 In 1843 , the Berlin Opera house burnt down . The creation of the new building gave a new opportunity to commission a German opera from Meyerbeer . The subject of the opera , Ein <unk> in <unk> ( A <unk> <unk> ) , was an episode in the life of Frederick the Great . As this patriotic opera ' needed ' Prussian creators , Meyerbeer arranged that whilst the trusted Scribe would write the libretto , Rellstab would translate it and take the credit ( and the royalties ) . This had the added advantage of winning over the formerly hostile Rellstab . Meyerbeer had hoped to have Jenny <unk> ( for whom he had written the part ) sing the lead role of <unk> , but the opera premiered on 7 December 1844 without her ( although she did appear in subsequent performances ) . The libretto was revised by Charlotte Birch @-@ Pfeiffer to a Bohemian background as <unk> for a production in Vienna ( 1847 ) . ( In a further incarnation , the music was later used by Meyerbeer for a revamped libretto by Scribe featuring Peter the Great , and produced as an opéra comique in Paris ( L <unk> du <unk> , 1854 ) ) . 
