Thamos, King of Egypt
Thamos, King of Egypt (or King Thamos; in German, Thamos, König in Ägypten) is a play by Tobias Philipp von Gebler , for which, between 1773 and 1780, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote incidental music, K. 345/336a, of an operatic character.
The autograph manuscript of the work is preserved in the Berlin State Library.
Early performances
It is not known for certain whether the music that Mozart composed was performed with the play during his lifetime. The play's première took place at the
Roles
The only named role in Mozart's music is
Synopsis
Thamos has succeeded his father, Ramesses, as king of Egypt, but Ramesses had usurped the throne from the rightful king, Menes, who is now disguised as the high priest, Sethos. Thamos loves Sais, a priestess, but she is really Menes' daughter Tharsis, for whom the high priestess Mirza is plotting marriage to Pheron, a treacherous general. When Menes reveals his true identity, Pheron is struck by lightning and Mirza kills herself. Menes cedes his crown to Thamos and Tharsis as all ends happily.
Literary sources
King Thamos is an imaginary character, but it is likely his character was inspired by Thamus, mythical Pharaoh of Upper Egypt mentioned by Socrates in the Platonic dialogue Phaedrus.[1]
Musical numbers
Act 1
Act 2
Act 3
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Act 4
Act 5
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Recordings
The following list shows the discography of the work either in its entirety, with soloists, choir and orchestra, or shortened/cut versions:
- Wiener Symphoniker conducted by Bernhard Paumgartner (mono recording from 1955 for the Mozart Anniversary Edition on Philips Records).[2]
- London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Peter Maag (recording of the orchestral interludes only from 1968 on Decca Records).
- Charlotte Lehmann, Rose Scheible, Oly Pfaff, Turnabout in 1977, then on the parent label VOX).
- Karin Eickstaedt, Gisela Pohl, Eberhard Büchner, Theo Adam, Hermann Christian Polster, Solistenvereinigung des Berliner Rundfunks, Staatskapelle Berlin conducted by Bernhard Klee (recording of the complete incidental music from 1975 for Philips Records. Reissued in 1991 as part of Volume 25 of The Complete Mozart Edition, it's regarded as the reference recording).
- Netherlands Chamber Choir, Collegium Vocale (dir. Philippe Herreweghe), Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt (1981 recording of the complete score on Teldec).
- Robert Holl, Salzburger Kammerchor, Mozarteum-Orchester Salzburg conducted by Leopold Hager (1982 recording of a cut score on Deutsche Grammophon).
- Sir John Eliot Gardiner(1993 recording of the complete score, including revised versions of Nos. 1, 6 and 7 from 1779–80, ergo making it the most complete and comprehensive recording of the work in its entirety).
See also
- List of Mozart's operas
References
- ^ The Dialogues of Plato, Benjamin Jowett translation (1892), vol. 2, p. 153
- ^ "Mozart: Thamos- König In Ägypten KV 345". Discogs.
- Holden, Amanda (Ed.), The New Penguin Opera Guide, New York: Penguin Putnam, 2001. ISBN 0-14-029312-4
- Warrack, John and West, Ewan, The Oxford Dictionary of Opera New York: OUP: 1992 ISBN 0-19-869164-5
External links
- Thamos König in Ägypten, K. 345 (336a). [1]
- Thamos, King of Egypt: Score and critical report (in German) in the Neue Mozart-Ausgabe
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart /// Thamos King of Egypt K 336a on YouTube
- (Konzertmitschnitt vom 26. Juni 2018, Festival Seine Musicale, Boulogne-Billancourt.)