SYNOPSIS of ACT I (possibly to be divided into 2 Acts)
PLACE: The woods and the Hebrew Cemetary outside of Graz, Austria
TIME: One single day in the Fall of 1877
SITUATION: The opera "Theresa Kren" is a fictional story inspired by the grave of the actual Theresia Kren, a girl of six who died in 1876 and is buried in the Hebrew Cemetery in Graz Austria. The action of the opera takes place on the day of the dedication of Theresa's headstone. It is set in the year 1876. In the Jewish tradition the headstone of a deceased person is not placed on the grave until at least 30 days has passed after the death and usually a year.
ROLES:
Rebekah Kren (soprano) – mother of Theresa Kren, wife of Jakob Kren. Rebekah has healing skills and has helped many children and adults in her community with these skills.
Jakob Kren (baritone) – father of Theresa Kren. A successful merchant who owns his own wagon and horses.
Theresa Kren (child soprano) – the six year old daughter of Rebekah and Jacob who died abruptly from an unexplained illness the previous December.
Rabbi Shlomo ben Zion (tenor) – the spiritual leader of the community who will attempt to perform the gravesite ceremony.
FATE (bass-baritone) – The being sent by God to usher Theresa into the Afterworld.
Scene 1:The opera opens on Theresa's parents, Jakob and Rebekah, making their way through the forest on a cold, windy morning towards the Hebrew cemetery to attend the unveiling ceremony of their daughter’s headstone. Rebekah cannot accept the tragedy of her daughter's death. She believes this is her last chance to rescue her daughter's spirit because once the headstone is on the grave, the she fears that Theresa’s soul is forever sealed away. Jakob Kren's point of view at the beginning of the opera is to try to bring his wife into reality and help her accept the great tragedy they have both suffered.
The opera begins with a short stormy orchestral prelude. The curtain opens and Rebekah and Jakob are battling against the wind as they make their way to a little graveyard visible in the distance. After a short intense duet which ends with Rebekah declaring “Give me death , Lord and lay me beside her”. Jakob then suggests that they each sing about their memories of Theresa.
Jakob’s dirge: He sings a strange dirge using the actual words found on the real Theresa Kren’s grave.
PLACE: The woods and the Hebrew Cemetary outside of Graz, Austria
TIME: One single day in the Fall of 1877
SITUATION: The opera "Theresa Kren" is a fictional story inspired by the grave of the actual Theresia Kren, a girl of six who died in 1876 and is buried in the Hebrew Cemetery in Graz Austria. The action of the opera takes place on the day of the dedication of Theresa's headstone. It is set in the year 1876. In the Jewish tradition the headstone of a deceased person is not placed on the grave until at least 30 days has passed after the death and usually a year.
ROLES:
Rebekah Kren (soprano) – mother of Theresa Kren, wife of Jakob Kren. Rebekah has healing skills and has helped many children and adults in her community with these skills.
Jakob Kren (baritone) – father of Theresa Kren. A successful merchant who owns his own wagon and horses.
Theresa Kren (child soprano) – the six year old daughter of Rebekah and Jacob who died abruptly from an unexplained illness the previous December.
Rabbi Shlomo ben Zion (tenor) – the spiritual leader of the community who will attempt to perform the gravesite ceremony.
FATE (bass-baritone) – The being sent by God to usher Theresa into the Afterworld.
Scene 1:The opera opens on Theresa's parents, Jakob and Rebekah, making their way through the forest on a cold, windy morning towards the Hebrew cemetery to attend the unveiling ceremony of their daughter’s headstone. Rebekah cannot accept the tragedy of her daughter's death. She believes this is her last chance to rescue her daughter's spirit because once the headstone is on the grave, the she fears that Theresa’s soul is forever sealed away. Jakob Kren's point of view at the beginning of the opera is to try to bring his wife into reality and help her accept the great tragedy they have both suffered.
The opera begins with a short stormy orchestral prelude. The curtain opens and Rebekah and Jakob are battling against the wind as they make their way to a little graveyard visible in the distance. After a short intense duet which ends with Rebekah declaring “Give me death , Lord and lay me beside her”. Jakob then suggests that they each sing about their memories of Theresa.
Jakob’s dirge: He sings a strange dirge using the actual words found on the real Theresa Kren’s grave.