Anna Kraus (opera)

Anna Kraus, Op. 30, is a radio opera in one act by composer Franz Reizenstein. The work uses an English language libretto by Christopher Hassall to tell the tragic tale of a German woman who is forced to leave her country due to oppression from the Nazi regime, as the Nazis did not like her political views.[1]

The opera was commissioned by the British Broadcasting Corporation following the popular success of Reizenstein's 1951 cantata Voices of Night.[2] The opera premiered on 25 July 1952 on BBC Third Programme with conductor Norman Del Mar leading the BBC Symphony Orchestra and singers Victoria Sladen (as Anna) and Lloyd Strauss-Smith (as Pavel).[3][4] It was submitted by the BBC later that year for the Prix Italia.[5] Critical reaction to the work was mixed. The New Statesman described the work as "engaging" and a "worthwhile experiment".[4] The Annual Register wrote that the opera "suffered from the composer's emotion being too closely engaged in the sufferings of the heroine, a refugee from political oppression".[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Edmund Burke (1952). The Annual Register. 194. London: Rivington Publishing: 385.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link)
  2. ^ Lewis Stevens (2003). Composers of classical music of Jewish descent. London: Vallentine Mitchell. p. 296.
  3. ^ National Music Council of Great Britain (1952). "Musicians Union'". The Music Yearbook. 1. London: Macmillan Publishers: 649.
  4. ^ a b New Statesman. 44. Statesman and Nation Publishing Co.: 133 1952.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link)
  5. ^ Denby Richards (1952). "On the Air... Studio Opera, Italian Prize Entry". Music and Musicians. 1 (1): 29.
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