OPERA SEARCH
Die Ameise
(1961)Libretto by Richard Bletschacher and Peter Ronnefeld (G)
colS,M,3T,2Bar,B,2speaking roles; mixed chorus; ballet;
3(I,II,III=picc,III=afl).3(III=corA).3(III=bcl).3(III=dbn)-4.3.3.1-5timp.perc(4-6):tgl/cast/2tpl.bl/2tom-t/tamb/SD/BD/cym(sm)/BD/tam-t/glsp/xyl/vib-pft-cel-strings;
Off stage:0.0.0.0-0.3.3.0-perc:tam-t(sm)/tam-t(lg)-harp;
Incidental Music I:0.0.3(I-II=Ebcl).0-0.3.3.0-perc(1):tom-t/SD/BD/cyms(sm)/cyms(lg)-pizzicato bass;
Incidental Music II:0.0.1.0-0.0.0.0-perc(1):SD/cyms-pft
Abbreviations (PDF)
Sikorski
Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Düsseldorf
Wolfgang Liebeneiner, director
Conductor: Peter Ronnefeld
Company: Orchester und Chor der Deutschen Oper am Rhein
| MAESTRO SALVATORE | Baritone |
| FORMICA, his student | Coloratura soprano |
| FORMICA’S MOTHER | Mezzo-soprano |
| SALVATORE’S SERVANT | Tenor |
| MELTER, prison guard | Tenor |
| PROFESSOR MEZZACROCE | Bass |
| CAT BURGLAR | Baritone |
| PICKPOCKET CLIMBER | Tenor |
| PROSECUTOR / BARKER / MANAGER | Spoken role |
| DEFENCE ATTORNEY / PRISON CHAPLAIN / PRISON DIRECTOR | Spoken role |
| Trial spectators, court ushers, insect-like dream figures, passers-by, music hall guests, waiters, nude dancers |
The story is set in Vienna during the Italian occupation.
The famous voice teacher Salvatore is accused of having murdered his student Formica. In court, he insists on his innocence – yet contradictory witness statements and strange details that gradually come to light cast doubt on his account. Every one of Maestro Salvatore’s passionate outbursts during the prosecutor’s questioning reveals his obsession with the highly gifted student who lived with him: her extraordinary talent is entirely his achievement, she is his work of art, almost his own creation. But when Formica breaks free from this suffocating grasp, leaves her tyrannical teacher, and attempts to embark on an independent career as a singer, disaster strikes. Formica dies – but whether Salvatore is truly responsible for her death ultimately remains uncertain.
Nevertheless, Salvatore is convicted and sent to prison. In confinement, he sinks ever deeper into delusions. A small box, which he carefully hides from his two cellmates and the nosy prison guard, serves as a kind of cage for an ant in which he believes he sees Formica, to whom he desperately gives singing lessons. When the Maestro is unexpectedly released from prison, the once highly respected and self-assured teacher finds himself a confused old man on a deserted street – carefully carrying the little box with the singing ant before him. Drawn by colorful lights and the loud calls of a barker, Salvatore eventually enters a bustling music hall, where he and Formica sing of their immortal love in a duet. As the showgirls transform into dragonflies, bees, and flies for a sensational dance number, the story reaches its tragic conclusion.
Dramatic