Oberon, King of the Elves

ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE

A singspiel in three acts from 1789

(Oberon, König der Elfen)
Libretto by Carl Ludwig Giesecke (1761–1833) after Friederike Sophie Seyler’s (1738–1789) Hüon und Amande, inspired by Christoph Martin Wieland’s (1733–1813) verse tale Oberon (1780).

Born in Moravia and later celebrated as both a composer and conductor on the Viennese stage, Pavel Vranický wrote his best-known fairy-tale singspiel for Schikaneder’s Theater an der Wien — a venue renowned for theatrical magic, stage effects, and fast-paced spectacle. Oberon, the king of the elves, also known from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, has rejected his wife and will not be reconciled with her until a mortal couple is found whose love can endure even the threat of death. That trial falls to Amanda and Hüon, joined by the comic Scherasmin and a magical horn with the power to stop enemies in their tracks or set them dancing.

Although the Vienna premiere on 7 November 1789 attracted only modest attention, the work soon gained wider recognition after a festive performance in Frankfurt during the celebrations of Emperor Leopold II’s coronation. It went on to enjoy success on stages across Europe before later being overshadowed by Weber’s Romantic Oberon.

Performed in a Czech translation with Czech and English surtitles.

The production is part of the Young Audience Club programme.

CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM

Conductor – Lukáš Kovařík / Jakub Kydlíček
Oberon, King of the Elves – Veronika Rovná
Titania, Fairy Queen – Helena Kalambová
Hüon, German knight – Martin Javorský
Scherasmin, his squire – Lukáš Bařák
Amanda, his daughter – Klára Hlúšková
Fatima, her confidante – Eva Dřízgová-Jirušová

Music director: Jakub Kydlíček
Stage direction: Magdalena Švecová
Set design: Marek Cpin
Costume design: Linda Boráros
Light design: Martin Krupa
Dramaturgy: Juraj Bajús
Czech poetic translation: Jaromír Fiala