''Oedipus'' is an opera in two parts composed by

Wolfgang Rihm Wolfgang Rihm (; 13 March 1952 – 27 July 2024) was a German composer of contemporary classical music and an academic teacher based in Karlsruhe. He was an influential post-war European composer, as "one of the most original and independent mus ...

to a German-language

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 ...

that he based on the Greek tragedy ''

Oedipus Rex ''Oedipus Rex'', also known by its Greek title, ''Oedipus Tyrannus'' (, ), or ''Oedipus the King'', is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles. While some scholars have argued that the play was first performed , this is highly uncertain. Originally, to ...

'' by

Sophocles Sophocles ( 497/496 – winter 406/405 BC)Sommerstein (2002), p. 41. was an ancient Greek tragedian known as one of three from whom at least two plays have survived in full. His first plays were written later than, or contemporary with, those ...

and related texts by

Friedrich Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher. He began his career as a classical philology, classical philologist, turning to philosophy early in his academic career. In 1869, aged 24, Nietzsche bec ...

and

Heiner Müller Heiner Müller (; 9 January 1929 – 30 December 1995) was a German (formerly East German) dramatist, poet, writer, essayist and theatre director. His "enigmatic, fragmentary pieces" are a significant contribution to postmodern drama and postd ...

. 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 The Deutsche Oper Berlin is a German opera company located in the Charlottenburg district of Berlin. The resident building is the country's second largest opera house (after Munich's) and also home to the Berlin State Ballet. Since 2004, the ...

, directed by

Götz Friedrich Götz Friedrich (4 August 1930 in Naumburg, Germany – 12 December 2000 in Berlin, Germany) was a German opera and theatre director. He was a student and assistant of Walter Felsenstein at the Komische Oper Berlin in (East) Berlin, where he w ...

; it was broadcast live and recorded on DVD.

History

''Oedipus'' was commissioned by

wrote the libretto and music in 1986 and 1987. He based the

on the Greek tragedy ''

'' by

in the translation by

Friedrich Hölderlin Johann Christian Friedrich Hölderlin (, ; ; 20 March 1770 – 7 June 1843) was a Germans, German poet and philosopher. Described by Norbert von Hellingrath as "the most German of Germans", Hölderlin was a key figure of German Romanticis ...

, and also on both

's fragment ''Oedipus. Reden des letzten Philosophen mit sich selbst. Ein Fragment aus der Geschichte der Nachwelt'' and

's ''Ödipuskommentar.'' The opera was premiered at Deutsche Oper on 4 October 1987, conducted by

Christof Prick Christof Prick (born 1946) is a German orchestra conductor. He uses the name Christof Perick in English-speaking countries. His father was the concertmaster of the Hamburg Philharmonic. Biography Born in Hamburg, Prick studied at the Universi ...

and directed by

in a stage design by . The soloists were Andreas Schmidt (Oedipus), William Pell (Kreon), William Dooley (Tiresias), Lenus Carlson (Messenger), William Murray (Shepherd) and Emily Golden (Jokasta). The performance was broadcast live on television, and published on DVD. The opera was published by Universal Edition. A

concert version A concert performance or concert version is a performance of a musical theater or opera in concert form, typically without set design or costumes, and mostly without theatrical interaction between singers. Concert performances are commonly pres ...

was played at the 1989

Wiener Festwochen The Vienna Festival (Wiener Festwochen) is a culture festival that takes place in Vienna for five or six weeks in May and June every year. The Vienna Festival was established in 1951, when Vienna was still occupied by the Participants in World W ...

at the

Wiener Konzerthaus The Konzerthaus is a concert hall located in Vienna, Austria, which opened in 1913. It is situated in the third district just at the edge of the first district in Vienna. Since it was founded it has always tried to emphasise both traditional and ...

, conducted by Michael Gielen with Richard Salter as Oedipus and

Dunja Vejzović Dunja Vejzović (; born 20 October 1943) is a Croatian operatic mezzo-soprano and soprano. Biography Dunja Crnković was born in Zagreb and was married in 1963, changing her surname to Vejzović. She studied at the Zagreb Academy of Music, whe ...

as Jokasta. The opera was performed in 1991 at the

Santa Fe Opera Santa Fe Opera (SFO) is an American opera company, located north of Santa Fe, New Mexico. After creating the ''Opera Association of New Mexico'' in 1956, its founding director, John Crosby (conductor), John Crosby, oversaw the building of the f ...

in an English version by Carol Borah Palca. It was conducted by

George Manahan George Manahan (born 1952, Atlanta, Georgia, USA) is an American conductor. Biography Manahan's parents were church musicians. In high school, he was a drum major in his high school marching band, and also conducted this band. Another of his earl ...

and directed by

Francesca Zambello Francesca Zambello (born August 24, 1956) is an American opera and theatre director. She is the artistic director of Washington National Opera. Early life and education Born in New York City, Zambello lived in Europe when she was a child, learn ...

