Angels in America (opera)
| Opera dates | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Angels in America |
| Original language: | English |
| Music: | Péter Eötvös |
| Libretto : | Mari Mezei |
| Literary source: | Tony Kushner |
| Premiere: | November 23, 2004 |
| Place of premiere: | Théâtre du Châtelet , Paris |
| Playing time: | about 2 hours |
| Place and time of the action: | America, 1980s |
| people | |
More people
|
|
Angels in America is an opera in two parts by Péter Eötvös ( music ) with a libretto by Mari Mezei . The opera is based on Tony Kushner's plays Millennium Approaches and Perestroika. The world premiere was on November 23, 2004 at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. This was conducted by Péter Eötvös himself.
action
The main character of the opera, Prior Walter, fell ill with AIDS. He knows that he has to die and invents an angel in his struggle for survival. He orders him to act as a prophet to save the world. In a vision he ascends to heaven, but refuses his commission there. Prior Walter puts down the book of the prophets and returns to earth.
layout
music
Musically, the passionate relationships between the characters and the tension of the text are in the foreground. Péter Eötvös tried to implement the constant change between vision and reality in his music.
At the same time, Péter Eötvös always tried to audibly include the location of the action. In Angels in America he creates a Broadway sound. All eight singers are amplified with microphones, as are the 16 solo instruments.
orchestra
The orchestral line-up for the opera includes the following instruments:
- Woodwinds : two flutes (1st also alto flute, 2nd also piccolo and alto flute), two clarinets (2nd also E-flat clarinet ), bass clarinet (also double bass clarinet ), two saxophones (1: soprano saxophone , alto saxophone and baritone saxophone; 2: alto saxophone and Tenor saxophone )
- Brass : trumpet (also piccolo trumpet), trombone (also tenor trombone with quart valve )
-
Percussion (two players):
- 1: vibraphone , marimba , crotales , cymbals , Chinese cymbals, rivet cymbals, snare drum , bass drum , tabla , cabasa , styrofoam plates (ad lib.)
- 2: Glockenspiel , gongs , tubular bells , tamtam , metal tubes, metal güiro , two triangles , Indian bells, tube maraca ( chocalho ), small tambourine , large tamborim , whisper chimes (metal chimes)
- Guitar (amplified, also Schellenbaum ), electric guitar
- Celesta , Hammond organ (B3 with Leslie box)
- Strings : six violins , four violas , three cellos , two double basses
- Sounds and noises from a playback CD
libretto
The libretto is in English.
history
Based on Tony Kushner's plays Millennium Approaches and Perestroika , Mari Mezei and Péter Eötvös developed a newly structured version which, as an opera, lasts around two to two and a half hours.
After that, Angels in America was premiered in 2005 at the Hamburg State Opera in Germany. The Dutch premiere followed in 2006 at the Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ in Amsterdam. At the same time, the opera was shown at the Boston Center for the Arts .
The British premiere took place in March 2010 at the Barbican Hall in London .
In 2012, Péter Eötvös revised his opera. The new version was premiered on September 29, 2012 in Wroclaw at the Contemporary Opera Festival Wrocław under the conductor Bassem Akiki .
The revised version was also performed in Boston in 2015 . There was also a performance in January 2013 at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles , and in June 2017 at the Lincoln Center , Rose Theater in New York .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ A mixture of reality and fantasy - Peter Eötvös' "Angels in America" at Theater Münster , on nmz.de, accessed on May 28, 2019
- ↑ a b c d work information from Schott Music , accessed on July 26, 2019.