Weiße Rose (opera)

Weiße Rose
Opera by Udo Zimmermann
Grave of Hans Scholl, Sophie Scholl, and Christoph Probst
Librettist Ingo Zimmermann
Language German
Based on non-violent resistance group Die Weiße Rose
Premiere
17 June 1967
Dresden Conservatory

Weiße Rose (White Rose) is a chamber opera in one act by Udo Zimmermann. The opera tells the story of Hans and Sophie Scholl, a brother and sister in their early twenties, who were guillotined by the Nazis in 1943 for leading Die Weiße Rose, a non-violent resistance group. The opera premiered at the Dresden Conservatory on 17 June 1967 with a German libretto by the composer's brother, Ingo Zimmermann, a well known journalist and writer in Germany. The opera was received fairly well. Zimmermann revised it the following year for a professional production in Schwerin.

A completely new and less conventionally narrative opera with the same title and a libretto by Wolfgang Willaschek was premiered at the Hamburg State Opera on 27 February 1986 and was a success with both audience and critics. The opera became an international success and has had performances at many of the world's leading opera houses and with leading orchestras including the Vienna State Opera, Komische Oper Berlin, Zurich Opera, the Salzburg Festival, and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra among many others. The United States premiere of the opera was presented by Opera Omaha in 1988 with soprano Lauren Flanigan as Sophie.

Roles

Cast Voice type Premiere of second opera, 27 February 1986
Conductor: Udo Zimmermann
Hans Scholl tenor Lutz-Michael Harder
Sophie Scholl soprano Gabriele Fontana

Recordings