Robin Hood, to good to be true

(2012) 55' / for mezzo soprano and brass quintet / music theater for all 8 and up libretto:Manfred Weiss

music: Mike Svoboda after motives from John Dowland (1563-1626)

Premiere September 7th, 2013, Lucerne Festival with Anne-May Krüger (mezzo-soprano) and Amber Opheim (soprano) - alternating in performances - and the SonusBrass Ensemble with Stefan Dünser and Attila Krako (trumpets), Andreas Schuchter (horn), Wolfgang Bilgeri (trombone), and Harald Schele (tuba)

Material: score with an integrated piano reduction on hire from Boosey & Hawkes, Berlin

Synopsis

Legends have the characteristic that they are told anew for many years and even centuries, and at some point, no one knows anymore what the actual story was. Such is also true with Robin Hood. Luckily, however, we have a witness who lived at the same time as Robin and knew how it truly was: Marian, Robin’s great love, can finally describe for us the true story from her own perspective. So, for example, we discover that Robin didn’t fight with a bow and arrow, as shown in many films, but with a variety of wind instruments. Yes, Robin was a musician, and he was such a virtuoso that he could lay robbers low, put down bandits and make young women profess their love with it. But, one thing after another. Marian gets to know Robin when he, with his trumpet, beats away a robber who wanted to steal the jug full of milk collected for her hungry siblings. She is very impressed with the young man, who is courageous, selfless, modest, and quiet – but before she could thank him, he has already gone away. But, Love’s arrow has already hit Marian’s heart – Robin is the man of her dreams. Innumerable heroic acts must be performed – and so Robin has almost no time for Marian, and she asks herself, might it be better if there were more Robins so that one could always have time for her? But no, she loves only one! And as the angry, always-drunk Sheriff of Nottingham takes money from a beggar and Marian looks on quite insolently, Robin is again on the scene, rescuing the donations and Marian’s honor. Marian tells him of her love for him, and Robin is speechless. She kisses him anyway, but then the wild hordes of the King arrive, and Robin must hide. Marian bravely confronts the men who want to arrest Robin because he takes from the rich to give to the poor. But the evil troop won’t be dissuaded, and lead Marian away. Alone in her dungeon, her thoughts circle around Robin, and suddenly he’s there – he has been able to play the troop into a deep sleep, and free his love. Now both of them stand side by side with the poor and give back what was taken from them. And it looks as if the world can be a just and fair place: not just through Superman and Batman, but also through many Robins and Marians.

Roles and instrumentation

Oma / Mariann - mezzo-soprano
Sheriff / various other roles - trombone
Robin /various other roless - trumpet 1 (also piccolo trumpet)
Robin / various other roles - trumpet 2 (also flugelhorn)
Robin / various other roles - horn
Robin / various other roles - tuba

Instrumentation

mezzo-soprano (oder soprano)

trumpet 1 in Bb (also piccolo trumpet in Bb)
- mutes: straight, cup, wawa
- 1 ACME mouth siren placed on the open 3rd valve with a short piece of hose
- 1 harmonica in Eb (all holes taped shut except the two needed, the instrument is attached to the wrist)
- „hand puppet“ connected to the trumpet with a ca. 120 cm long hose on the 3rd valve
- 1 bird call „duck“
- 1 pocket-trumpet played through a ca. 490 cm long hose, connected to a deep-sea fishing rod or something similar

trumpet 2 in Bb (also flugelhorn in Bb)
- mutes: straight
- „hand puppet“ connected to the trumpet with a ca. 160 cm long hose on the 3rd valve
- 1 bird call „blue bird“
- 1 pocket-trumpet: on all three open valve tube bike horns are attached (eb2, g2, ab2 - sounding g2 blown out and a2 blown in)

horn in F
- mute: straight
- 1 ACME mouth siren placed on the open 3rd valve with a short piece of hose
- 1 harmonica in Bb (all holes taped shut except the two needed, the instrument is attached to wrist)
- „hand puppet“ connected to the trumpet with a ca. 160 cm long hose on the 3rd valve of the Bb horn
- 1 bird call „Rotkehlchen“

trombone
- mutes: straight, plunger
- 1 ACME mouth siren placed on the open fourth valve with a short piece of hose
- 1 harmonica in Cb (all holes taped shut except the two needed, the instrument is attached to wrist)
- „hand puppet“ connected to the trumpet with a ca. 190 cm long hose on the fourth valve
- 1 bird call „Pirol“ 

tuba
- mute: straight
- 1 ACME mouth siren placed on the open 4th valve with a short piece of hose
- 1 harmonica in Gb (all holes taped shut except the two needed, the instrument is attached to wrist)
- 1 melodica played with a bellow attached with an elastic band under the right arm
- „hand puppet“ connected to the trumpet with a ca. 120 cm long hose on the 4th valve
- 1 bird call „Nachtigall“