Bernd Alois Zimmermann: "Die Soldaten" 2 (on my mobile ^_^)

On the 9th of November the opening night of Bernd Alois Zimmermann's epic opera Die Soldaten will take place in Amsterdam's Muziektheater. The acclaimed production directed by Willy Decker was first seen in Dresden before being performed in Tokyo will be presented to the Amsterdam audience with choreography by Kimiko Hulbert and conducted by Harmut Haenchen.

Die Soldaten (1958-60) is widely acknowledged as one of the 20th century's most important operas and the difficulties arising from the huge forces required (full orchestra, percussion ensemble, jazz combo, electronics, sixteen soloists and choir) add to the work's notoriety.

Based around the classic drama of the same name by Jakob Michael Reinhold Lenz, Zimmermann's work focuses on the psychological trauma and dilemmas faced by soldiers.

"Not the period, the class drama, the social aspects, nor the criticism of the soldier's ranks formed an immediate relation for me but instead the circumstance under which the soldiers (as described in 1774-75 by Lenz) in their nativity find themselves in an inescapable and compulsive situation which leads to rape, murder, suicide and finally to the destruction of the existing". (Zimmermann)

Musically, Zimmermann makes extensive use of the twelve-tone technique but for the structure he looks back to traditional models like the chaconne, ricercar, toccata, capriccio, nocturne and rondo. The narrative of the opera sometimes unravels in scenes which take place on stage simultaneously and despite its complex nature, Decker's staging techniques cleverly helps clarify the action in combination with the use of simple colours, bloody red for the soldiers, innocent white for the civilian girl Marie and yellow for the hollow Countess de la Roche.

Category:

Music

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