Das geheime Knigreich

Das geheime Königreich (The Secret Kingdom) is a one-act opera by Ernst Krenek, subtitled Märchenoper in einem Akt (fairy-tale opera in one act). It was composed as part of a cycle of three one-act operas, alongside Der Diktator and Schwergewicht, oder Die Ehre der Nation. The trio premiered on May 6, 1928, at the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden during the Mai-Festwoche Wiesbaden, marking the first festival after 1914. Krenek wrote both the libretto and music for Das geheime Königreich, which is characterized as a satirical fairy-tale opera.

The work was recorded in 1999 under conductor Marek Janowski, featuring Michael Kraus as the King and Claudia Barainsky as the Queen. In 2012, it was paired with Erich Korngold's Der Ring des Polykrates at the Lübeck Opera. A reviewer noted its intellectual and ambitious music, drawing comparisons to Shakespeare's The Tempest and Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, highlighting themes of revolution, transformation, and complexity.

The opera was performed at the Semperoper in Dresden in 2012 and later by Oper Frankfurt on April 30, 2017, as part of a trilogy titled Drei Opern. Stage director David Hermann linked the King to the Dictator from the first opera, with conductor Lothar Zagrosek leading the performance. Das geheime Königreich explores themes of revolution, love, and the divinity of simple creatures, with darker undertones beneath its surface.