, with

Rod Gilfry Rodney Gilfry is a leading American operatic baritone. After launching his career at Frankfurt Opera in 1987, Gilfry quickly established a reputation for stylish singing and acting. A renowned Mozart specialist, he has given acclaimed performan ...

as Oedipus, David Rampy as Kreon, Dooley as Tiresias, Peter Van Derick as Messenger, Patryk Wroblewski as Shephers and Golden as Jokasta. A 2003 production was staged at the

Theater Krefeld und Mönchengladbach Theater Krefeld und Mönchengladbach gGmbH is a daughter company of the German cities Krefeld and Mönchengladbach Mönchengladbach (, ) is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany, west of the Rhi ...

, with Kenneth Duryea conducting the Niederrheinischen Sinfoniker and directing in scenic design by Kirsten Dephoff. Johannes M. Kösters appeared in the title role, and Carola Guber as Jokasta.

Roles

Libretto

Rihm fragmented the plot of the

Oedipus Oedipus (, ; "swollen foot") was a mythical Greek king of Thebes. A tragic hero in Greek mythology, Oedipus fulfilled a prophecy that he would end up killing his father and marrying his mother, thereby bringing disaster to his city and family. ...

myth and created new relations. He structured the work in 21 scenes. 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 sphinx ( ; , ; or sphinges ) is a mythical creature with the head of a human, the body of a lion, and the wings of an eagle. In Culture of Greece, Greek tradition, the sphinx is a treacherous and merciless being with the head of a woman, th ...

, a child limping though a rocky desert, and the scuffle at the crossroads. Four scenes are

inner monologue Intrapersonal communication (also known as autocommunication or inner speech) is communication with oneself or self-to-self communication. Examples are thinking to oneself "I will do better next time" after having made a mistake or imagining a ...

s of Oedipus based on Nietzsche. Five scenes are based on Müller and reflect the action from a more neutral viewpoint.Introduction of the broadcast of the premiere.

Music

The music is scored for an orchestra of two

flute The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...

s (one doubling

piccolo The piccolo ( ; ) is a smaller version of the western concert flute and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. Sometimes referred to as a "baby flute" or piccolo flute, the modern piccolo has the same type of fingerings as the ...

), two

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double-reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common type of oboe, the soprano oboe pitched in C, ...

s, two

cor anglais The cor anglais (, or original ; plural: ''cors anglais''), or English horn (mainly North America), is a double-reed woodwind instrument in the oboe family. It is approximately one and a half times the length of an oboe, making it essentially ...

, four

clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...

s (two doubling

bass clarinet The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common Soprano clarinet, soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B (meaning it is a transposing instrument on which a written C sounds as B), but it plays no ...

s), two

bassoon The bassoon is a musical instrument in the woodwind family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuosity ...

s, two

contrabassoon The contrabassoon, also known as the double bassoon, is a larger version of the bassoon, sounding an octave lower. Its technique is similar to its smaller cousin, with a few notable differences. Differences from the bassoon The Reed (mouthpie ...

s, four

horns Horns or The Horns may refer to: * Plural of Horn (anatomy) * Plural of Horn (instrument), a group of musical instruments all with a horn-shaped bells * The Horns (Colorado), a summit on Cheyenne Mountain * Horns (novel), ''Horns'' (novel), a dar ...

, four

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...

s (two doubling

piccolo trumpet The piccolo trumpet is the smallest member of the trumpet family, pitched one octave higher than the standard B trumpet. Most piccolo trumpets are built to play in either B or A, using a separate leadpipe for each key. The tubing in the B picco ...

s), four

trombone The trombone (, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's lips vibrate inside a mouthpiece, causing the Standing wave, air c ...

s, six

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...

ists, two

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orchestras or ...

s (amplified), piano, and two solo violins. Oedipus and Jokasta play on stage a large hanging metal plate and a large wooden barrel drum. The music is dominated by brass and percussion, illustrating outcry and protest. The only strings are two solo violins that play after Oedipus blinds himself, accompanying him to the "farthest distance". The music plays mostly in extremes of range, both high and low, and in dynamic contrasts. It contains phases of silence and noise,

tone cluster A tone cluster is a musical chord comprising at least three adjacent tones in a scale. Prototypical tone clusters are based on the chromatic scale and are separated by semitones. For instance, three adjacent piano keys (such as C, C, and D) s ...

s 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. Rihm described the aggressive sound language: "Sound is a weapon here – or a scalpel?" ("Der Klang ist hier Waffe – oder Skalpell?")

Recordings

* 4 October 1987 –

(cond.),

(dir.), (scenic design), chorus and orchestra of the

. Andreas Schmidt (Oedipus), William Pell (Kreon), William Dooley (Tiresias), Lenus Carlson (Messenger), William Murray (Shepherd), Emily Golden (Jokasta). DVD live from the premiere, Arthaus Musik. * 30 May 1989 – Michael Gielen (cond.), choir and ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien. Richard Salter (Oedipus), William Pell (Kreon), William Dooley (Tiresias), Rudolf Katzböck (Messenger), Claudio Otelli (Shepherd),

(Jokasta), broadcast.

References

External links

Oedipus
Arthaus * 1987 {{authority control Operas by Wolfgang Rihm 1987 operas German-language operas Operas based on Oedipus Rex Operas set in ancient Greece Operas Adaptations of works by Friedrich Nietzsche