''Die ersten Menschen'' ''(The first humans)'' is an opera in two acts by

Rudi Stephan Rudi Stephan (29 July 1887 – 29 September 1915) was a German composer of great promise who was considered one of the leading talents among his generation. He was killed in action during World War I. Life Stephan was born at Worms, Germany, W ...

. For the

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...

the composer chose poetry of the same name by

Otto Borngräber Otto Borngräber (19 November 1874 – 19 October 1916) was a German writer and playwright. Life Borngräber was born in Stendal, Altmark, on 19 November 1874 to Wilhelm and Flora Borngräber. His father was a primary school teacher. After compl ...

. The opera was premiered at the

Oper Frankfurt The Oper Frankfurt (Frankfurt Opera) is a German opera company based in Frankfurt. Opera in Frankfurt am Main has a long tradition, with many world premieres such as Franz Shrek's ''Der ferne Klang'' in 1912, '' Fennimore und Gerda'' by Frede ...

on 1 July 1920.

History

The poet

wrote ''Die ersten Menschen'', subtitled "Erotisches Mysterium" (Erotic

mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' Films * ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film * ''Mystery'' ( ...

) in 1908. The play is based on the characters from the biblical

Genesis creation narrative The Genesis creation narrative is the creation myth of both Judaism and Christianity. The narrative is made up of two stories, roughly equivalent to the first two chapters of the Book of Genesis. In the first, Elohim (the Hebrew generic word ...

. When it was premiered in Munich in 1912, it caused a scandal and was banned in the Kingdom of Bavaria.

set the text to music as an opera in two acts. He began in 1909 and completed it in 1914, shortly before World War I. The premiere was planned at the

for the winter 1915; however, by then the composer had died at the Eastern Front. The opera was finally premiered on 1 July 1920, conducted by

Ludwig Rottenberg Ludwig Rottenberg (11 October 1865 – 6 May 1932) was an Austrian/German composer and conductor. Biography Rottenberg came from a German-speaking Jewish family in Czernowitz, the then-capital of Bukovina, which at the time was part of the Aust ...

. The critics received the performance positively, but the audience less so, leading to few performances. Karl Holl (1892–1972) made a shortened version, cutting objectionable passages. It was played at the

Theater Münster Theater Münster (formerly: Städtische Bühnen Münster) is a municipal theatre in Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, for plays and music theatre (opera, operetta, musical, ballet). When it opened in 1956 it was regarded as the first ne ...

on 17 November 1924. The opera was neglected from the 1950s, and revived in the late 1980s. The original score was played almost unchanged in a

concert performance A concert performance or concert version is a performance of a musical theater or opera in concert form, without set design or costumes, and mostly without theatrical interaction between singers. Concert performances are commonly presented in co ...

at the

Konzerthaus Berlin The Konzerthaus Berlin is a concert hall in Berlin, the home of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin. Situated on the Gendarmenmarkt square in the central Mitte district of the city, it was originally built as a theater. It initially operated from ...

, by the

Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin The Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra (''Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin'') is a German symphony orchestra based in Berlin. In Berlin, the orchestra gives concerts at the Konzerthaus Berlin and at the Berliner Philharmonie. The orchestra has also ...

conducted by

Karl Anton Rickenbacher Karl Anton Rickenbacher (20 May 1940 – 28 February 2014) was a Swiss conductor. Born in Basel, Rickenbacher studied at the Berlin Conservatory with Herbert von Karajan. He took part in master classes with Pierre Boulez. He was an assistant ...

. It was recorded with soloists

Siegmund Nimsgern Siegmund Nimsgern (born 14 January 1940) is a German bass-baritone, born in Sankt Wendel, Saarland, Germany. After leaving school in 1960 he studied singing and musical education at the Hochschule für Musik Saar with Sibylle Fuchs, Jakob St� ...

as Adahm, as Chawa, Florian Cerny as Kajin, and Hans Aschenbach as Chabel. Another performance of the original version was performed on 24 November 2009 at the Freiburg Konzerthaus, with

Fabrice Bollon Fabrice Bollon (born Paris, 1965) is a French conductor and composer. Biography Bollon studied with Michael Gielen and Nikolaus Harnoncourt in Paris and at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. He subsequently continued his studies with Georges Prêtre an ...

conducting the

Philharmonisches Orchester Freiburg Philharmonisches Orchester Freiburg (Freiburg Philharmonic) is the symphony orchestra of Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, founded in 1887. It plays concerts in the Konzerthaus Freiburg and opera in the Theater Freiburg. History The Freiburg Ph ...

