A GREEK TWILIGHT OF THE GODS
"Die Liebe der Danae" performed for the second time at the Salzburg Festival
Almost exactly fifty years to the day after the world premiere "Die Liebe der Danae" is again on the programme of the Salzburg Festival. Stage director Günter Krämer’s production will reflect the history of the work’s origins: the first act is set in the destruction of the end of time, the second during the flourishing “economic miracle”, the third in the present.
Richard Strauss heard only the final rehearsal
of his work
It must have been an eerie situation: in 1944 total war was raging, the last remaining theatres had been closed and finally culture threatened to become submerged in the barbarian battles of the world war. However, on the evening of 16 August 1944, the curtain rose in the festival hall in Salzburg for the dress rehearsal of a “cheerful mythology in three acts”, whose libretto had been completed by Joseph Gregor working from sketches by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. The music was by none other than the former president of the Reichsmusikkammer, the octogenarian grand seigneur of opera, Richard Strauss. While Europe’s cities roundabout were sinking in rubble and ash, a few hand-picked grandees of the Third Reich were listening to the sounds of a better time, which by their own heinous deeds had for ever become a world of yesteryear …
World premiere three years after the death
of strauss
Few works have suffered such lasting damage from the unfavourable circumstances of their first performance as Strauss’s penultimate work for the stage "Die Liebe der Danae". The score was completed in 1940 but Nazi associations continued to be a blemish, which not even the official world premiere in 1952 – in Salzburg, conducted by Clemens Krauss – was able to eradicate. A further factor was the cultural transformation of the post-war period that made Strauss’s late works appear to be completely outdated relicts from a long-lost epoch. Only now, with cultural dogmas having been largely dispelled, does the time appear ripe for a revival, which at the same time – 50 years after the posthumous premiere – should make a new evaluation possible. The first revival of "Die Liebe der Danae" in Salzburg in August 2002 will therefore reflect on the historic background of the work’s origins and trace aspects of its problematic reception up to the present.
Echoes of Wagner
Such an approach, with several levels of time and styles, finds a surprising correspondence in Strauss’s composition. Almost the entire operatic œuvre of Strauss after "Der Rosenkavalier", notably "Die ägyptische Helena", and "Daphne" is committed to the ideal of a neo-classicism from the spirit of Mozart, and this is manifested already in the framework of the action that gives a new form to the ancient myths of King Midas and his beloved Danae. Single moments of the action – and also of the musical setting – echo Wagner so strongly that Willi Schuh coined the phrase “Greek Twilight of the Gods” merely with the difference that the renunci- ating god at the end is not Wotan in this case but Jupiter. Here we have not so much a story about politics and power than about the power of love, and all tragic pathos is transformed into contemplative cheerfulness and lightness.
Farewell work
In its retrospective character "Die Liebe der Danae" bears traits of an integral late work of farewell that is structured as a serene resumé not only of Strauss’s œuvre but of the entire classical and romantic operatic tradition. The ageing composer avowed not without pride that he regarded inspirations such as the third-act intermezzo, which already contained stylistic elements of the "Four Last Songs", to be worth hoisting “onto the best honorary pedestal in music history”. These sounds do indeed belong to the most profound in all his works.
Christian Wildhagen
Monika Rittershaus, Clown
Synopsis
Act 1:
King Pollux has huge debts, his palace is dilapid- ated. He consoles his
creditors with the news that his nephews have gone off with their beautiful
wives Semele, Europa, Alkmene and Leda to visit the incredibly rich King
Midas to try and persuade him to marry Danae, the daughter of Pollux.
Jupiter had previously given Midas the donkey-driver the gift of being
able to transform everything he touched to gold. Jupiter had also made
him the king of Lydia and hopes that Danae will accept Midas as a suitor
because he himself is also in love with Danae and intends to approach
her in the form of Midas, to prevent his wife Juno from becoming suspicious.
An instrumental interlude portrays the golden rain in which Jupiter appears
to Danae. She tells her nurse Xanthe about a dream she had in the night
in which she was showered by golden rain. She states that the only man
she will choose to be her husband will be the one who can impress her
as much as this dream. A march announces the return of the royal nephews.
Pollux’s ambassadors were successful and have brought with them a golden
branch as a greeting from Midas. His golden ship then enters the harbour,
and the creditors and the people feel they have been saved. Finally Midas
himself appears in the guise of the servant Chysopher because Jupiter
claims the role of the king of Lydia. Only the four queens recognise Jupiter
as they were his lovers but he obliges them to keep silent. Genies clothe
Danae in a golden dress. Jupiter in the figure of Midas is given a ceremonial
welcome. Danae has fallen in love with Chrysopher but she recognises the
alleged Midas as the man in her dream about the golden rain. She swoons,
Jupiter stamps his foot and thunder confirms his divinity.
