Opera tonight: Schreker’s Der singende Teufel (The Singing Devil)

In the beginning of the 20th century, Austrian composer Franz Schreker was one of the only opera composers in the German-speaking world whose success could compete with Richard Strauss. But as of 1933, Schreker’s works were banned in Germany and began to disappear from the international repertoire. Only very slowly did Franz Schreker’s operas come back to the stages, and despite this revival, Der singende Teufel (The Singing Devil) has remained in the shadows to this day. After the streams of Der ferne Klang   and Der Schmied von Gent on OperaVision, Theatre  Bonn’s production is another opportunity to rediscover Schreker’s post-romantic music. Conducted by Dirk Kaftan and directed by Julia Burbach.  Lead role of Amandus Herz sung by Mirko Roschkowski.

The Plot:  Amandus completes the construction of a magic organ just before a pagan attack on the monastery. The instrument’s heavenly sound pacifies the attackers, who lay down their weapons and kneel. But it won’t be long before the tones of this ‘singing devil’ resound again, this time from behind the burning walls of the monastery…..

Subtitles in German and English.

Available on Saturday  17 February 2024 at 1900 CET/   1800 London  / 1300 NY  (available for six months only)