About the work
Die Königin von Saba (The Queen of Sheba) is an opera in four acts by Karl Goldmark, with a libretto by Salomon Hermann Mosenthal loosely based on the First Book of Kings. It premiered on 10 March 1875 at the Vienna Court Opera, with Amalie Materna, Marie Wilt and Gustav Walter in the leading roles.
Plot
At King Solomon's court, the young Assad is due to marry the princess Sulamith, but falls for the visiting Queen of Sheba the moment she arrives. Torn between duty and passion, he is banished and wanders into the desert; Sulamith follows and dies at his side, while the disappointed Queen of Sheba departs.
Cultural significance
The opera made Goldmark, previously known mainly for chamber music, famous overnight and was performed more than 250 times at the Vienna Court Opera by the turn of the century. Its Wagner-influenced yet orientally coloured sound established Goldmark's reputation as Vienna's leading opera composer after the deaths of Brahms and Bruckner.