König Hirsch

Opera by Hans Werner Henze (libretto by H von Cramer after Carlo Gozzi's Re cervo, 1762), first produced in Berlin, Germany, on 23 September 1956. It was revised as Il re cervo in 1962 and produced in Kassel, Germany, on 10 March 1963. The first staging of the complete score in the original version was given in Stuttgart, Germany, on 5 May 1985. The story tells how King Leandro assumes the shape of a stag and his treacherous chancellor, Tartaglia, magically transforms himself to the king's appearance, and orders a stag hunt. Tartaglia is killed by the assassin Coltellino who, under contract from Tartaglia himself, believes him to be the king. All rejoice.