Der Traumgörge

Der Traumgörge (Görge the Dreamer) is an opera by Austrian composer Alexander Zemlinsky. Its libretto was written by Leo Feld. Its music was composed between 1904 and 1906.

Der Traumgörge was intended for performance at the Vienna State Opera (then known as the Vienna Court Opera), where Gustav Mahler, a mentor of Zemlinsky's, was artistic director. In 1907, the same year the opera was scheduled to premiere, Mahler hired Zemlinsky to be an assistant conductor. But, shortly thereafter, Mahler abruptly resigned, and his successor, Felix Weingartner, dropped Der Traumgörge, already in rehearsal, from the schedule. Zemlinsky himself then resigned in protest.

Zemlinsky moved on to other compositional projects, and, deciding that Der Traumgörge needed revision, made little effort to further promote it. The performance materials were discovered in the archives of the Vienna State Opera in the 1970s, a period of renewed interest in Zemlinsky's music. This led to the opera's belated premiere in Nuremberg, Germany on October 11, 1980.

Roles

Recording

• Capriccio 10241/42: Janis Martin, Josef Protschka, Pamela Coburn, Hartmut Welker, Martin Blasius, Victor von Halem, Birgit Calm, Gabriele Maria Ronge; Hessischer Rundfunk Youth Chorus; hr-Sinfonieorchester; Gerd Albrecht, conductor^[1]
• EMI 7243 5 570872 4: Patricia Racette, Susan B. Anthony, David Kuebler, Iride Martinez, Andreas Scmidt, Zelotes Edmund Toliver, Michael Volle, Lothar Odinus, Natalie Karl, Machiko Obata; Gurzenich-Orchester Kolner Philharmoniker Conducted by James Conlon

References