Babylon (opera)

Babylon is an opera in seven scenes by Jörg Widmann, with a libretto in German by Peter Sloterdijk. The opera describes life in a multi-religious and multi-cultural metropolis. It was premiered by the Bavarian State Opera, conducted by Kent Nagano, on 27 October 2012.

Babylon
Opera by Jörg Widmann
The composer in 2006
LibrettistPeter Sloterdijk
LanguageGerman
Premiere
27 October 2012 (2012-10-27)
Bavarian State Opera, Munich

Background and performance history

The stage work Babylon was written by Jörg Widmann on a commission by the Bavarian State Opera.[lower-alpha 1][1] The opera was composed from 2011 to 2012.[2] Librettist and composer were not held to any restrictions.[3] The librettist Peter Sloterdijk[4] describes life in a multi-religious and multi-cultural metropolis,[5] the rise and fall of an empire.[6]

The Bavarian State Opera presented the world premiere of Widmann's Babylon,[lower-alpha 2] conducted by Kent Nagano on 27 October 2012 in National Theatre Munich.[2][1] The production was directed by Carlus Padrissa (La Fura dels Baus).[4]

A revised version of the opera[lower-alpha 3] was premiered on 9 March 2019 at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin.[7] Conductor of the new production by Andreas Kriegenburg was Christopher Ward, replacing Daniel Barenboim.[7]

The first performance of Widmann's Babylon Suite, a commission of Grafenegg Festival and Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, took place on 21 August 2014 in Grafenegg under the direction of Kent Nagano.[8] The Babylon Suite is the concertante version of Widmann's opera.[8]

Reception

The premiere of Babylon was reviewed critically by several newspapers.[9][6][10][11] The New York Times noted that Widmann's hard work received a major forum, that Sloterdijk's libretto is overstuffed and often inscrutable, and the production is extravagant.[4] Die Zeit wrote about an indifferent libretto, a monstrous score and old men's lust (Altherrenerotik),[12] Süddeutsche Zeitung about howling wind players, opulent pictures and strange music.[13] Die Welt wrote: "alphabet soup of sound salad: orgiastic, bombastic" ("Buchstabensuppe an Klangsalat, orgiastisch bombastisch.").[14]

The premiere of the revision of the opera in 2019 received positive and mostly negative "icely"[15] reviews.[7][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]

Music

Babylon is a polystilistic opera.[24] Example of a special musical style is Widmann's version of the Bayerischer Defiliermarsch and Tiroler Holzhackerbuab`n from his composition Dubairische Tänze in Scene III.[25] Some other examples of self-quotation within the opera are Teufel Amor, Con brio, Antiphon and Messe.[26]

Roles
Role[2] Voice type Premiere cast,
27 October 2012
Conductor: Kent Nagano		 Premiere cast (revision),
9 March 2019
Conductor: Christopher Ward
Inanna high soprano Anna Prohaska Susanne Elmark
Die Seele (The Soul) high soprano Claron McFadden Mojca Erdmann
Tammu tenor Jussi Myllys Charles Workman
Priesterkönig (Priest King) bass-baritone Willard White John Tomlinson
Der Tod (The Death) bass-baritone Willard White Otto Katzameier
Euphrat dramatic mezzo soprano Gabriele Schnaut Marina Prudenskaya
Skorpionmensch (Scorpion Man) countertenor Kai Wessel Andrew Watts
Priester (Priest) tenor Joshua Stewart Florian Hoffmann
Ezechiel narrator August Zirner Felix von Manteuffel

Instrumentation

Widmann scored Babylon for the following large orchester with 90 players:[2][3]

  • Woodwinds: 4 flutes (all doubling piccolo, 3rd doubling alto flute, 4th doubling bass flute), 4 oboes (2nd doubling oboe d'amore, 3rd doubling cor anglais, 4th doubling heckelphone), 4 clarinets in B♭ (2nd doubling clarinet in E♭, 3rd doubling bass clarinet, 4th doubling double bass clarinet), 4 bassoons (3rd and 4th double bassoon)
  • Brass: 4 horns (doubling 4 natural horns), 4 trumpets, 4 trombones (3rd and 4th doubling bass trombone or contrabass trombone), tuba
  • Strings: 14 violins I, 12 violins II, 10 violas, 8 cellos, 8 double basses (4 of them 5-stringed)
  • Percussion: 4 players, timpani
  • 2 harps, celesta, accordion, piano, organ

Synopsis

The opera is about the conflicts that arise from the love of the exile and Jew Tammu to the Babylonian Inanna, priestess in the temple of free love.[27]

The seven scenes of the opera:[lower-alpha 4][29][2]

Prologue
  • "In Front of the Relics of the Walls of a Ruined City"

Scene I
  • "Within the Walls of Babylon" (duration: 45 min)[31]

Tammu falls in love with Inanna.

Scene II

The Euphrates leaves its bed, the flood comes. After the flood, peace and order will be achieved between heaven and earth through a human sacrifice.

Scene III
  • "The New Year Festival"
    • genitalia septets
    • monkey septet

An orgiastic, carnival-like New Year festival with processions, cabaret numbers, and excesses begins.[30] The Jews consider this as blasphemy.

Scene IV
  • "At the Waters of Babylon"

The Jews reflect about their religion. They try to tolerate some of the sacrificial practices. Tammu is selected by the Babylonian Priest King to be sacrificed.

