Jump to content

Medea (Reimann): Difference between revisions

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
→History: compare Elektra
victim
Line 14: Line 14:


== History ==
== History ==
[[Aribert Reimann]] had already written seven literary operas, including ''[[Melusine (Reimann)|Melusine]]'', ''[[Lear (opera)|Lear]]'' and ''[[Troades (opera)|Troades]]'', when he received a commission from the [[Vienna State Opera]] to write an opera for the conclusion of the era of [[Ioan Holender]] as General Director of the opera house. He chose the play ''Medea'' by [[Franz Grillparzer]] as a basis for the work, the last part of Grillparzer's trilogy ''{{ill|Das goldene Vließ|de|Das goldene Vlies|lt=Das goldene Vließ}}'' (''The [[Golden Fleece]]'') which is focused on Greek mythology, especially [[Medea]].<ref name="Büning" /><ref name="Clements" /> When Richard Strauss had combined Greek mythology with new expressive music in ''[[Elektra (opera)|Elektra]]'' around 100 years earlier, he had used a libretto by the contemporary [[Hugo von Hofmannsthal|Hofmannsthal]].<ref name="Whittall" />
[[Aribert Reimann]] had already written seven literary operas, including ''[[Melusine (Reimann)|Melusine]]'', ''[[Lear (opera)|Lear]]'' and ''[[Troades (opera)|Troades]]'', when he received a commission from the [[Vienna State Opera]] to write an opera for the conclusion of the era of [[Ioan Holender]] as General Director of the opera house. He chose the play ''Medea'' by [[Franz Grillparzer]] as a basis for the work, the last part of Grillparzer's trilogy ''{{ill|Das goldene Vließ|de|Das goldene Vlies|lt=Das goldene Vließ}}'' (''The [[Golden Fleece]]'') which is focused on Greek mythology, especially [[Medea]].<ref name="Büning" /><ref name="Clements" /> When Richard Strauss had combined Greek mythology with new expressive music in ''[[Elektra (opera)|Elektra]]'' around 100 years earlier, he had used a libretto by the contemporary [[Hugo von Hofmannsthal|Hofmannsthal]].<ref name="Whittall" /> Grillparzer showed Medea as a stranger without protection who is the victim of powerful men, a view appealing to Reimann.<ref name="KOB" />


The opera was premiered at the [[Vienna State Opera]] in February 2010, staged by {{ill|Marco Arturo Marelli|de}}, conducted by [[Michael Boder]], with [[Marlis Petersen]] in the title role. The German premiere was at the [[Frankfurt Opera]] in August 2010.<ref name="Carlà" />
The opera was premiered at the [[Vienna State Opera]] in February 2010, staged by {{ill|Marco Arturo Marelli|de}}, conducted by [[Michael Boder]], with [[Marlis Petersen]] in the title role. The German premiere was at the [[Frankfurt Opera]] in August 2010.<ref name="Carlà" />

Revision as of 15:45, 24 July 2017

Medea
Opera by Aribert Reimann
The composer in 2011
LanguageGerman
Based onMedea
by Franz Grillparzer
Premiere
2010 (2010)
Vienna State Opera

Medea is a German-language opera by Aribert Reimann after the play by Franz Grillparzer. It was premiered at the Vienna State Opera in February 2010. The German premiere was at the Frankfurt Opera in August 2010.

History

Aribert Reimann had already written seven literary operas, including Melusine, Lear and Troades, when he received a commission from the Vienna State Opera to write an opera for the conclusion of the era of Ioan Holender as General Director of the opera house. He chose the play Medea by Franz Grillparzer as a basis for the work, the last part of Grillparzer's trilogy Das goldene Vließ [de] (The Golden Fleece) which is focused on Greek mythology, especially Medea.[1][2] When Richard Strauss had combined Greek mythology with new expressive music in Elektra around 100 years earlier, he had used a libretto by the contemporary Hofmannsthal.[3] Grillparzer showed Medea as a stranger without protection who is the victim of powerful men, a view appealing to Reimann.[4]

The opera was premiered at the Vienna State Opera in February 2010, staged by Marco Arturo Marelli, conducted by Michael Boder, with Marlis Petersen in the title role. The German premiere was at the Frankfurt Opera in August 2010.[5]

Music

A reviewer of the premiere notes that the vocal lines are highly ornamented, full of melisma, and with sharply jagged contours ("wild gezackt, scharf geschnitten"), demanding virtuosity from the singers. The metre changes without rest, also in the orchestra. The strings are divided multiple times, while the winds often have solo function. The vocal style was described as highly artificial ("hochartifiziell").[1]

Recordings

References

  1. ^ a b Büning, Eleonore (1 March 2010). "Oper: "Medea" in Wien Eine antike Brünnhilde". FAZ (in German). Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  2. ^ a b Clements, Andrew (26 May 2011). "Medea – review Barainsky/Baumgartner/Nagy/Baba/Frankfurt Opera/Nielsen (Oehms, two CDs)". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  3. ^ a b Whittall, Arnold (2010). "Reimann Medea / Reimann's take on a bloodthirsty tale, filmed during its Vienna premiere run". Gramophone. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference KOB was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Carlà, Filippo; Berti, Irene (2016). Ancient Magic and the Supernatural in the Modern Visual and Performing Arts. ISBN 1350007943. ..., Reimann's work, following Franz Grillparzer's Medea (1820), the primary source for the libretto, can safely be ascribed to the second type. Reimann's social and political interpretation of Medea's magical abilities allows him to reflect on the violence of the power that fears and distrusts – but at the same time needs – the unknown, the foreigner."
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Medea_(Reimann)&oldid=792118929"