Korngolds opera Die tote Stadt herontdekt

Unprocessed grief

Erich Wolfgang Korngold was twenty-three years old when his opera Die tote Stadt premiered in December 1920, on the same day in Hamburg and Cologne! It was already his third opera, and with it he definitively established his name. The libretto was based on Bruges-la-Morte (1892) by the Belgian writer Georges Rodenbach. This symbolist novel revolves around a widower who cannot come to terms with the death of his wife. He becomes captivated by a young, sensual dancer, in whom he believes he sees the spitting image of his wife.

Between dream and reality

The 'dead city of Bruges' features in the background, 'in contrast to an exuberant group of comedians, depraved temptations, and intoxicating dances. Everything balancing between dream and reality,' according to father Korngold, who wrote the libretto together with his son. The young Korngold delivered an ecstatic score that foreshadows his career as a film composer. The Ukrainian Oksana Lyniv conducts the performance this afternoon. She is chief conductor of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna and has been a guest in Bayreuth and at many other major opera houses.