Bastien und Bastienne Bastien und Bastienne ' was one of Mozart's earliest operas, written in 1768 when he was only twelve years old. It was allegedly commissioned by Viennese physician and 'magnetist' Dr. Franz Mesmer (who himself would later be parodied in "Così fan tutte") as a satire of the 'pastoral' genre then prevalent, and specifically as a parody of the opera "Le devin du village" by Jean-Jacques Rousseau. The German libretto is by Friedrich Wilhelm Weiskern, and Johann Andreas Schachtner, based on ' by Justine Favart and Harny de Guerville. After its supposed premiere in Mesmer's garden theater (that is only corroborated
The Long Christmas Dinner (opera) The Long Christmas Dinner (opera) The Long Christmas Dinner (German: "Das Lange Weihnachtsmahl") is an opera in one act by Paul Hindemith, with an English libretto by Thornton Wilder based on his play of the same name. Wilder collaborated with the composer in order to make the text work effectively with the music. It was arranged for chamber orchestra and used a harpsichord. It was first performed in the original English on 13 March 1963, at the Juilliard School of Music, New York under the direction of the composer. A digital recording of the work on the Wergo label was