. On 3 June 2021,

François-Xavier Roth François-Xavier Paul Roth (born 6 November 1971) is a French conductor, who founded Les Siècles, an orchestra which performs on instruments appropriate to the period of composition of each piece, from the late Baroque and Classical eras to 20t ...

conducted the

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra ( nl, Koninklĳk Concertgebouworkest, ) is a Dutch symphony orchestra, based at the Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw (concert hall). Considered one of the world's leading orchestras, Queen Beatrix conferred the "R ...

in a stage production of

Stopera The Stopera is a building complex in Amsterdam, Netherlands, housing both the city hall of Amsterdam and the Dutch National Opera and Ballet, the principal opera house in Amsterdam that is home of Dutch National Opera, Dutch National Ballet and ...

in Amsterdam, directed by

Calixto Bieito Calixto Bieito (Miranda de Ebro, 2 November 1963) is a Spanish theater director known for his radical interpretations of classic operas. Biography Born in the small town of Miranda de Ebro, Bieito moved to Barcelona with his family when he was ...

.Dutch National Opera: Die ersten Menschen
/ref>

Plot

The opera takes place after the expulsion from paradise according to the

. The scene is a landscape in spring. The libretto can be described as psychological poetry. The opera deals with the matrimonial conflict between Adahm (

Adam Adam; el, Ἀδάμ, Adám; la, Adam is the name given in Genesis 1-5 to the first human. Beyond its use as the name of the first man, ''adam'' is also used in the Bible as a pronoun, individually as "a human" and in a collective sense as " ...

) and Chawa (

Eve Eve (; ; ar, حَوَّاء, Ḥawwāʾ; el, Εὕα, Heúa; la, Eva, Heva; Syriac: romanized: ) is a figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. According to the origin story, "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the ...

) and the sexual intrigues between the sons Kajin (

Cain Cain ''Káïn''; ar, قابيل/قايين, Qābīl/Qāyīn is a Biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within Abrahamic religions. He is the elder brother of Abel, and the firstborn son of Adam and Eve, the first couple within the Bible. He wa ...

) and Chabel (

Abel Abel ''Hábel''; ar, هابيل, Hābīl is a Biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within Abrahamic religions. He was the younger brother of Cain, and the younger son of Adam and Eve, the first couple in Biblical history. He was a shepher ...

), who both desire the only woman available, their mother.

Roles

Recordings

* ,

, Florian Cerny, Hans Aschenbach,

Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra The Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra (''Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin'') is a German symphony orchestra based in Berlin. In Berlin, the orchestra gives concerts at the Konzerthaus Berlin and at the Berliner Philharmonie. The orchestra has also ...

conducted by

, cpo 1998 *

Nancy Gustafson Nancy Gustafson (born June 27, 1956, in Evanston, Illinois) is an American opera singer. She received her B.A. from Mount Holyoke College in 1978 and her M.Mus. from Northwestern University. She has appeared in numerous productions at venues bo ...

, , ,

Donnie Ray Albert Donnie Ray Albert (born January 10, 1950) is an American operatic baritone who has had an active international career since 1976. Life and career Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Albert graduated from McKinley Senior High School in 1968. He earn ...

Orchestre National de France The Orchestre national de France (ONF; literal translation, ''National Orchestra of France'') is a French symphony orchestra based in Paris, founded in 1934. Placed under the administration of the French national radio (named Radio France since ...

conducted by

Mikko Franck Mikko Franck is a Finnish conductor and violinist. Biography Franck was born in Helsinki. He began learning the violin at the age of 5 and started violin studies at the Sibelius Academy in 1992. The Academy let Franck conduct an orchestra in 19 ...

Naïve Naivety (also spelled naïvety), naiveness, or naïveté is the state of being naive. It refers to an apparent or actual lack of experience and sophistication, often describing a neglect of pragmatism in favor of moral idealism. A ''naïve'' may b ...

References

External links

SWR2 Oper, Rudi Stephan: Die ersten Menschen
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ersten Menschen, Die 1920 operas Cultural depictions of Adam and Eve German-language operas Operas Operas based on the Bible