Act 2:
The wives of the nephews of Pollux prepare the wedding bed for Danae.
They have seen through the ploy of the god and are jealous of Danae. Jupiter
is also tormented by jealousy. He has not failed to notice that Midas
strongly reciprocates Danae’s feelings. Jupiter reminds him threateningly
that everything he touches turns to gold. When Midas embraces Danae, she
does indeed turn into a golden statue and Jupiter intervenes with thunder.
The two men quarrel about Danae’s love. Midas suggests to Jupiter that
Danae should choose for herself whom she would like to belong to. Danae,
who has been brought back to life, decides on Midas.
Act 3:
Out of favour with Jupiter, Midas has again become a poor donkey-driver.
When he and Danae wake up from a deep sleep, he tells her what the intention
was behind the god giving him the power to transform everything he touched
into gold. Danae is happy to share with Midas his modest life. Jupiter,
having been thwarted in his desires, is informed by Mercury that his unsuccessful
adventure has made him the laughing stock of the whole of Olympia. The
four queens appear and court his favour. Finally Pollux appears with his
creditors and hurls insults at the man he believes to be Midas. Jupiter
causes them to be showered by golden rain. Mercury persuades him to try
his luck once again with Danae. Jupiter appears in the figure of an old
wanderer and in the same way that he once visited Midas he now visits
Danae in her impoverished home. She does not respond to his courting which
is concealed in allusions and she only replies, “Look, I am in love”.
Moved by the power of human love, the covetous god becomes the fatherly
benefactor and takes his farewell. Danae joyfully runs to meet Midas as
he returns home.
Ulrich Schreiber
FABIO LUISI MAKES HIS FESTIVAL DEBUT
CONDUCTING "DIE LIEBE DER DANAE"
Following Christoph von Dohnanyi’s cancellation of his appearances at
this year’s Festival, Fabio Luisi is to conduct the performances of "Die
Liebe der Danae". The new production of this opera by Richard Strauss
will be premiered on 19 August 2002 and for the Italian conductor it will
be his debut at the Salzburg Festival.
Luisi was born in 1959 in Genoa. He began his career in the 1980s as kapellmeister
at the Graz Opera House. He was later appointed principal conductor of
the Niederösterreichisches Tonkünstlerorchester, the Orchestre de la Suisse
Romande and the Symphony Orchestra of Central German Radio. Luisi conducts
regularly at the Bavarian State Opera, at the Unter den Linden Opera in
Berlin, the Opéra de Paris, the Lyric Opera Chicago and at the Maggio
Musicale Fiorentino, as well as at the Bregenz Festival and the Vienna
Festival.
Luisi also has a close association with the Vienna State Opera where he
recently conducted new productions of Rossini’s Wilhelm Tell and Verdi’s
Nabucco. Fabio Luisi has also conducted concerts by the New York Philharmonic,
the Orchestre de Paris, the Leipzig Gewandhausorchester and the Vienna
Symphony Orchestra.
Luisi has frequently devoted himself to the œuvre of Richard Strauss,
especially rarely performed works from the Strauss repertoire, including
Die Liebe der Danae which he performed together with the Munich Philharmonic
in 1999, the year commemorating the 50th anniversary of the death of the
composer.
Richard Strauss
Die Liebe der Danae
Sung in German with English
supertitles
Conductor Fabio Luisi
Stage director Günter Krämer
Stage design Gisbert Jäkel
Costumes Falk Bauer
Lighting design Reinhard Traub
Chorus master Matthias Brauer
Jupiter Franz Grundheber
Mercury Torsten Kerl
Pollux Janez Lotric
Danae Deborah Voigt
Xanthe Kirsten Blanck
Midas Albert Bonnema
Semele Iride Martinez
Europa Britta Stallmeister
Alkmene Anke Vondung
Leda Annette Jahns
Four kings
Ulfried Haselsteiner, Wright Moore
Thomas Mehnert, Evert Sooster
Four guards
Matthias Beutlich, Martin Schubert
Thomas Müller, Mirko Tuma
Staatskapelle Dresden
Choir of Dresden State Opera
Kleines Festspielhaus
New production:
19 August 2002, 6.30 p.m.
22, 25 (7 p.m.), 28, 31 August 2002
Performances begin at 6.30 p.m.
unless otherwise stated
Tickets are available from
the Festival Ticket Office:
on 25, 28 and 31 August for € 195 (not on 28. 8.),
€ 270 and € 315.
Telephone: 0043 662 8045-500
Telefax: 0043 662 8045-555
E-mail: info@salzburgfestival.at