Judith (Matthus)
Judith | |
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Premiere | 28 September 1985 |
Judith is an
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,[1] 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.[1] 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,[2] which he composed from 1980 to 1984.[3]: 350
Judith was planned for the opening of the restored Semperoper in Dresden.[3] As Kupfer worked in Berlin from 1981, the opera was premiered at the Komische Oper Berlin on 28 September 1985, staged by Kupfer[3]: 358 and conducted by Rolf Reuter, with Eva-Maria Bundschuh in the title role and Werner Haseleu as Holofernes. The production was a success[2] and was recorded for the television of the German Democratic Republic and for records.[3]: 358
Judith was published by Breitkopf & Härtel, with a translation to English by B. Jacobson.[1]
Recording
The first performance was recorded in 1986, conducted by Rolf Reuter and staged by Kupfer, with the chorus and orchestra of the Komische Oper Berlin, as a studio production in collaboration with the Rundfunk der DDR.[1][3][4]
References
- ^ a b c d Judith / Opera in 2 Acts based on a drama by F. Hebbel 1982–84 Text: Siegfried Matthus (in German) Breitkopf & Härtel
- ^ ISBN 3-492-02414-9, pp. 9–12.
- ^ ISBN 3-86032-011-4, pp. 350–359.
- ^ Siegfried Matthus. In: Andreas Ommer: Verzeichnis aller Operngesamtaufnahmen (Zeno.org. Directmedia, Berlin 2005
External links
- Literature about Judith (Matthus) in the German National Library catalogue