About the work
Philippe Boesmans composed the opera "Wintermärchen" after William Shakespeare's late play "The Winter's Tale"; the libretto was written by Luc Bondy and Marie-Louise Bischofberger. The four-act opera premiered on 10 December 1999 at the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels.
Plot
The jealous Sicilian king Leontes suspects his wife Hermione of an affair with his friend Polixenes, has her imprisoned and orders their newborn daughter Perdita abandoned. Sixteen years later, Perdita and Polixenes' son Florizel fall in love in Bohemia; once the truth comes out, the opera ends in a reconciliation of all involved.
Cultural significance
Boesmans sets the Bohemian scenes of the third act largely in English, accompanied by the jazz-rock group Aka Moon, while the Sicilian scenes are sung in German; the score also quotes Monteverdi, among others. After Brussels, the opera was staged in Lyon, Paris and Barcelona as well as in Germany and Austria.