| Marketing Copy | The youthful Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) composed the one-act singspiel, DIE HEIMKEHR AUS DER FREMDE, better known in English as SON AND STRANGER (despite actually translating from the German to THE RETURN HOME FROM ABROAD) in 1829 for his parents' silver wedding anniversary. With a libretto by Karl Klingemann, the standard comic tale of mistaken identity and lovers' escapades premiered on December 26, 1829, before an audience of 120 at the strictly private celebration, with the cast consisting wholly of family and associates of the composer, only one of which was a professional singer. In fact, the mayor's part only sings a single note F because the part was played by Mendelssohn's brother-in-law, who could not sing at all. Despite the urging of others, including his own mother, Mendelssohn refused to publish the work in his lifetime, and the short operetta did not see another performance until April 10, 1851, after the composer had passed. While the singspiel itself is rarely performed today, the overture does find its way to concert stage more often. Instrumentation: 2.2.2.2: 2.2.0.0: Str (9-8-7-6-5 in set). Reprint edition with the addition of consistent rehearsal letters between the score and parts and measure numbers at the start of every system in the score. |
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