Der gewaltige Hahnrei

Libretto by the composer after Fernand Crommelynck's 'Le Cocu Magnifique' (G,E)

2S,2A,3T,Bar,2B;chorus
3(I,II,III=picc).2.corA.1.Ebcl.bcl.2ssax(ad lib).2.dbn-4.3.3.1-
timp.perc(4):xyl/glsp/BD/SD/TD/chinese dr/wdbl/cyms/tam-t/tgl-harp-
strings-stage band:0.1.1.1-1.1.1.0-perc:BDwithcym

Composed to his own libretto on a play by Fernand Crommelynck and described by Goldschmidt as a ‘tragi-comedy’, Der gewaltige Hahnrei is one of the most remarkable of those operas whose performance momentum was cruelly cut short by the rise of Nazism in Germany in the early 1930s. The story of how Bruno irrationally suspects his wife Stella of being unfaithful and then forces her to sleep with his best friend to end his uncertainty is open to interpretation on several levels. Since its rediscovery and the acclaimed first recording on Decca’s ‘Entartete Musik’ label, the opera has enjoyed highly successful stage productions in Berlin, Bern and Darmstadt, confirming its status as a gripping piece of music drama. An orchestral suite from the opera is also available for performance (see works for Full Orchestra).

Comic, Tragic