Neues vom Tage
- Laura (soprano )
- Eduard ( baritone)
- The beautiful Hermann (Tenor)
- Mr. M. (Tenor)
- Mrs. M. (mezzo- soprano)
- Hotel manager (Bass)
- The registrar ( bass)
- Guide ( bass)
- Nanny ( soprano)
- Head waiter (Tenor)
- Six Manager ( tenors and basses)
News of the Day is - the official designation - a " comic opera in three parts" ( 11 images ) by Paul Hindemith. The libretto was written by him Marcellus Schiffer. The premiere was in the Kroll Opera House in Berlin on 8 June 1929.
Action
The opera takes place in a German city at the time of the premiere, so 1929.
Actually Edward and Laura are not even as long as a couple, but they still bicker almost every day. Once again they have quarreled violently and now take the decision to divorce. Since unexpected visit announces. Mr. and Mrs. M., with whom they are friends recently, return just back from their honeymoon. You now do everything we can to reconcile the two adversaries again. Not only that the attempt thoroughly fails, no, they come in a matter of dispute, and in the end they want to be also divorced.
At the registry office to know Mr. and Mrs. M. that a dispute alone is not rich for a divorce. There must be a more serious ground for divorce fro. Here, the "Office of Family Affairs GmbH" was happy to help. - Head of this office is the " beautiful Hermann ". For a hefty payment he gives grounds for divorce en masse. With his help, Mr. and Mrs. M. are soon divorced happy.
Now Laura has adopted these ominous Agency, and the beautiful Hermann proposes to her to meet with him at a certain time in the municipal museum. There the beautiful Hermann ticks all his powers of seduction to ensnare Laura with bombastic words. The love affair is appearing in full swing when suddenly Laura's husband. He got wind of the meeting and is immediately rushed to the museum. Meanwhile it has become aware that, despite all the tensions still loves Laura. At the sight of the "divorce reason " Hermann him overcome jealousy. Angrily, he packs a famous Venus figure standing just near him, and throws it on the floor, where it shatters into a thousand pieces. The police is equal to the spot and transported him to jail.
Laura does not want to return to their marital home. Therefore you rent space at the Savoy hotel room. Comfortable she takes a warm bath to recover from the excitement. Meanwhile, the lovely Mr. Hermann has her whereabouts get out and suddenly stands with her in the bathroom. He protests, they actually love. Quite unexpectedly then emerges even Mrs. M. and claimed the bathtub itself. She makes a tremendous amount of noise, which has the consequence that the whole place in an uproar.
The scandal of Eduard - now released from prison - and Laura always drives larger flowers. Six managers got wind of it and try to commercialize the scandal through theater, vaudeville and film. Here, the pair chatted in front of a huge audience about the most private things and made a lot of money. The longer the two continue so, the more they realize that they 're basically determined for each other. Actually they want to no longer get a divorce; but the public has now once stamped a couple who wishes to be divorced, and in this drawer they have yet to get stuck quite a while!
Style and Music
The opera " News of the Day " can be understood as a parody of an opera. Hindemith, who liked to use provocative elements in his music, used to different styles of music. Besides the arias in the traditional sense with their exaggerated cantilenas there are also elements of the then just emerging in Germany jazz. Special humor proves the scene, sitting in the Laura in the hotel in the bathtub and a coloratura aria sings in praise of the hot water supply.
Media
CD with the label WERGO, No. 286192-2 - With Elisabeth Werres, Claudio Nicolai, Ronald Pries, Horst Hiestermann, Martina Borst in the lead roles. It sings the chorus of the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Cologne, it does the WDR Radio Orchestra Cologne under the direction of Jan Latham -König