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Oedipus (opera)

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Oedipus
Opera by Wolfgang Rihm
Rihm in 2007
LibrettistWolfgang Rihm
LanguageGerman
Based onOedipus Rex by Sophocles
Premiere
4 October 1987 (1987-10-04)
Deutsche Oper Berlin

Oedipus is an opera in two parts composed by Wolfgang Rihm to a German-language libretto that he based on the Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex by Sophocles and related texts by Friedrich Nietzsche and Heiner Müller. The work is characterised as Musiktheater (Music drama). Written in 1986 and 1987, it was premiered on 4 October 1987 at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, directed by Götz Friedrich; it was broadcast live and recorded on DVD.

History

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Oedipus was commissioned by Deutsche Oper Berlin.[1] Wolfgang Rihm wrote the libretto and music in 1986 and 1987. He based the libretto on the Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex by Sophocles in the translation by Friedrich Hölderlin, and also on both Friedrich Nietzsche's fragment Oedipus. Reden des letzten Philosophen mit sich selbst. Ein Fragment aus der Geschichte der Nachwelt and Heiner Müller's Ödipuskommentar.[2][3]

The opera was premiered at Deutsche Oper on 4 October 1987, conducted by Christof Prick and directed by Götz Friedrich in a stage design by Andreas Reinhardt [de].[3] The soloists were Andreas Schmidt (Oedipus), William Pell (Kreon), William Dooley (Tiresias), Lenus Carlson (Messanger), William Murray (Shepherd) and Emily Golden (Jokasta).[3][4]: 15156  The performance was broadcast live on television, and published on DVD.[3] The opera was published by Universal Edition.[1]

A concert version was played at the 1989 Wiener Festwochen at the Wiener Konzerthaus, conducted by Michael Gielen with Richard Salter as Oedipus and Dunja Vejzović as Jokasta.[5]

The opera was performed in 1991 at the Santa Fe Opera in an English version by Carol Borah Palca. It was conducted by George Manahan and directed by Francesca Zambello, with Rod Gilfry as Oedipus, David Rampy as Kreon, Dooley as Tiresias, Peter Van Derick as Messanger, Patryk Wroblewski as Shephers and Golden as Jokasta.[6][7]

A 2003 production was staged at the Theater Krefeld und Mönchengladbach, with Kenneth Duryea conducting the Niederrheinischen Sinfoniker and Gregor Horres [de] directing in scenic design by Kirsten Dephoff. Johannes M. Kösters appeared in the title role, and Carola Guber as Jokasta.[8][9]

Roles

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Role Voice type[1] Premiere cast, 4 October 1987[3][10]
Oedipus baritone Andreas Schmidt
Kreon tenor William Pell
Tiresias baritone William Dooley
Messanger baritone Lenus Carlson
Shepherd baritone William Murray
Jokasta mezzo-soprano Emily Golden
Sphinx 4 sopranos
16 counselors tenors and basses
men, women, children mixed choir

Libretto

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Rihm fragmented the plot of the Oedipus myth and created new relations.[2] He structured the work in 21 scenes.[11] Six scenes deal with the drama, based on Sophocles. Three scenes reflect the background, played at the back of the stage: Oedipus and the Sphinx, a child limping though a rocky desert, and the scuffle at the crossroads. Four scenes are inner monologues of Oedipus based on Nietzsche. Five scenes are based on Müller and reflect the action from a more neutral viewpoint.[12]

Music

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The music is scored for an orchestra of two flutes (one doubling piccolo), two oboes, two cor anglais, four clarinets (two doubling bass clarinets), two bassoons, two contrabassoons, four horns, four trumpets (two doubling piccolo trumpets), four trombones, six percussionists, two harps (amplified), piano, and two solo violins.[1][2] Oedipus and Jokasta play on stage a large hanging metal plate and a large wooden barrel drum.[1][2]

The music is dominated by brass and percussion, illustrating outcry and protest.[2] The only strings are two solo violins that play after Oedipus blinds himself, accompanying him to the "farthest distance".[2] The music plays mostly in extremes of range, both high and low, and in dynamic contrasts. It contains phases of silence and noise, tone clusters and violent percussion outbursts. The chorus appears on stage as a 16-part men's chorus of the counselors, while a mixed chorus, both singing and speaking, is added from tape.[2][11] Rihm described the aggressive sound language: "Sound is a weapon here – or a scalpel?" ("Der Klang ist hier Waffe – oder Skalpell?")[13]

Recordings

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Rihm – Oedipus". Universal Edition. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Schreiber, Wolfgang (2015). "Oedipus". In Csampsai, Attila; Holland, Dietmar (eds.). Opernführer (in German). Freiburg im Breisgau: Rombach. pp. 1474–1476. ISBN 978-3-79-306025-3.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Wagner, Renate (13 April 2014). "DVD Wolfgang Rihm: OEDIPUS". Online Merker (in German). Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  4. ^ a b Ommer, Andreas (2005). "Wolfgang Rihm". Verzeichnis aller Operngesamtaufnahmen (in German). Vol. 20. Berlin: Directmedia. pp. 1474–1476. ISBN 978-3-79-306025-3.
  5. ^ a b "Wiener Festwochen 1989". Österreichische Musikzeitschrift. Vol. 44. 1989. p. 240.
  6. ^ Holland, Bernard (2 August 1991). "A German's Grotesque View of "Oedipus" in Santa Fe". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  7. ^ Wierzbicki, James (18 August 1991). "Non-Verbal Opera?". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis, Missouri. p. 32. Archived from the original on 28 July 2024. Retrieved 18 May 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Reininghaus, Frieder (10 February 2013). "Oedipus". Deutschlandfunk (in German). Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  9. ^ Schmöe, Stefan (9 February 2013). "Klänge wie Skalpelle". Online Musik Magazin (in German). Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  10. ^ Holland, John (September 2014). "Oedipus: Musiktheater". Notes. Vol. 71, no. 1. Music Library Association. pp. 136–137. JSTOR 43672889.
  11. ^ a b Sadie, Stanley; Tyrrell, John, eds. (2001). "Rihm, Wolfgang". The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (2nd ed.). London: Macmillan Publishers. ISBN 978-1-56159-239-5.‎
  12. ^ Introduction of the broadcast of the premiere.
  13. ^ Baumgartner, Edwin (28 July 2024). "Das Wuchern der Klänge". opern.news (in German). Retrieved 1 August 2024.
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