''Eli'', Op. 7, is an

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

in three acts with music by Walter Steffens to a

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 ...

based on a play by

Nelly Sachs Nelly Sachs (; 10 December 1891 – 12 May 1970) was a German-Swedish poet and playwright. Her experiences resulting from the rise of the Nazis in World War II Europe transformed her into a poignant spokesperson for the grief and yearnings of he ...

. The world premiere was in 1967 at the

Opernhaus Dortmund Opernhaus Dortmund is the opera house of Dortmund, Germany, operated by the Theater Dortmund organisation. A new opera house opened in 1966, replacing an earlier facility which opened in 1904 and was destroyed during World War I. It was built o ...

History

''Eli'' was a commission from the city of

Dortmund Dortmund (; Westphalian nds, Düörpm ; la, Tremonia) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the eighth-largest city of Germany, with a population of 588,250 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the la ...

as the first world premiere to be performed at the new

which was inaugurated in 1966. The composer wrote the

for the opera in three acts (12 scenes) based on a 1943 mystery play by

. The city of Dortmund awards a literature prize in her name, the

Nelly Sachs Prize The Nelly Sachs Prize (German: ''Nelly Sachs Preis'') is a literary prize given every two years by the German city of Dortmund. Named after the Jewish poet and Nobel laureate Nelly Sachs, the prize includes a cash award of €15,000. It honours ...

. Her play was first entitled ''Eli: Ein Legendenspiel vom Leiden Israels'' (Eli: A mystery play of the sufferings of Israel), later changed to ''Eli: Ein Mysterienspiel...'' It was premiered by Theater Dortmund on 14 March 1962. The opera was published by

Bärenreiter Bärenreiter (Bärenreiter-Verlag) is a German classical music publishing house based in Kassel. The firm was founded by Karl Vötterle (1903–1975) in Augsburg in 1923, and moved to Kassel in 1927, where it still has its headquarters; it also ...

. The action is in single episodes, without a plot. It is set in a Polish village right after World War II, where a Jewish boy, Eli, was slain by a German soldier during a pogrom, and is remembered in various ways. Walter Steffens, a resident of Dortmund, worked on the composition from 1964 to 1966. The world premiere of the opera was on 5 March 1967 in the Opernhaus Dortmund, directed by

Hans Hartleb Hans Hartleb (born 6 November 1951) is a German skier. He competed in the Nordic combined event at the 1972 Winter Olympics The 1972 Winter Olympics, officially the and commonly known as Sapporo 1972 ( ja, 札幌1972), was a winter multi- ...

, with

Hainer Hill Hainer Hill (born Heinrich Hill; 28 July 191320 August 2001) was a German scenic designer, costume designer, painter, graphic artist and theatre photographer who was based in Berlin and worked internationally. After studying painting in Frankfurt ...

as designer of stage and costumes, and

Wilhelm Schüchter Wilhelm Schüchter (15 December 1911 – 27 May 1974) was a German conductor. He was Generalmusikdirektor in Dortmund and left a legacy of opera recordings. Career Born in Bonn, Schüchter studied piano at the Hochschule für Musik Köln, co ...

conducting.

Roles

The first performance was at the

on 5 March 1967, conducted by

. Many singers take more than one role:

Reception

A reviewer from ''

Süddeutsche Zeitung The ''Süddeutsche Zeitung'' (; ), published in Munich, Bavaria, is one of the largest daily newspapers in Germany. The tone of SZ is mainly described as centre-left, liberal, social-liberal, progressive-liberal, and social-democrat. History ...

'' noted that Steffens transports the poetry to a different level of emotional intensity. He described the vocal and instrumental lines as expressive and melodic ("Expressiv-melodische Diktion"), and the electro-acoustic parts as unreal voices.

History

Roles

Reception

References

Further reading