Manuel Hidalgo (*1956) Des Kaisers neues Kleid
after a Fairy Tale by Hans Christian Andersen 1996 Duration: 60' Text: Hans-Peter Jahn
3 insts (tbne.vl.va) – 2 actors/singers – choir (SAATBB)
World premiere: Stuttgart, July 12, 1996
Text by Hans-Peter Jahn after a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen
Persons and Instruments: The Emperor (trombone) - The Female Court Jester (both actor and singer) - The Prime Minister (both actor and singer) - 2 Weavers (violin,viola) - Courtiers (chorus)
This is an imaginative new retelling of the well-known fairy tale. In this version, we have a female court jester who holds all the strings in her hand and drives the action forward. While she is allowed to react to the children’s interjections, the Emperor neither speaks nor sings but expresses himself solely through his instrument, the trombone. Likewise, Herr and Frau Weber are also instrumentalists who weave only imaginary garments.