An opera about a Jewess

The most famous exemplar is Halevy’s La Juive.

Heinrich Marschner composed Der Templer und die Jüdin, based tangentially on Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe.

In 1901 a light opera, Der polnische Jude, was premiered in Prague and did the round of major German cities, winding up at the Metropolitan Opera in 1921 as The Polish Jew. A French version of the same libretto was composed by Camille Erlanger in 1900 as Le juif polonais.

With the exception of Halevy’s masterpiece, each of these works caused discomfort in Jewish communities at the uncomprehending spotlight they cast on faith-based activities.

Now we have a new runner.

The Semperoper Dresden will present the world premiere on February 10, 2024, of a five-act Die Jüdin von Toledo by Detlev Glanert with a libretto based on a drama by Franz Grillparzer. The director is Robert Carsen, the conductor Jonathan Darlington. Unease is almost guaranteed.