Schönberg: Gurre-Lieder

The story

Rarely has a theatrical world premiere been so warmly received as Dutch National Opera’s production of Arnold Schönberg’s late-Romantic Gurre-Lieder in 2014. The production fulfilled a fervent wish of principal conductor Marc Albrecht. The music of Gurre-Lieder is timeless, and so is its subject: a passionate, yet forbidden love. The story harks back to a Scandinavian saga, situated in Gurre. King Waldemar loves the girl Tove, who is a mysterious character, connected to both the world of people and the world of birds. The queen is jealous and has Tove killed. The Wood Dove tells of this in a moving song and the king accuses God of cruelty. A nightmarish scene follows, of a fierce army killed in battle, which rampages like a horde of ghosts. The radiant dawn at the end of Gurre-Lieder shows the insignificance of human destiny compared to the power of nature.

Cast & crew

Burkhard Fritz

Burkhard FritzWaldemar

Emily Magee

Emily MageeTove

Anna LarssonWaldtaube

Markus Marquardt

Markus MarquardtBauer

Wolfgang Ablinger-SperrhackeKlaus Narr

Sunnyi MellesNarrator