Achilles (break)

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Achilles op. 50 is an oratorio by Max Bruch (1838–1920) and its theme is Achilles , one of the warriors from the Trojan War .

Emergence

The Achilles arose during break time in Wroclaw, where he was its main work. After the performance of his Odysseus in Liverpool on November 22, 1881, Bruch's interest in the project revived. Conductor Carl Martin Reinthaler , Bruch's friend from Bremen, recommended the Bremen librarian Heinrich Bulthaupt as a librettist. Bulthaupt and Bruch started work in February. During his trip to America in the spring of 1883, Bruch wrote the orchestral score. The work was delayed by Bruch's move from Liverpool to Wroclaw and concerts. Bruch viewed Achilles as a continuation of Odysseus , who had written twelve years earlier .

During the preparation of the libretto, Bruch consulted extensively with the opera singer Amalie Joachim , the wife of his friend, violinist Joseph Joachim . He found the correspondence with Bulthaupt so exhausting that he envied Richard Wagner , "who did everything himself." Shortly before the premiere, Bruch was forced to make cuts.

The premiere took place on June 28, 1885 at the Bonn Music Festival with Bruch as conductor. Amalie Joachim sang Andromache and George Henschel sang Hector.

action

part One

In a prologue, the choir explains the background to the Trojan War . Agamemnon wants to bring the tired warriors back to their homeland Greece. But they resume the battle when Odysseus reminds them that the gods are on their side. However, the Trojans gain the upper hand because Achilles had fallen out with Agamemnon and withdrew his troops. Achilles 'friend senses the impending defeat and leads the warriors into battle in Achilles' armor. This goes out victorious for the Greeks, but Patroclus falls in the fight when he is hit by Hector's lance. Achilles remorsefully reacts to the death news of his friend Patroclus and curses Hector. His mother, the sea goddess Thetis , promises him help in battle through the dazzling armor of the god of fire.

Part II

The second part introduces Hector, his wife Andromache , his sister Polyxena and his father, King Priam . The Trojans gather and pray for victory and peace. Against the requests of his wife Andromache, Hector goes to war again; Achilles, who is under the protection of the gods, kills him in a duel.

Part III

Patroclus is buried under Achilles' honor. King Priam comes from Troy and asks for Hector's body. Achilles initially refuses, but gives in when Priam asks him to imagine his own father in such a situation. The Trojans feel great pain for Hector's death. An epilogue of the choir describes Achilles' death and the fall of Troy.

effect

Achilles did not achieve the same level of success as Odysseus . The Kölnische Zeitung criticized the length of the work, to which Bruch replied: "The Philistine sits in the theater for five hours with Wagner's completely inorganic and absolutely formless toothless, which is all too seldom interrupted by flashes of inspiration."

The review in the Neue Musikzeitung was exuberant.

After Achilles , Bruch felt exhausted from dealing with the New Germans , among other things , and concentrated on conducting. However, further performances by Achilles gave him new courage. Franz Wüllner directed the performance of Achilles in Cologne on December 15, 1885 , but it suffered from the negative attitude of its conductor. Wüllner increased the size of the string orchestra planned by Bruch from 32 musicians to 72 musicians. Bruch decided once again that he had nothing to do with his hometown, which he had never felt recognized by: “This is now the hometown, and I, Fool, had always retained a certain attachment to this city. Well, I want to tear that from my heart too. "

literature

  • Christopher Fifield: Max Bruch. Biography of a composer . From d. Engl. By Renate Maria Wendel, Swiss publishing house, 1990 Zurich, ISBN 3-7263-6616-4 , pp. 214-218

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Neue Musikzeitung , No. 6, 1885
  2. ^ Letter to Fritz Simrock , December 18, 1885