' (''The Twin Brothers'', D. 647) is a one-act Singspiel (sometimes also described as a

Posse mit Gesang ''Posse mit Gesang'' ("farce with singing", plural: Possen) is a form of popular German-language music drama, that developed in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Early examples are sometimes called 'Possenspil' or 'Possenspiel'. It is also som ...

) composed by

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wo ...

in 1819 on a libretto by Georg Ernst von Hofmann. ' was first performed at the Kärntnertortheater on June 14, 1820. Hofmann based the libretto on the 1818 French

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

' (The Two Valentines) by Marc-Antoine Madeleine Désaugiers and Michel-Joseph Gentil de Chavagnac (1770–1846). ', like Schubert's other operatic works, met with limited success both at the work's inception and over time. Critics attribute this to the weakness of the libretto as well as to a mismatch between the lightness of the subject matter and the refined nature of Schubert's music. In this work, Schubert's music often approaches the style of Mozart, evoking for instance ''

Die Zauberflöte ''The Magic Flute'' (German: , ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a ''Singspiel'', a popular form during the time it was written that includ ...

.''

Roles

Synopsis

The scene takes place in a village on the

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...

, on the 18th birthday of the young heroine, Lieschen. Lieschen is eagerly awaiting her marriage to her young fiancé, Anton. The opera opens with a chorus in the couple's honor. Unfortunately, upon Lieschen's birth, her father, Der Schulze, had agreed with a friend, Franz Spiess, that, in exchange for a sum of money, Franz would be allowed to marry Lieschen when she came of age. Immediately following the deal, Spiess had left for the war. Franz, now an old veteran whom the villagers had presumed dead, suddenly returns, on the last day on which he can claim his bride, and Lieschen's father must keep his word. Coincidentally, Friedrich Spiess, Franz’s twin brother, also a veteran, happens to return to the village on that same day. The Spiess brothers are both under the impression that their twin was killed in the war. Since they are identical twins and they are never in the same place at the same time, the villagers mistake them for each other. The twins' stories and behaviors do not match (while one brother strives to arrange his marriage to the heroine, the other gladly revokes his right to it), leading Der Schulze to believe that the old soldier has sustained a mentally impairing sword wound and that he is unfit to marry his daughter. After this confusion is used to comic effect in a variety of ways, the twins finally meet, and Lieschen is allowed to marry Anton.

Discography

*'' Die Zwillingsbrüder'' –

Wolfgang Sawallisch Wolfgang Sawallisch (26 August 1923 – 22 February 2013) was a German conductor and pianist. Biography Wolfgang Sawallisch was born in Munich, the son of Maria and Wilhelm Sawallisch. His father was director of the Hamburg-Bremer-Feuerversich ...

, conductor,

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (28 May 1925 – 18 May 2012) was a German lyric baritone and conductor of classical music, one of the most famous Lieder (art song) performers of the post-war period, best known as a singer of Franz Schubert's Lieder, ...

Helen Donath Helen Jeanette Donath (née Erwin; born July 10, 1940) is an American soprano with a career spanning fifty years. Biography She was born in Corpus Christi, Texas and studied there at Del Mar College. Later she studied in New York with Paola Nov ...

Nicolai Gedda Harry Gustaf Nikolai Gädda, known professionally as Nicolai Gedda (11 July 1925 – 8 January 2017), was a Swedish operatic tenor. Debuting in 1951, Gedda had a long and successful career in opera until the age of 77 in June 2003, when he made h ...

, etc. Choir and Orchestra Bayerische Staatsoper München (1978) *'' Die Zwillingsbrüder'' –

Peter Maag Ernst Peter Johannes Maag (10 May 1919 – 16 April 2001) was a Swiss conductor. Early life Peter Maag was born on 10 May 1919 in St. Gallen, Switzerland and died on 16 April 2001 in Verona, Italy. His father, Otto, was a Lutheran minister, ...

, conductor; Solisti Cantori, Philharmonia Mediterranea, Bongiovanni. (1997) *''Der Vierjährige Posten'' and '' Die Zwillingsbrüder'' – Christoph Spering, Capriccio Christoph Spering, conductor; Chorus Musicus Köln, Das Neue Orchester. Phoenix Edition. (2008)

References

Notes Sources * * * *

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zwillingsbruder, Die 1820 operas Operas One-act operas Possen mit Gesang Singspiele German-language operas Operas by Franz Schubert Operas based on plays Twins in fiction