Organization

Singer

Tenor

Aleš Briscein

Fritz

Soprano

Svetlana Aksenova

Grete

Kristýna Štarhová

Bass-baritone

Jiří Hájek

Rudolf

Miloš Horák

Dr Vigelius

Václav Sibera

1. Chorist

Bass

Alexander Laptěv

2. Chorist

Pavel Borek

Jan Hájek

Ein zweifelhaftes Individuum

Baritone

Daniel Scofield

Der alte Graumann

Mezzo-soprano

Veronika Hajnová

Graumann's Frau

Zuzana Ballánová

Mizi

Zuzana Kopřivová

Milli

Tereza Štěpánková

Mary

Daria Rositskaya

Eine Spanierin

Ivo Hrachovec

Der Baron

Der Chevalier

Der Wirt des Gasthauses

Jiří Rajniš

Schmierenschauspieler

Stage director

Timofej Kuljabin

Conductor

Karl Heinz Steffens

Richard Hein

Lighting designer

Taras Mikhalevsky

Costume designer

Vlada Pomirkovanaya

Set designer

Oleg Golovko

Repetiteur

Dramaturge

Ilja Kucharenko

Jitka Slavíková

Chorus master

Adolf Melichar

National Theatre Prague

Others

State Opera Chorus

Orchestra

State Opera Orchestra

Ballet

National Theatre Opera Ballet Prague

Video designer

Anastasia Žuravleva

Lukáš Panoch

German

Der ferne Klang -  (The Distant Sound)

Prague

Czech Republic

Státní Opera Praha (The State Opera)

Der ferne Klang Schreker

Public

The Distant Sound

Czech

English

Approved

At the beginning of the opera, Fritz, a composer driven by the ambition to write a great piece of music and discover the mysterious perfect “distant sound”, which will bring him fame, abandons his beloved Grete. She wants to kill herself, yet the mystic beauty of nature saves her life. Ten years later, Grete is a celebrated courtesan in Venice. Fritz is among the guests at her party, and proceeds to spurn her love again. Another five years later, Grete attends the premiere of Fritz’s first opera, which goes down badly with the audience – she perceives that he is still seeking his “distant sound”. Fritz and Grete ultimately reunite, whereupon he finally hears the desired sound. Yet it is too late – before he can finish a new ending to his opera, Fritz dies in Grete’s arms.
After a long time in obscurity, over the past two decades Schreker’s music has attracted renewed attention – due to the scores whose structure is akin to the film cut technique, due to the fascinating oscillation between traditional harmony and atonality, due to the original dimensions of expression, the traits that today put Schreker on a par with Gustav Mahler.
Schreker discussed the possibility of Der ferne Klang receiving its Czech premiere at the National Theatre with its then director, Karel Kovařovic, who – for unknown reasons – changed his mind and backed out of signing the respective contract. The opera was ultimately undertaken by Alexander Zemlinsky, a friend of Schreker’s, who conducted its first night at the Neues deutsches Theater on 20 May 1920 to great acclaim. The mysterious story about that which is within our reach yet beyond us is thus returning to Prague 102 years later.The work’s premiere, on 18 August 1912 in Frankfurt, catapulted the Austrian composer Franz Schreker among the top music avant-gardists. He maintained his position until the 1930s, when the Nazis added him to the list of “degenerate artists” and his music was withdrawn from public performances.

The Distant Sound by Schreker, From (2022/2022), Directed by Timofej Kuljabin,, Conductor Karl Heinz Steffens, Richard Hein, Státní Opera Praha (The State Opera), Prague, Czech Republic

Performance credits (Cast & Crew )

Cast

Crew

Ensemble

Programme, About & Synopsis

Photos

Further reading

Performance Dates & Venues

Venues