Quick Info
Manuel de Falla
One night the performance of Maestro Pedro’s puppet show does not go according to plan: while the maestro is coaxing to his puppets tell the story of the beautiful Princess Melisendra, one member of the audience is so spellbound by their fable he is incapable of staying in his seat. This is Don Quijote, the knight who fought windmills and his own imagination in Miguel de Cervantes’ famous Spanish epic, who believes he has suddenly found himself back in one of his many adventures. Don Quijote storms onto the stage undaunted and ready for a fight in order to protect Melisendra, whose husband Gayferos has just released from an Arab prison, from the vengeance of her pursuers. Thoroughly confused about what is going on, he believes he is acting to save the innocent and fight injustice. The knight is overcome with rage and will only let his sword rest once the final puppet in the group of pursuers has lost its head. He dedicates his act of heroism devotedly to his imaginary lover Dulcinea, while the uncomprehending Pedro complains about the loss of his puppets.
This chamber opera by the Spanish composer Manuel de Falla (1876 – 1946) is a charming chamber piece, a play within a play, a musical jest that explores the transitions between seriousness and irony, melodrama and parody. The castles in the air that Don Quijote inhabits, somewhere in between dream and reality, will be brought to life by filmmaker Torge Möller (fettFilm), Ilaria Lanzino and the Düsseldorfer Marionetten-Theater using live video and is suitable for family viewing.
- Language
- In deutscher Sprache mit Übertiteln
- Duration
- Dauer: ca. 45 Min, keine Pause
Cast
- Ralf Lange
- Torge Möller
- Momme Hinrichs
- Anton Bachleitner
- Ilaria Lanzino
- Anna Melcher
- Sergej Khomov
- David Fischer
- Jake Muffett
- Anton Bachleitner
- Anna Zamolska
- Duisburger Philharmoniker
Work info
Chamber Opera in One Act (1923)
Libretto by the composer after Miguel de Cervantes
A co-operation with the Düsseldorfer Marionetten-Theater
