| German: Das kleine Hofkonzert | |
| Type: | musical comedy |
| Composer: | Edmund Nick |
| Translated Name: | The Little Court Concert |
| Librettist: | |
| Language: | German |
| Premiere Location: | Munich Kammerspiele |
(The Little Court Concert) is a musical comedy in three acts (ten scenes) "from the world of Carl Spitzweg", music by Edmund Nick, libretto by Paul Verhoeven and Toni Impekoven. It premiered on 19 November 1935 at the Munich Kammerspiele.[1]
Nick also wrote a "Fantasy" based on material from this work.
In "a small German ducal principality, about 1840", the singer Christine Holm has been invited by His Serene Highness to the small town of Immendingen to give a "little court concert". On that occasion, she also intends to make inquiries who her father might be. Her only clue is the song "When the evening's dark veil..." ("") which her mother sang 25 years ago for this man.
Walter, son of Earl Marshal von Arnegg, has immediately fallen in love with Christine. When nasty rumours about Christine begin to circulate in the small town, Walter supports Christine and is even prepared to leave the town with her. His Serene Highness, learning that his concert has to be cancelled because Christine has been driven out of town, recalls her. She gets introduced to the sovereign, who is impressed by her charm and promises to help with the search for her father.
She also mentions her mother's song, and the old man remembers his affair with a handsome singer 25 years ago. He decides to treat Christine from now on as his own daughter and make her a noblewoman. Even the poor poet Knipp gets a knighthood because his poetry has brought so many couples together. Now there are no more barriers to the marriage of Christine and Walter, nor to the "little court concert".