Leben des Orest
Encyclopedia
Leben des Orest is a grand opera
in five acts (eight scenes) with words and music both by Ernst Krenek
. It is his opus 60 and the first of his own libretti with an antique setting. The score is inscribed with the dates of composition: August 8, 1928 – May 13, 1929, and includes indications of recommended cuts made for the first production. It premiered at the Neues Theater
in Leipzig
on 19 January 1930, and opened at the Kroll Opera House in Berlin in early March of the same year (Leichtentritt 1930, 366).
wrote an open letter denouncing the management's actions against the disruptions as "organized terror" and the faculty of the Sommerferienkurse sided with him in calling the work a mere relic of the 1920s. A successful revival was the Portland Opera
's 1975 Life of Orestes in the composer's English translation.
(hidden by a scrim) singing of the southern land of their longing. The curtain rises on a busy square in front of Agamemnon's palace. Anastasia tells the crowd of the impending war
. Agamemnon enters and exhorts them in chopped phrases, but they clamour loudly for peace. "Go away and let me decide" he orders, and the street is cleared by armed guards. There's no turning back, even if his own children were to be sacrificed. This strikes Ægisth, who has been following, as a very good idea. After all, you're a little afraid of your son anyway! He tells him that it will be easier to convince the queen if Ægisth's name is kept out of it and the plan seems the king's own, and when Agamemnon leaves he expresses his glee at being closer to the throne. Klytæmnestra's cries are heard from the palace; Agamemnon tells her that, as priest of all Greece, he is carrying out the will of the gods. Klytæmnestra orders Anastasia to flee with Orest to Phokisland, and shudders as the instruments of sacrifice are brought in to the sound of trumpets. When the people are reassembled, Agamemnon announces his plan. As soon as Orest's flight is known, they shout "treachery" and begin to riot, but are again overawed when the king decides to offer Iphigenie. As he raises the axe the child disappears in thunder and darkness. As the breeze picks up, the people sing a farewell to peacetime and depart, Klytæmnestra remarking that the limping accordionist who remains is a fitting emblem of the ravaged country.
The chorus altos again relate how Agamemnon was rewarded, for his great faith in the gods, with a miracle, and the curtain rises on Thoas' astronomical observatory. He relates how, since he was widowed, he has sought consolation in the secrets of nature, and he senses that the moon is about to send an embodiment of the longed for southern land. Thamar stirs in her sleep and tries to call a warning, but he places her back under hypnosis. Thoas bids the approaching vision to speak, and Iphigenie calls out for her father. Both look startled and somewhat disappointed. After an interlude the chorus relates how Anastasia and Orest could go no farther when they reached Athens on the faire day, on which the curtain now rises. [to be continued]
Grand Opera
Grand opera is a genre of 19th-century opera generally in four or five acts, characterised by large-scale casts and orchestras, and lavish and spectacular design and stage effects, normally with plots based on or around dramatic historic events...
in five acts (eight scenes) with words and music both by Ernst Krenek
Ernst Krenek
Ernst Krenek was an Austrian of Czech origin and, from 1945, American composer. He explored atonality and other modern styles and wrote a number of books, including Music Here and Now , a study of Johannes Ockeghem , and Horizons Circled: Reflections on my Music...
. It is his opus 60 and the first of his own libretti with an antique setting. The score is inscribed with the dates of composition: August 8, 1928 – May 13, 1929, and includes indications of recommended cuts made for the first production. It premiered at the Neues Theater
Oper Leipzig
Oper Leipzig is an opera house and opera company in Leipzig, Germany.The Leipzig Opera traces its establishment to the year 1693, making it the third oldest opera venue in Europe after La Fenice and the Hamburg State Opera...
in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
on 19 January 1930, and opened at the Kroll Opera House in Berlin in early March of the same year (Leichtentritt 1930, 366).
Background and reception
Leben des Orest had 13 productions by 1933, when the Nazis seized power and banned Krenek from German stages. The first postwar revival was in 1947 in Linz and performances in Frankfurt (1951), Graz (1952), Düsseldorf (1954) and Wiesbaden (1961) followed. The 1961 Darmstadt performances were conducted by Krenek imself, but drew loud demonstrations against its supposed musical conservatism. Pierre BoulezPierre Boulez
Pierre Boulez is a French composer of contemporary classical music, a pianist, and a conductor.-Early years:Boulez was born in Montbrison, Loire, France. As a child he began piano lessons and demonstrated aptitude in both music and mathematics...
wrote an open letter denouncing the management's actions against the disruptions as "organized terror" and the faculty of the Sommerferienkurse sided with him in calling the work a mere relic of the 1920s. A successful revival was the Portland Opera
Portland Opera
Portland Opera is an American opera company based at The Hampton Opera Center in Portland, Oregon. Its mainstage performances take place in the Keller Auditorium, while the Portland Opera Studio Theater at the Hampton center is used for performances of chamber operas...
's 1975 Life of Orestes in the composer's English translation.
