Details
The dwarf of the title is a birthday present for the Infanta of Spain - a toy for her to play with. He falls in love with her, but she, with all a child's ingenuous cruelty, can only break his heart. Alma Mahler, with whom Zemlinsky was infatuated, described him as a 'horrid little dwarf'. Little wonder, then, that he was moved to write a piece - based on a story by Oscar Wilde - about the 'tragedy of the ugly man', who has, nonetheless, a great capacity for love. There is, in the words of Alban Berg, 'a wonderful flow of glorious melody' running throughout the score, and
The Dwarf is, altogether, a highly charged, deeply affecting music drama. Sung in English. Running time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes
Cast/Performers
Stefanie Krahnenfeld (Donna Clara - The Infanta),
Majella Cullagh (Ghita),
Paul Nilon (Dwarf),
Graeme Broadbent (Don Estoban)
Creatives/Company
Music:
Alexander ZemlinskyCompany:
Opera NorthConductor:
David ParryDirector:
David PountneyDesign:
Johan EngelsCostume:
Marie-Jeanne LeccaLighting:
Adam SilvermanTranslation:
David Pountney