| Die Harmonie der Welt | |
|---|---|
| Opera by Paul Hindemith | |
 Johannes Kepler, whose work inspired the opera and its title | |
| Translation | The Harmony of the World |
| Librettist | Hindemith |
| Language | German |
| Based on | Kepler's Harmonices Mundi |
| Premiere | 11 August 1957 Prinzregententheater, Munich |
Die Harmonie der Welt (The Harmony of the World) is an opera in five acts by Paul Hindemith. The German libretto was by the composer.
The title of the opera is taken from Harmonices Mundi by the astronomer Johannes Kepler (1571–1630) who is the subject of the opera. Hindemith used the planetary system as a metaphor for his own musical arrangement of the chromatic scale.
The opera was completed in May 1957. Hindemith had previously composed a symphony of the same name in 1951.[1]
It was first performed on 11 August 1957, at the Prinzregententheater, Munich, conducted by the composer.[2]
A truncated monaural recording of the opera appeared on the Stradivarius label, but a complete recording of the work had to wait until the digital era, when Marek Janowski conducted the entire opera for the Wergo label (see section Recordings).
Due to Kepler's association with his home town of Linz, Austria, performances of the opera were scheduled at the Landestheater Linz beginning on April 8, 2017, and continued for several performances into June, 2017. The Bruckner Orchestra Linz was conducted by Gerrit Prießnitz.[3] [4]
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, 11 August 1957[5] Conductor: Paul Hindemith |
|---|---|---|
| Susanna, Kepler's wife/Venus | soprano | Liselotte Fölser |
| Young Susanna, Kepler's daughter | soprano | |
| Katharina, Kepler's mother/Moon | contralto | Hertha Töpper |
| Wallenstein, warlord/Jupiter | tenor | Richard Holm |
| Ulrich Grüßer, Kepler's pupil/Mars | tenor | K. Wehofschlitz |
| Christoph Kepler | tenor | |
| Johannes Kepler, the astronomer/Earth | baritone | Josef Metternich |
| Emperor Rudolf II/Emperor Ferdinand II/Sun | bass | Kieth Engen |
| Daniel Hizler, priest/Mercury | bass | Joseph Knapp |
| Tansur, astrologer/Saturn | bass | Marcel Cordes |
| Baron Starhemberg | baritone | |
| Richter | baritone |
Set in the 17th century, the opera is the story of the search for universal harmony by the astronomer Johannes Kepler.
In 2002 WERGO released the world premiere recording as part of their Paul Hindemith Edition. This recording was made in the Jesus-Christus-Kirche in Berlin-Dahlem in February/March 2000, with Marek Janowski conducting the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, and François Le Roux in the role of Johannes Kepler.[6][7]