Roles
- Agamemnon, a king in Greece (tenorTenorThe tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
) - Klytæmnestra, his wife (mezzosoprano or contraltoContraltoContralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above...
) - Elektra, their daughter
- Iphigenie, their daughter
- Orest, their son baritoneBaritoneBaritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
- Ægisth, a relative (tenor)
- Anastasia, the royal nurse (contralto)
- Ægisth's servant
- Three Elders
- A lame accordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
ist - Aristobulos, Chief justice in AthensAthensAthens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
- A cryer
- Two street-girls
- Four street singers
- Shepherd
- Small girl
- Thoas, a northern king (bass)
- Thamar, his daughter (soprano)
- Crowds, warriors, guards, Athenians, judges, artists, dancers chorusChoirA choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
Synopsis
The opera opens with the chorusChoir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
(hidden by a scrim) singing of the southern land of their longing. The curtain rises on a busy square in front of Agamemnon's palace. Anastasia tells the crowd of the impending war
Trojan War
In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, the king of Sparta. The war is among the most important events in Greek mythology and was narrated in many works of Greek literature, including the Iliad...
. Agamemnon enters and exhorts them in chopped phrases, but they clamour loudly for peace. "Go away and let me decide" he orders, and the street is cleared by armed guards. There's no turning back, even if his own children were to be sacrificed. This strikes Ægisth, who has been following, as a very good idea. After all, you're a little afraid of your son anyway! He tells him that it will be easier to convince the queen if Ægisth's name is kept out of it and the plan seems the king's own, and when Agamemnon leaves he expresses his glee at being closer to the throne. Klytæmnestra's cries are heard from the palace; Agamemnon tells her that, as priest of all Greece, he is carrying out the will of the gods. Klytæmnestra orders Anastasia to flee with Orest to Phokisland, and shudders as the instruments of sacrifice are brought in to the sound of trumpets. When the people are reassembled, Agamemnon announces his plan. As soon as Orest's flight is known, they shout "treachery" and begin to riot, but are again overawed when the king decides to offer Iphigenie. As he raises the axe the child disappears in thunder and darkness. As the breeze picks up, the people sing a farewell to peacetime and depart, Klytæmnestra remarking that the limping accordionist who remains is a fitting emblem of the ravaged country.
The chorus altos again relate how Agamemnon was rewarded, for his great faith in the gods, with a miracle, and the curtain rises on Thoas' astronomical observatory. He relates how, since he was widowed, he has sought consolation in the secrets of nature, and he senses that the moon is about to send an embodiment of the longed for southern land. Thamar stirs in her sleep and tries to call a warning, but he places her back under hypnosis. Thoas bids the approaching vision to speak, and Iphigenie calls out for her father. Both look startled and somewhat disappointed. After an interlude the chorus relates how Anastasia and Orest could go no farther when they reached Athens on the faire day, on which the curtain now rises. [to be continued]
Sources
- Bowles, Garrett. 2001. "Krenek, Ernst". The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, ed. S. Sadie and J. Tyrrell. London: Macmillan.
- Krenek, Ernst. 1929. Leben des Orest: grosse Oper in fünf Akten (acht Bildern), op. 60, piano-vocal score. Vienna: Universal Edition. UE 9798 (1929)
- Krenek, Ernst. 1995. "Krenek and Antiquity: His Thoughts on Life of Orestes and Pallas Athene Weeps". Newsletter of the Ernst Krenek Archive 5, no. 1 (Fall): 13–15.
- Leichtentritt, Hugo. 1930. "Reports from Abroad: Berlin". The Musical Times 71, no. 1046 (1 April): 366.
- Molkow, Wolfgang. 1980. "Der Sprung uber den Schatten. Zum Opernschaffen Ernst Kreneks in den 20er und 30er Jahren". Musica 34, no. 2:132–35.
- Purkis, Charlotte. 1992. "Krenek, Ernst. The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, 4 vols., edited by Stanley Sadie; managing editor, Christina Bashford. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 0935859926
- Rogge, Wolfgang. 1970. Ernst Kreneks Opern—Spiegel der zwanziger Jahre. Wolfenbüttel: Möseler.
- Schmidt-Dengler, Wendelin. 2000. "Ernst Krenek: Das literarische Werk". In Ernst Krenek: Zeitgenosse des 20. Jahrhunderts, Publikationen der Wiener Stadt- und Landesbibliothek 6, edited by Matthias Schmidt; preface by Peter Marboe, Monika Kalista, Walter Obermaier, and Martin Haselböck, 106–18. Vienna: Wiener Stadt- und Landesbibliothek. ISBN 390205302X
- Vogel, Juliane. 1990. "Gerettete Atriden: Zu Ernst Kreneks Das Leben des Orest". In Antike Mythen im Musiktheater des 20. Jahrhunderts: gesammelte Vorträge des Salzburger Symposions 1989, Wort und Musik 7, edited by Peter Csobádi,. Anif-Salzburg: U. Mueller-Speiser. ISBN 3851450086