Die beiden Kalifen
An 1813 opera by Meyerbeer based on an Arabian Nights tale.
Die beiden Kalifen (The Two Caliphs) is an 1813 opera in two acts by Giacomo Meyerbeer, then known as Jacob Meyerbeer, to a libretto by Johann Gottfried Wöhlbruch based on a tale from the Arabian Nights. Originally titled Wirt und Gast, oder Aus Scherz Ernst, it premiered at the Neues Lusthaus Stuttgart on 6 January 1813 conducted by Conradin Kreutzer. The production was judged poor by critical accounts, though local press reported a deserved success. The opera's failure contributed to Meyerbeer's decision to leave for Vienna in November 1814 and seek a career outside German-speaking Europe.
Quick Facts
- Composer
- Jacob Meyerbeer
- Librettist
- Johann Gottfried Wöhlbruch
- Based on
- Tale from the Arabian Nights
- Language
- German
- Premiere date
- 6 January 1813
- Premiere location
- Stuttgart Court Theatre
Facts from the source article.
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