Interlude
  • "Babylon Idyll, Night Music for Hanging Gardens"

Scene V
  • "The Feast of the Sacrifice"

Tammu is sacrificed.

Scene VI
  • "Inanna in the Underworld"

Inanna rescues Tammu from the underworld.

Scene VII

A new covenant with humankind, based on number seven, replaces the old sacrifice.

Epilogue
  • "The constellation of the Scorpion"
    • Scorpion Man

Notes
  1. Babylon is Widmann's second large-scale opera. His first opera is Das Gesicht im Spiegel.
  2. 2011–2012, duration: 160 minutes (Taken from original score DNB-IDN 1028649541).
  3. 2018, duration: 130 minutes.[2]
  4. The number seven appears frequently in Babylonian magical rituals.[28]
  5. Taken from Epic of Gilgamesh.[30]
  6. The seven scenes get progressively shorter, the opera is constructed like a Ziggurat temple.[32][5]
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References

Citations
  1. Jörg Widmann, List of Published Works. Mainz: Schott Music. September 2012. p. 9. ISMN 979-0-001-18462-5.
  2. "Babylon (Score)". Schott Music. 2012. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  3. Bruhn 2013, p. 169.
  4. Loomis, George (6 November 2012). "Carnal Knowledge in a Modern Metropolis: Babylon". The New York Times. New York. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
  5. Bruhn 2013, p. 170.
  6. Büning, Eleonore (29 October 2012). "Fette Zeiten in alten Städten". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). Frankfurt. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  7. Pachl, Peter P. (11 March 2019). "Alle sieben Jahre: "Babylon"-Uraufführung von Jörg Widmann: Neufassung an der Staatsoper Unter den Linden". neue musikzeitung (in German). Regensburg. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  8. Jarolin, Peter (22 August 2014). ""Babylon-Suite" von Jörg Widmann uraufgeführt". Kurier (in German). Vienna. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  9. Woolfe, Zachary (15 April 2013). "On Clarinet, the Composer". The New York Times. New York. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  10. Dick, Alexander (29 October 2012). "Bayrilonisches Sprachengewirr". Badische Zeitung (in German). Freiburg. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  11. Koch, Juan Martin (28 October 2012). "Die "Zauberflöte" für das 21. Jahrhundert ist noch zu schreiben: "Babylon" von Jörg Widmann und Peter Sloterdijk an der Münchner Staatsoper". nmz online (in German). neue musikzeitung. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  12. Weber, Mirko (31 October 2012). "Tuttifrutti". Die Zeit (in German). Hamburg. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  13. Mauró, Helmut (28 October 2012). "Jubel für den babylonischen Untergang". Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German). München. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  14. Brug, Manuel (28 October 2012). "Die "Große Hure" aus der Megacity". Die Welt (in German). Hamburg. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  15. Allen, David (20 March 2020). "A Composer Finds the Old in the New". The New York Times. New York City. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  16. Helmig, Martina (10 March 2019). "Diesem "Babylon" fehlt die Vielfalt". Berliner Morgenpost (in German). Berlin. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  17. Schreiber, Wolfgang (13 March 2019). "Völker, lebt gefährlich!". Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German). Munich. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  18. Büning, Eleonore (13 March 2019). "Völkerverständigung kann so einfach sein! Jörg Widmanns und Peter Sloterdijk haben ihr "Babylon" neu gefasst". Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in German). Zürich. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  19. Swed, Mark (13 March 2019). "Operas in Berlin and Hamburg go Babylonian, with Trump and an immigration crisis". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  20. Hablützel, Niklaus (10 March 2019). "Männer, die sich wichtig nehmen". taz (in German). Berlin. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  21. Friedrich, Uwe (10 March 2019). "Zäher Mythen-Mischmasch". BR-Klassik (in German). Munich. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  22. Brug, Manfred (10 March 2019). "Nicht besser: Jörg Widmanns und Peter Sloterdijks wenig bearbeitete "Babylon"-Neufassung an der Berliner Staatsoper". Die Welt (in German). Berlin. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  23. Badelt, Udo (11 March 2019). "Die Stadt braucht ein Update". Der Tagesspiegel (in German). Berlin. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  24. Bruhn 2013, p. 189.
  25. Bruhn 2013, p. 182.
  26. Bruhn 2013.
  27. Powell, Andrew (23 November 2012). "Widmann's Opera Babylon". Musical America. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  28. Collins, Adela Yarbro (2000). Cosmology and Eschatology in Jewish and Christian Apocalypticism. Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-11927-7.
  29. Bruhn 2013, p. 173.
  30. Bruhn 2013, p. 171.
  31. "Werk der Woche: Jörg Widmann – Babylon". Schott Music. Mainz. 29 May 2017. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  32. Camilleri, Jenny (5 June 2017). "Stenz conducts an impressive Babylon at the Holland Festival". bachtrack.com. Retrieved 24 August 2017.

Bibliography
  • Bruhn, Siglind (2013). Die Musik von Jörg Widmann (in German). Waldkirch: Edition Gorz. pp. 169–192. ISBN 978-3-938095-16-4.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Zuber, Barbara (2013). "Verschiebung und semantische Überschreibung. Der Doppelchor der Juden in Jörg Widmanns Babylon (Bild 5)". In Tadday, Ulrich (ed.). Jörg Widmann, Musik-Konzepte 166 (edition text+kritik) (in German). München: Richard Boorberg Verlag. pp. 55–78. ISBN 978-3-86916-355-0.
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