Jessonda

Jessonda is a grand opera (Grosse Oper) in German by Louis Spohr, written in 1822. The German libretto was written by Eduard Gehe. Spohr, who wrote the work in 1822, had been newly appointed Hofkapellmeister in Kassel. He had reservations about Weber's recently performed Der Freischütz, and sought a subject that was poetic and uncomplicated, avoiding, in his setting, any recitative (spoken dialogue). He was opposed to the use of speech on mundane... more

Jessonda is a grand opera (Grosse Oper) in German by Louis Spohr, written in 1822. The German libretto was written by Eduard Gehe. Spohr, who wrote the work in 1822, had been newly appointed Hofkapellmeister in Kassel. He had reservations about Weber's recently performed Der Freischütz, and sought a subject that was poetic and uncomplicated, avoiding, in his setting, any recitative (spoken dialogue). He was opposed to the use of speech on mundane subjects in an operatic context. Ballets and spectacle were provided in set pieces that might also attract ordinary theatre-goers, in a German form of grand opera. The first performance was at the Kurfürstliches Hoftheater in Kassel on 28 July 1823 under the direction of the composer. This opera was performed regularly up to about 1860. While the overture to Jessonda may be heard today in concert performance, the opera itself no longer holds the place it once did in the operatic repertoire. In this opera the heroine, Jessonda, widow of the... less