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Judith (Matthus)
''Judith'' is an opera in two acts by Siegfried Matthus with a libretto by the composer based on Friedrich Hebbel's '' Judith'' and texts from the Old Testament. The premiere was on 28 September 1985 at the Komische Oper Berlin, directed by Harry Kupfer. It was recorded in a studio production. History The composer Siegfried Matthus was pointed to Friedrich Hebbel's '' Judith'', a tragedy written in 1840, by stage director Harry Kupfer. Matthus wrote the libretto, also using some texts from the Old Testament, such as Psalm 115, Psalm 135, Psalm 72, Psalm 104 and verses from the Song of Songs. Hebbel's tragedy is based on the Book of Judith. At the same time Matthus composed ''Holofernes-Porträt'' for baritone and orchestra, which was premiered in 1981 during the opening week of the new Gewandhaus, with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and conductor Kurt Masur. Matthus transferred parts of the composition to his opera, which he composed from 1980 to 1984. ''Judith'' was planned for th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Siegfried Matthus
Siegfried Matthus (13 April 1934 – 27 August 2021) was a German composer, conductor, and festival founder and manager. Some of his operas, such as '' Judith'', were premiered at the Komische Oper Berlin in East Berlin. In 1991, he founded the chamber opera festival Kammeroper Schloss Rheinsberg and directed it until 2018. In 2005, he composed a Te Deum for the reopening of the Dresden Frauenkirche. Matthus is considered one of Germany's most often performed contemporary composers. Biography Matthus was born in , East Prussia. His father was a farmer and played for entertainment and dancing. His father made sure that the son received piano lessons. In 1944, his parents fled with him to in the Ruppin district. Matthus attended secondary school in Rheinsberg, followed by studies at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin. After graduating, he continued his studies in composition with Rudolf Wagner-Régeny and Hanns Eisler, and was shortly thereafter made the younges ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librettist and incorporates a number of the performing arts, such as acting, scenery, costume, and sometimes dance or ballet. The performance is typically given in an opera house, accompanied by an orchestra or smaller musical ensemble, which since the early 19th century has been led by a conductor. Although musical theatre is closely related to opera, the two are considered to be distinct from one another. Opera is a key part of the Western classical music tradition. Originally understood as an entirely sung piece, in contrast to a play with songs, opera has come to include numerous genres, including some that include spoken dialogue such as '' Singspiel'' and '' Opéra comique''. In traditional number opera, singers employ two styles of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (28 May 1925 – 18 May 2012) was a German lyric baritone and conductor of classical music, one of the most famous Lieder (art song) performers of the post-war period, best known as a singer of Franz Schubert's Lieder, particularly ''"Winterreise"'' of which his recordings with accompanists Gerald Moore and Jörg Demus are still critically acclaimed half a century after their release. Recording an array of repertoire (spanning centuries) as musicologist Alan Blyth asserted, "No singer in our time, or probably any other has managed the range and versatility of repertory achieved by Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. Opera, Lieder and oratorio in German, Italian or English came alike to him, yet he brought to each a precision and individuality that bespoke his perceptive insights into the idiom at hand." In addition, he recorded in French, Russian, Hebrew, Latin and Hungarian. He was described as "one of the supreme vocal artists of the 20th century" and "the most ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gewandhaus
Gewandhaus is a concert hall in Leipzig, the home of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. Today's hall is the third to bear this name; like the second, it is noted for its fine acoustics. History The first Gewandhaus (''Altes Gewandhaus'') The first concert hall was constructed in 1781 by architect Johann Carl Friedrich Dauthe inside the ''Gewandhaus'', a building used by cloth (garment) merchants. Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 (The Emperor Concerto) premiered here in 1811. Felix Mendelssohn is particularly associated with the first Gewandhaus, of which he was director from 1835. Other well-known works which premiered at the Altes Gewandhaus include: * Schubert's Great Symphony (21 March 1839, posth.) * Schumann's Spring Symphony (31 March 1841) * Mendelssohn's Scottish Symphony (3 March 1842) * Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto (13 March 1845) * Wagner's overture to '' The Mastersingers of Nuremberg'' (2 June 1862; the full opera was not performed until 1868) * Brahms' '' A Ger ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Baritone
A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C (i.e. F2–F4) in choral music, and from the second A below middle C to the A above middle C (A2 to A4) in operatic music, but the range can extend at either end. Subtypes of baritone include the baryton-Martin baritone (light baritone), lyric baritone, ''Kavalierbariton'', Verdi baritone, dramatic baritone, ''baryton-noble'' baritone, and the bass-baritone. History The first use of the term "baritone" emerged as ''baritonans'', late in the 15th century, usually in French sacred polyphonic music. At this early stage it was frequently used as the lowest of the voices (including the bass), but in 17th-century Italy the term was all-encompassing and used to describe the averag ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Book Of Judith
