King Manfred (König Manfred), Op. 93 is a grand romantic opera in 5 acts by Carl Reinecke to libretto by Friedrich Roeber. It was composed in 1866 and staged in 1867.[1] [2]
The music was composed from April to December 1866 in Leipzig, where Reinecke was already director of the Gewandhaus concerts and professor at the Leipzig Conservatory. The first performance took place at the Royal Court Theater of Wiesbaden on 26 July 1867 with Wilhelm Jahn as conductor. Although it was a huge success, the opera remained in repertoire only for a while (a printed libretto appeared as late as in 1881). The Overture and the Prelude to Act V were among Reinecke's most favorite compositions.
The full score of the opera was published by Breitkopf & Härtel in 1868, as well as the vocal score, prepared by composer himself. Several popular excerpts were published in different arrangements.
| Role[3] | Voice type | Cast at the premiere | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles of Anjou | — | |||
| King Manfred | tenor | |||
| Helen, his spouse | soprano | |||
| Octavianus, legate and cardinal | bass | |||
| Fulco | Apulian and Sicilian barons, banished by Manfred | tenor I | ||
| Ruffo | tenor II | |||
| Borello | baritone | |||
| Fasanella | baritone | |||
| Annibaldi | bass | |||
| Ghismonda, a nun | soprano | |||
| Eckart | baritone | |||
| A page | mezzo-soprano | |||
| Chorus: fishermen, male and female Saracens, banished people | ||||
The opera deals with Manfred, 13th-century King of Sicily (1232-1266), against whom was half Europe: eventually he fell in battle against Charles I of Anjou. The action takes place in 1266 in Naples and Benevento.
The following list is based on the Breitkopf & Härtel 1868 vocal score.