Der Junge Lord

A multifaceted German composer, Hans Werner Henze (1926 - 2012) boasts a production that ranges from symphonic music to film music to opera.

The sixth work in his catalogue, Der junge Lord was composed in 1964 to a libretto by his friend the writer Ingeborg Bachmann, who was inspired by the fairy tale The Ape as Man by Wilhelm Hauff, a 19th-century German fable writer. Its debut at the Deutsche Oper in Berlin in 1965 under the direction of Christoph von Dohnányi caused such a sensation that the opera was soon staged in the major European theatres. In an imaginary German provincial town, the life of the inhabitants is turned upside down by the arrival of an English nobleman, the enigmatic Lord Edgar, with his unlikely entourage of bizarre characters. Among them is also his nephew, the young Lord Barrat, who attracts and worries the other protagonists of the opera with his strange ways. In order to keep up with the new arrivals, the inhabitants try to please the young Lord in every way, only to discover at the end that they have been deceived: in the guise of Lord Barrat there is in fact a trained monkey from a circus.

Although there are typical elements of the comic opera of the eighteenth-century tradition that give it an apparent lightness, Henze's work is nevertheless a bitter reflection on the hypocrisy of the right-thinking society and on the marginalization of the individual, themes translated into a writing that is at times corrosive and cutting even if inserted in the reassuring context of tonality.

New staging
First performance in Italy in the original language

Synopsis

The opera is in two acts of three scenes each, linked by interludes.

Sir Edgar, an English gentleman and scientist, visits a small German town with a vast entourage, including black slaves and a large collection of animals. The townspeople are curious about the new personage in their town, but Sir Edgar is initially aloof to the townsfolk. Through his secretary, Sir Edgar declines all invitations to social events, and the townspeople become angry at this attitude. In scene 2 of act 1, the Baroness Grünwiesel hosts a tea and expects Sir Edgar to attend, but he does not, via a note from his Moor servant. The Baroness promises revenge on Sir Edgar for this slight. In scene 3, a traveling circus sets up their show in front of Sir Edgar's residence. Sir Edgar leaves his house for the first time since his arrival, and enjoys the circus performance. However, when city officials try to talk with Sir Edgar, he again refuses. The city officials then shut the circus down, but Sir Edgar invites the circus troupe into his mansion.

At the start of act 2, several months have elapsed. A lamplighter hears screams and groans from Sir Edgar's mansion. He reports this to the town mayor, who demands an explanation from Sir Edgar. Sir Edgar's secretary explains that the noises are from Lord Barrat, Sir Edgar's nephew (the 'young lord' of the title), who has arrived recently in Germany and is learning German, but is making mistakes and is punished with lashings. However, the prospect of a pending social event at Sir Edgar's mansion becomes evident. This is fulfilled in scene 2 of act 2, where Lord Barrat is presented to the townspeople at a social event at Sir Edgar's mansion. Lord Barrat behaves eccentrically, but the townsfolk are charmed and begin to imitate his actions. Luise, the ward of the local baroness, had previously been in love with Wilhelm, a student, but now has become enamoured of the 'young lord'. Finally, in the climactic dance, Lord Barrat's attire falls from him, and he is revealed as a trained ape.

Program and cast

RUNNING TIME

Approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes (intermission included)

ARTISTS

Conductor: Markus Stenz

Director: Daniele Menghini

Sets: Davide Signorini

Costumes: Nika Campisi

Lights: Gianni Bertoli

Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Orchestra and Chorus

Chorus master: Lorenzo Fratini

Children choir of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Academy

Children chorus master: Sara Matteucci

Sir Edgars Sekretär: Levent Bakirci

Lord Barrat: Matteo Falcier

Begonia: Caterina Dellaere

Der Bürgermeister: Andreas Mattersberger

Oberjustizrat Hasentreffer: Yurii Strakhov

Baronin Grünwiesel: Marina Comparato

Luise: Eleonora Bellocci

Ida: Nikoletta Hertsak

Wilhelm: Antonio Mandrillo

Amintore La Rocca: James Kee