The Book of Judith is a deuterocanonical book, included in the Septuagint and the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christian Old Testament of the Bible, but excluded from the Hebrew canon and assigned by Protestants to the apocrypha. It tells of a Jewish widow, Judith, who uses her beauty and charm to destroy an Assyrian general and save Israel from oppression. The surviving Greek manuscripts contain several historical anachronisms, which is why some Protestant scholars now consider the book non-historical: a parable, a theological novel, or perhaps the first historical novel. The name Judith (), meaning "Praised" or "Jewess", is the feminine form of Judah. Historical context Original language It is not clear whether the Book of Judith was originally written in Hebrew or in Greek. The oldest existing version is in the Septuagint, and might either be a translation from Hebrew or composed in Greek. Details of vocabulary and phrasing point to a Greek text written in a language m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Psalm 104
Psalm 104 is the 104th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great". In Latin, it is known as "Benedic anima mea Domino". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate version of the Bible, this psalm is Psalm 103. Psalm 104 is used as a regular part of Jewish, Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies. It has often been set to music, including works by John Dowland, Heinrich Schütz, Philip Glass and William Lovelady. Text Hebrew Bible version The following is the Hebrew text of Psalm 104: King James Version # Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty. # Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain: # Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Psalm 72
Psalm 72 is the 72nd psalm from the Book of Psalms. Traditionally seen as being written by King Solomon, its heading may be translated 'to or for Solomon'. In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate translations of the Bible, this psalm is Psalm 71. This psalm concludes Book 2 of the Psalms. Heading Lutheran theologian John Brug writes "The heading of Psalm 72 is 'Of Solomon'. This may also be translated 'to or for Solomon'. For this reason some commentators regard this as a Psalm written by David to express his hope for Solomon." Joseph Benson calls it "a psalm for Solomon" and associates it with the anointing of Solomon as king while David was still living, as recorded in . Analysis Some commentators see David's prayers as fulfilled in some sense in the reign of Solomon: a temple will be built and there will be great peace and prosperity; yet the language is larger than Solomon. "The whole earth is filled with his glory" (verse 19) ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Psalm 135
Psalm 135 of the Bible, biblical Book of Psalms begins and ends "Praise ye the YHWH, LORD" ( he, הַלְלוּ יָהּ, ''hallelujah''). The New King James Version entitles it "Praise to God in Creation and Redemption". In the numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate translations, it is Psalm 134. Allusions to other psalms and OT passages Cyril Rodd notes references to Psalm 134 in verses 2 and 21, to Deuteronomy 32:36 (the Song of Moses) in verse 14, and to Exodus 19, Exodus 19:5 and Deuteronomy 7, Deuteronomy 7:6 in verse 4, and "a close similarity" between verses 15-20 and Psalm 115, Psalm 115:4-11.Rodd, C. S., ''18. Psalms'', in Barton, J. and Muddiman, J. (2001)The Oxford Bible Commentary p. 401 Verse 7 is reflected in Jeremiah 10#Verse 13, Jeremiah 10:13. Uses Judaism *The feasts of Sukkot, Tabernacles and of Passover have been put forward as suggested suitable occasions for the use of this psalm. *This psalm is recited in its entirety during the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Psalm 115
Psalm 115 is the 115th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Not unto us, O , not unto us, but unto thy name give glory". It is part of the Egyptian Hallel sequence in the fifth division of the Book of Psalms. In the slightly different numbering system in the Greek Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate version of the Bible, this psalm forms the second part of Psalm 113, counted as verses 9–26 of Psalm 113, verses 1–8 being Psalm 114 in Hebrew numbering. In Latin, that part is known as "Non nobis". According to Alexander Kirkpatrick, this psalm "was probably composed for use in the econdTemple services after the Return from Babylon", perhaps when the first flush of enthusiasm had died away, and the little community in Jerusalem realised how contemptibly weak it was in the eyes of its neighbours". The beginning has been used for inscriptions on buildings, such as the Ca' Vendramin Calergi. Verse 16, "The earth has been given to the child ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Libretto
A libretto (Italian for "booklet") 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 the text of major liturgical works, such as the Mass (liturgy), Mass, requiem and sacred cantata, or the story line of a ballet. ''Libretto'' (; plural ''libretti'' ), from Italian, is the diminutive of the word ''wiktionary:libro#Italian, libro'' ("book"). Sometimes other-language equivalents are used for libretti in that language, ''livret'' for French works, ''Textbuch'' for German and ''libreto'' for Spanish. A libretto is distinct from a synopsis or scenario of the plot, in that the libretto contains all the words and stage directions, while a synopsis summarizes the plot. Some ballet historians also use the word ''libretto'' to refer to the 15 to 40 page books which were on sale to 19th century ballet audiences in Paris and contained a ve ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
