Der Wind in den Weiden

On 2 July 2021, The Wind in the Willows, our opera for children and adults was premiered at the Kassel State Theater. It is the first adaptation of the famous book by Kenneth Grahame for the opera stage and one of the few adaptations in which not only the burlesque experiences of the pompous Toad take center stage, but rather also the effect of nature and of Pan, the god of the wild, shepherds and flocks. In a central scene, Pan’s enigmatic singing summons the friends to rescue Toad. “I heard a melody,” says the Rat reverently, “a melody played just for me.” And the Mole responds: “It sounded to me like the wind, whispering among the reeds and whistling though the willows.”

What could be more obvious than to have Pan’s “airy” music be heard again on reed woodwind instruments? It appears in the middle section of the overture with which not only the opera, but also the present little suite for woodwind instruments begins. It is framed by a joyful waltz, which portrays spring sprouting with all its might and the animals’ zeal. The wind overture concludes with a festive theme that in the opera relates to Toad Hall – “One of the finests manors along the entire river I should say, if not the finest.”

Chamber music arrangements of opera have a long tradition. Already at the time of Mozart, it was common practice to arrange vocal numbers of every large stage work for ensembles consisting only of wind instruments. This “Harmoniemusik” could then be played in small, often domestic-courtly settings in an informal atmosphere, for example, to accompany a dinner. During that epoch, long before the advent of radio or sound recordings, the most important moments and most attractive melodies thus remained accessible even without a stage performance.

Our suite follows this model, and many characters from the piece are present in their short movements: the cheerful Rat in “The River is my Friend,” the hero who was thrown into prison by the people in “Oh poor, poor Mister Toad,” his friends’ search for him in “Where is Toad?” as well as the concluding number in which all participants praise the rescued Toad – because with his adventurous spirit, he enriched their lives, and now, having seen the error of his ways, takes the impoverished weasels from the forest into his castle.

“There’s so much in the world to see, / It’s all best seen with company,” thus the song text of the concluding reprise of the Rat’s song. It is the main theme of the opera and also rounds off this suite. In the suite, all four instruments are shown to advantage on an equal footing and according to their sound characteristics, whereby the English horn, which is used throughout instead an oboe, provides a special color.

Elena Kats-Chernin & Jens Luckwaldt
Sydney & Berlin 2021