Un re in ascolto (A King Listens) is an opera by Luciano Berio, who also wrote the Italian libretto. It is based on a short story, Under the Jaguar Sun by Italo Calvino, but incorporates excerpts from Friedrich Einsiedel's 1778 libretto (as reworked by Friedrich Wilhelm Gotter between 1790 and 1791) for an opera based on Shakespeare's The Tempest. This became Die Geisterinsel in 1798, set to music written by Friedrich Fleischmann. In addition, W. H. Auden's The Sea and the Mirror: A Commentary on Shakespeare's The Tempest was a source.
| Librettist | Italo Calvino and Luciano Berio (Other text sources: W. H. Auden, F. W. Gotter, W. Shakespeare.) |
| Date of composition | 1983 (1981-1983) |
| Premiered | 1984, August 7th (Kleines Festspielhaus) in Salzburg, Austria |
| First published | Universal Edition |
| Dedicated to | Margherita Kalmus |
| Type | Opera |
| Approx. duration | 90 minutes |
| Spoken language | Italian |
| Instruments |
Voice (Bass-Baritone)
- Prospero, an impresario and the title character
Voice (Tenor) - Regista (stage director) Narrator, Recitant, Speaker - Venerdì, a stand-in for Caliban Mime - Ariel Voice (Mezzo-Soprano) - Nurse Voice (Mezzo-Soprano) - Wife Chorus/Choir Orchestra 2x Voice (Soprano) |
| Autotranslations beta |
Luciano Berio: Un re in ascolto Luciano Berio: Un re in ascolto Luciano Berio: Un re in ascolto |