweig on a new project. However, since their previous collaboration of Die schweigsame Frau had ended in the work being banned, Strauss could not work openly with the Jewish Zweig. While the idea for the story was from Zweig, he then suggested Gregor as a "safe" collaborator for the actual writing of the libretto. Strauss reluctantly agreed. Zweig's influence on the work nonetheless remained in its "form and dramatic substance". The libretto and draft of the opera were completed quickly, by 24 January 1936 and the orchestration six months later on 16 June.
