Der Barbier von Bagdad

Der Barbier von Bagdad (The Barber of Baghdad), is an German comic opera with music and libretto by Peter Cornelius. It is based on "The Tale of the Tailor" and "The Barber's Stories of his Six Brothers" in One Thousand and One Nights. It was first performed in Weimar, on December 15, 1858. By far Cornelius' most successful work and his only opera still regularly performed.

Principal characters

• Nureddin - tenor
• Bostana - mezzo-soprano
• Abdul Hassan Ali Ebn Bekar, the barber - bass
• Margiana - soprano
• Baba Mustapha, the Cadi - tenor
• The Caliph - baritone

Discography

• 1952: Rudolf Schock (Nureddin), Hilde Rössl-Majdan (Bostana), Gottlob Frick (Abdul Hassan), Sena Jurinac (Margiana); Chor und Orchester Radio Wien, Heinrich Hollreiser - (Melodram)
• 1956: Nicolai Gedda (Nureddin), Grace Hoffmann (Bostana), Oskar Czerwenka (Abdul Hassan), Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (Margiana); Philharmonia Chorus and Orchestra, Erich Leinsdorf - (EMI Classics)
• 1973: Adlabert Kraus (Nureddin), Trudeliese Schmidt (Bostana), Karl Ridderbusch (Abdul Hassan), Sylvia Geszty (Margiana); Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Münchner Rundfunkorchester, Heinrich Hollreiser - (RCA Records)
• 1974: Horst R. Laubenthal (Nureddin), Marga Schiml (Bostana), Hans Sotin (Abdul Hassan), Helen Donath (Margiana); Kölner Rundfunkchor, Kölner Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester, Ferdinand Leitner - (Profil)

Sources

• The Complete Dictionary of Opera & Operetta, James Anderson, Wings Books, 1993.