16.10.2022–18.02.2024 / Opera, Young Opera
For all from 8 upwards

Iwein Lö­wen­ritter

Moritz Eggert
Fri 19.01.2024
Theater Duisburg
18:30 - 20:30
Premiere Opera, Young Opera
Content
Time travel in the Evergreen Forest - adventure opera for the whole family
Opera in two acts
After the novel by Felicitas Hoppe based on the epic "Iwein" by Hartmann von Aue
Libretto by Andrea Heuser
In German with surtitles
approx. 2 hours, one interval
For all from 8 upwards
Iwein is a knight - a young, strong knight and the best of the best in general. But at King Arthur's court, his days get longer and longer, until one day he goes out to seek adventure. After all, he wants to fight and win, as knights do. And Iwein puts up a good fight. Soon the heart of the beautiful Laudine beats for him and she wins his too. It could be so beautiful, for Iwein and Laudine are happy together, were it not for his friend Gawein, who lures him back out into the world of competition, because honour is everything for knights. Iwein fights and fights, for a lion and against a dragon, a giant, and almost loses his mind and his Laudine...

Georg Büchner Prize winner Felicitas Hoppe has created an imaginative story from the medieval knight epic by Hartmann von Aue that tells of what makes the heart beat faster: Friendship and love. Librettist Andrea Heuser and composer Moritz Eggert have adapted "Iwein Löwenritter" for the big opera stage as part of the "Junge Opern Rhein-Ruhr" cooperation and - accompanied by adventurous orchestral sounds - show the courageous knight on winding paths through legendary landscapes and to himself.

A co-operation with Theater Dortmund and Theater Bonn in the context of “Junge Opern Rhein Ruhr”
Synopsis
ACT 1
The brothers Leon and Gereon are sitting in front of the lion enclosure at the zoo and are bored. Suddenly the lion speaks to them, the cage disappears and a new world opens up before them: the evergreen forest. Leon and Gereon transform themselves into the brave knights Iwein and Gawein, who are at home in King Arthur's court. But Iwein's days there grow longer and longer, he decides to go out into the world. With his brash appearance, Iwein challenges the lord of the castle next door, which he finds anything but amusing. At the source of the thunderstorm, a duel ensues between the men, which ends fatally for the lord of the castle. The widowed lady of the castle Laudine is deadly sad. But her heart has a mind of its own and begins to beat for Iwein's heart of all things. Iwein's heart also warms when he thinks of Laudine. But they have not reckoned with Gawein, who is terribly bored without Iwein by his side.He persuades Iwein to seek new adventures with him. Laudine sets her beloved a deadline: he must return to her after one year. The two knights set off and achieve one success after another. In the throes of victory Iwein forgets the time and stands Laudine up.

ACT 2
Lunete, Laudine's lady-in-waiting, curses Iwein for breaking his promise. The curse makes Iwein forget who he is. He now lives without memory with the Wild Man, where Lunete sees him and takes back her curse. Slowly he begins to remember. Now he wants to prove himself again and is immediately given the chance: A lion fights a dragon in the Everwood. Iwein rushes to his aid and kills the dragon. Out of gratitude, the lion becomes his best friend. Together they fight the giant Harpin and the double knight. Laudine's heart becomes impatient and urges Iwein to return to his beloved. At the source of the storm Iwein, Gawein and Laudine meet again. There is great joy at their reunion. Leon and Gereon - no longer the two knights Iwein and Gawein - are once again in front of the lion's cage in the zoo again. The two of them enthusiastically tell their parents and sister about the adventures they had in the evergreen forest.


Fur­ther Re­com­men­da­tions