''Legende'' is a Dutch-language 2006 opera in 3 acts by Peter-Jan Wagemans which premiered in 2011 at

Dutch National Opera The Dutch National Opera (DNO; formerly De Nederlandse Opera, now De Nationale Opera in Dutch) is a Dutch opera company based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Its present home base is the Dutch National Opera & Ballet housed in the Stopera building, a m ...

. The opera is based on the illustrated book '' Histoire de Mr. Vieux Bois'' (known in Dutch as ''Meester Prikkebeen'' and in English as “ The Adventures of Mr. Obadiah Oldbuck”) written and drawn by the Swiss author

Rodolphe Töpffer Rodolphe Töpffer ( , ; 31 January 1799 – 8 June 1846) was a Swiss teacher, author, painter, cartoonist, and caricaturist. He is best known for his illustrated books (''littérature en estampes'', "graphic literature"), which are possibly ...

(1799-1846). The book combines comic stories about the titular butterfly-collector with more serious stories. The opera was hailed by reviewers as a rare success for a Dutch-language opera.Trouw 15 Feb 2007 Meester Prikkebeen inspireerde 'Legende', de eerste ... — Wagemans' opera gaat over een door vlinders geobsedeerde fantast (Festus) die op de vlucht voor zijn zus in bizarre situaties verzeild raakt."

Recording

Wagemans: ''Legende ''- Marieke Steenhoek (soprano), Caroline Cartens (soprano), Corinne Romijn (mezzo), Helena Rasker (contralto), Yves Saelens (tenor), Thomas Oliemans (baritone), Elzbieta Szmytka (soprano), André Morsch (baritone), Martijn Cornet (baritone), Huub Claessens (baritone), Marcel Beekman (tenor) De Nederlandse Opera, the Chorus of De Nederlandse Opera, the Netherlands & Radio Philharmonic Orchestra.

Reinbert de Leeuw Reinbert de Leeuw (8 September 1938 – 14 February 2020) was a Dutch conductor, pianist and composer. Life Lambertus Reinier de Leeuw's mother and father were both psychiatrists: Cornelis Homme 'Kees' de Leeuw (1905-1953) and Adriana Judina ...

Etcetera 2CD 2013 - shortened version, Act 1 complete except for 1 aria, Acts 2 and 3 considerably shortened.

References

{{reflist Operas 2006 operas Dutch-language operas