Die schwarze Maske (The Black Mask) is an opera by composer Krzysztof Penderecki using a German libretto by the composer and Harry Kupfer which is based on a 1928 play by Gerhart Hauptmann. The opera premiered at the Salzburg Festival on 15 August 1986, after which there were productions mounted at the Vienna State Opera and the Great Theatre, Warsaw during the following opera season. The work had its United States premiere on 30 July 1988 at the Santa Fe Opera with a cast that included Mark Lundberg.
| Die schwarze Maske | |
|---|---|
| Opera by Krzysztof Penderecki | |
 The composer in 2008 | |
| Translation | The Black Mask |
| Librettist |
|
| Language | German |
| Based on | play by Gerhart Hauptmann |
| Premiere | 15 August 1986 |
Roles
edit| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast[1] |
|---|---|---|
| Silvanus Schuller | tenor | Walter Raffeiner |
| Benigna | soprano | Josephine Barstow |
| Arabella | soprano | Lona Culmer-Schellbach |
| Rosa Sacchi | mezzo-soprano | Marjana Lipovšek |
| Jedidja Potter | tenor | Martin Finke |
| François Tortebat | bass | Hans Franzen |
| Daga | soprano | Jolanta Radek |
| Löwel Perl | baritone | Günter Reich |
| Robert Dedo | baritone | Huub Claessens |
| Plebanus Wendt | bass | Malcolm Smith |
| Hadank | tenor | Heinz Zednik |
| Graf Ebbo Hüttenwächter | bass | Rainer Scholze |
| Gräfin Laura Hüttenwächter | contralto | Gertrude Jahn |
| Schedel | tenor | Robert Werner |
| Doktor Knoblochzer | bass | Wolfgang Equiluz |
| Johnson | speaking role | Charleston Marquis |
| A contralto voice | contralto | Ingrid Mayr |