Michael Jarrell
Michael Jarrell (born 8 October 1958) is a Swiss composer and academic teacher, whose operas, such as ''Cassandre'', have been performed internationally.
Life
Born in Geneva, Jarrell studied at the Geneva Conservatoire, and later with Klaus H ...
to a
libretto
A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...
in French based on
Christa Wolf
Christa Wolf (; Ihlenfeld; 18 March 1929 – 1 December 2011) was a German novelist and essayist. She is considered one of the most important writers to emerge from the former East Germany.Kassandra'', adapted by Gerhard Wolf and translated by Alain Lance. The ''monodrame pour comédienne, ensemble instrumental et électronique'' is a
monodrama
A monodrama is a theatrical or operatic piece played by a single actor or singer, usually portraying one character.
In opera
In opera, a monodrama was originally a melodrama with one role such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau's '' Pygmalion'', which w ...
set for a woman reciting the text and acting, an instrumental ensemble and
electronics
Electronics is a scientific and engineering discipline that studies and applies the principles of physics to design, create, and operate devices that manipulate electrons and other Electric charge, electrically charged particles. It is a subfield ...
. The opera was premiered on 4 February 1994 at the
Théâtre du Châtelet
The Théâtre du Châtelet () is a theatre and opera house, located in the place du Châtelet in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France.
One of two theatres (the other being the Théâtre de la Ville) built on the site of a ''châtelet'', a ...
in Paris, and was then given in several languages. It was published by Lemoine in Paris, and recorded.
History
Michael Jarrell
Michael Jarrell (born 8 October 1958) is a Swiss composer and academic teacher, whose operas, such as ''Cassandre'', have been performed internationally.
Life
Born in Geneva, Jarrell studied at the Geneva Conservatoire, and later with Klaus H ...
received a commission for the opera by the Fondation Pro Helvetia and the
Théâtre du Châtelet
The Théâtre du Châtelet () is a theatre and opera house, located in the place du Châtelet in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France.
One of two theatres (the other being the Théâtre de la Ville) built on the site of a ''châtelet'', a ...
in Paris. It is based on
Christa Wolf
Christa Wolf (; Ihlenfeld; 18 March 1929 – 1 December 2011) was a German novelist and essayist. She is considered one of the most important writers to emerge from the former East Germany.Kassandra'', which adapted to a
libretto
A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...
, and Alain Lance translated to French. The novel deals with the
Trojan War
The Trojan War was a legendary conflict in Greek mythology that took place around the twelfth or thirteenth century BC. The war was waged by the Achaeans (Homer), Achaeans (Ancient Greece, Greeks) against the city of Troy after Paris (mytho ...
from
Cassandra
Cassandra or Kassandra (; , , sometimes referred to as Alexandra; ) in Greek mythology was a Trojan priestess dedicated to the god Apollo and fated by him to utter true prophecy, prophecies but never to be believed. In modern usage her name is e ...
's perspective. Jarrell worked on the composition in 1993 and 1994. The work is described as ''monodrame pour comédienne, ensemble instrumental et électronique'', with the text spoken by an actress, not sung, and the music played by an instrumental ensemble and
electronics
Electronics is a scientific and engineering discipline that studies and applies the principles of physics to design, create, and operate devices that manipulate electrons and other Electric charge, electrically charged particles. It is a subfield ...
.
The opera received its world premiere on 4 February 1994 at the Théâtre du Châtelet, with
Marthe Keller
Marthe Keller (born 28 January 1945) is a Swiss actress. She is perhaps best known for her role in the film '' Marathon Man'' (1976), for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award.
Career
Early years
Keller studied ballet as a child, bu ...
Peter Konwitschny
Peter Konwitschny (born 21 January 1945 in Frankfurt am Main) is a German opera and theatre director.
Biography
Peter Konwitschny grew up in Leipzig, where his father Franz Konwitschny was principal conductor of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchest ...
. It was published by Éditions Henry Lemoine in Paris. The duration is given as around one hour. The opera was recorded in 2008 with Astrid Bas and the Ensemble intercontemporain conducted by
Susanna Mälkki
Susanna Ulla Marjukka Mälkki (born 13 March 1969) is a Finnish conductor and cellist.
Early life and education
Mälkki was born on 13 March 1969 in Helsinki. She began to learn the violin, piano, and cello in her youth, eventually focusing ...
. It has been performed also in English, German, Italian and Spanish.
Theme
The priestess Cassandre, who predicted the fall of Troy in the
Trojan War
The Trojan War was a legendary conflict in Greek mythology that took place around the twelfth or thirteenth century BC. The war was waged by the Achaeans (Homer), Achaeans (Ancient Greece, Greeks) against the city of Troy after Paris (mytho ...
, narrates her memories of the events in contemplative monologue. Cassandre laments and revolts, with time returning in loops, and the past becoming present. The episodes "follow one another without transition, attracting and sounding into one another, in a stream of consciousness that reveals the essential".
Fanny Ardant
Fanny Marguerite Judith Ardant (born 22 March 1949) is a French actress and film director. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including two César Awards and a Lumière Award.
Early life
Ardant was born on 22 March 1949, in Saumur, ...