Hans Heiling at Theater an der Wien

In July 1831, Heinrich Marschner was sent an anonymous libretto. This "Hans Heiling" titled text is based on a forecast Bohemian, Marschner was immediately inspiring and researched by the author: it was Eduard Devrient, baritone at the Berlin Opera. Within one year, the composition was finished in May 1833 came with great success premiered in Berlin - Devrient embodied the title character. Marschner was already known for his operas Der Vampyr (1828) and The Knights Templar and the Jewess (1829), Hans Heiling deepened his reputation as the successor to Carl Maria von Weber. The romantic legends theme was Marschner opportunity to structural experiments, he used conventional and completely new forms next to each other. A through-composed prologue follows the overture, in the actual opera the numbers are linked partly through dialogue, partly by recitatives. The musical illumination of Heilings complicated psyche between longing for love, jealousy, anger and sadness is leading the way: Wagner pursue this idea further with his Flying Dutchman.