Katharina von Bora is a non-religious opera in three acts about the life of Katharina von Bora, wife of Martin Luther, written by conductor and composer Mihai Valcu, lyrics by Bill Zeiger. It premiered on November 7, 2015, at the Will W. Orr Auditorium at Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, as a collaboration between New Castle Lyric Opera and Opera Westminster.
The opera portrays Katharina von Bora as a woman of extraordinary courage, resourcefulness, and intelligence in a time when women had few rights and little recognition. It treats Luther neutrally, as a man of affairs. It does not seek to make a religious statement, but to spotlight the blossoming of a strong woman in a dark era.
Women in the sixteenth century had no independent legal standing, a setting which made it unlikely for any woman to achieve prominence. The opera describes von Bora's life beginning with her consignment to a convent at the age of five and chronicles her eventual departure from holy orders, her improbable marriage to Luther, their love, the birth of their children, her successful management of Luther's estate, and her struggle to maintain their family after his death. It dramatizes Katharina's support of her husband in his teaching and his political embroilment and her creation of a thriving and loving home even while beset by disease, the attacks of Luther's enemies, and the turbulence of the times. Katharina von Bora is today an admired historical figure in Germany, with a statue in Wittenberg and memorabilia in her honor.
Historical context
Katharina von Bora strives to portray its historical period (1504–52) accurately – conditions within the convent and outside of it; the societal life of Saxony; two of three epidemics of black plague over Europe; the German Peasants' War of 1524–1525 and Luther's attitude towards it; the life of the Luther family in the , where students paid to come and eat; theological debates over Protestant ideas like free will and salvation – the opera touches on all these contemporary realities.
Composer Valcu, a permanent resident of the U.S. as well as of Germany, researched archives for three years before he began this work, spending time in Wittenberg, Grimma, and Torgau, where the action of the opera takes place.
Marriage
Although von Bora and Luther were not much in love when they married, they grew to love each other. Luther's bachelor lifestyle did not meet von Bora's standards, and she took his domestic affairs in hand.
A sign of the love that grew up between them, Luther's will declared complete trust in Katharina to care for their children, even in the event that she should remarry. This uncommon faith in his wife – not only unconventional, but technically illegal in the sixteenth century – distinguishes this marriage from all the others which we know of at the time.
Roles
Because the opera describes von Bora's entire life, many people appear in the performance, some only briefly. Therefore, one singer/actor can assume several roles. Performers may also be brought in from the opera house chorus.
Stage director: Anne Hagan Bentz
Choir director: Samuel Barbara
Choreographer: Rachel Read
Nun jury: Katherine Leihgaber, Sylvia Ewen, Kathryn Mansell, Lynn Rodemoyer, Samantha Connell, Susan Speer Monk chorus for Easter eve celebration: Zachary Balog, Mark Hockenberry, David Osorno, Jeremy Roberts, Joseph Spurio, Charles Wiley, Kendall Williams, Matthew Younger, Matthew Benzenhoefer, John Bonomo, Thomas Ewen Dancers: Abbey Arrigo, Alexis Arrigo, Angela Colella, Sarah Jackson, Lauren Faber, Rachel Read, Chris Bezek, Patrick Raymond, Christian Na, James Helwig, Zach Balog, Joseph Spurio Student-guitarist: Robert Kushner Rehearsal pianist: Marie Libal-Smith