| Der Mieter | |
|---|---|
| Opera byArnulf Herrmann | |
 Björn Bürger in the title role in the premiere | |
| Translation | The Tenant |
| Librettist | Händl Klaus |
| Language | German |
| Based on | Roland Topor'sLe locataire chimérique |
| Premiere | 12 November 2017 |
Der Mieter (The Tenant) is anopera after the novelThe Tenant (Le locataire chimérique) byRoland Topor, with music byArnulf Herrmann composed in 2012 to 2017. Thelibretto was written byHändl Klaus. Commissioned by theOper Frankfurt, the opera was first performed there on 12 November 2017, directed byJohannes Erath and conducted byKazushi Ōno.
Topor's 1964 novelDer Mieter (Le locataire chimérique) was filmed asThe Tenant byRoman Polanski in 1976.Händl Klaus wrote the libretto, commissioned by theOper Frankfurt.[1]Arnulf Herrmann composed the music between 2012 and 2017.[1] For the leading woman, Johanna, he composed three songs (Gesänge) which were premiered already in 2014, titledDrei Gesänge am offenen Fenster (Three Songs at the Open Window) in theMusica Viva [de] concert series.[2]Anja Petersen stepped in as the singer and received critical praise.[3]
The opera was first performed in Frankfurt on 12 November 2017, directed byJohannes Erath in a stage design byKaspar Glarner [de] with costumes byKatharina Tasch [de], lighting design byJoachim Klein [de], video byBibi Abel [de], sound design by Josh Jürgen Martin, and with dramaturgeZsolt Horpácsy.Kazushi Ōno conducted theFrankfurter Opern- und Museumsorchester and thePhilharmonia Chor Wien [de].[4]
ReviewerGerhard R. Koch [de] of theFrankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung saw the danger of rivalry to both the eloquent novel and the film powerful in images, and located the opera between Kafka'sThe Metamorphosis and Sartre'sNo Exit.[5]
| Roles | Voice type | Premiere, 12 November 2017[4][5] Conductor:Kazushi Ōno |
|---|---|---|
| Georg | baritone | Björn Bürger |
| Johanna | soprano | Anja Petersen |
| Herr Zenk | bass | Alfred Reiter [de] |
| Frau Bach | mezzo-soprano | Hanna Schwarz |
| Frau Greiner | mezzo-soprano | Claudia Mahnke |
| Frau Dorn | Judita Nagyová | |
| Körner | tenor | Michael Porter |
| Krell | tenor | Theo Lebow |
| Ingo, Kellner | Sebastian Geyer | |
| Herr Kögel | Miki Stojanov |
The Frankfurt premiere was reviewed mostly with acceptance. A reviewer of theFinancial Times warned "If you are feeling unstable, stay away.", and summarised that the production made "this a journey to the blackest regions of an anguished psyche in a hostile world".[6] After praising all who made the performance possible, she concluded:
But it is the pairing of librettist and composer that is perhaps the work's strongest card. Klaus is a writer who knows how music theatre works, a depressingly rare attribute in today’s sensation-hungry world, and he has worked with Herrmann so closely that the words seem to have been born as notes.Der Mieter is a repugnant, dirty, gruelling piece. See it if you can."[6]
The Japanese conductor Kazushi Ōno was seen by a reviewer ofDie Deutsche Bühne as a highly competent advocate of the multilayered score ("als hochkompetenter Anwalt von Herrmanns vielschichtiger Partitur").[2] Andreas Bomba of theFrankfurter Neue Presse reported strong applause for an extraordinary ensemble performance for a work described as suggestive, depressing and intense.[7]
The opera was nominated for the Opera Awards 2018.[8]