Der junge Lord

Der junge Lord (The Young Lord) is an opera in two acts by Hans Werner Henze to a German libretto by Ingeborg Bachmann, after Wilhelm Hauff's 1827 fairy tale "Der Affe als Mensch" (The Ape as Man) from Der Scheik von Alessandria und seine Sklaven (The Sheik of Alexandria and his Slaves).

The style and plot owe much to Italian opera buffa, with the influence of Vincenzo Bellini and Gioachino Rossini noted. Andrew Porter has noted four distinct musical styles in the opera, corresponding to four different levels of characters:

• "neo-classical" style, for the townspeople;
• "neo-Straussian arioso", for Sir Edgar's entrance;
• a "wilder, more erratic" style, for the traveling circus;
• lyrical style, for Luise's love music.

Robert Henderson has commented on the Brechtian nature of Bachmann and Henze's treatment of the story.