The Rose Elf (opera)

The Rose Elf is a one act chamber opera with music and libretto by David Hertzberg, based on the fairy tale The Elf of the Rose by Hans Christian Andersen. It premiered June 6, 2018, in the Catacombs of Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York City, in a production directed by R. B. Schlather and conducted by Teddy Poll.[1] The opera's debut recording was released October 31, 2020, by Meyer Media LLC (MM20044).[2][3]

The Rose Elf
Opera by David Hertzberg
LanguageEnglish
Based onThe Elf of the Rose
by Hans Christian Andersen
Premiere
6 June 2018 (2018-06-06)
Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn

Roles
Role[3] Voice type[3][4] Premiere cast,
June 6, 2018
(Conductor: Teddy Poll)[5]
The Elf mezzo-soprano Samantha Hankey
The Girl/Luna soprano Alisa Jordheim
The Beloved/Horus tenor Kyle Bielfield
The Brother bass-baritone Andrew Bogard

Instrumentation

Clarinet, horn, percussion, piano, 2 violins, viola, violoncello, bass.[4]

Critical reception

Of the premiere, the Observer wrote, "just about everything you want opera to be. The Rose Elf shocked, confounded, disturbed, and, in the end, exalted."[6]

Following the premiere, WQXR named it the 'Opera Event of the Half Year', saying, "Hertzberg is a masterful dramatist... this one signals the arrival of a major compositional personality."[7]

Opera News called the work, "a compelling and welcome addition to the operatic canon."[5]

The Rose Elf was subsequently named among 'New York's Most Memorable Concerts of 2018'[8] and awarded Operavore's 'Freddie' Award for Best New Opera[9]

Recording
  • 2020: Robert Kahn, conductor; Samantha Hankey, Sydney Mancasola, Kirk Dougherty, Andrew Bogard. Meyer Media LLC (MM20044).[3]

References
  1. Lubow, Arthur (June 1, 2018). "Is Opera Dying? No, But This One Is Staged Among the Dead". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  2. "David Hertzberg's Dark Chamber Opera The Rose Elf Set for Release on Halloween". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  3. "The Rose Elf" (PDF). Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  4. "Opera – David Hertzberg". davidhertzbergmusic.com. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  5. Arlo McKinnon (September 2018). "Review: The Rose Elf". Opera News. Vol. 83, no. 3. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  6. "New Opera The Rose Elf Offers Morbid Enchantment". Observer. June 11, 2018. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  7. "The Best Concerts of 2018 (So Far) | WQXR Editorial". WQXR. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  8. "New York's Most Memorable Concerts of 2018 | WQXR Editorial". WQXR. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  9. "The Sixth Annual Excellence in Opera (aka The Freddie) Awards | Operavore". WQXR. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.