Peter Eotvos' Die Tragödie des Teufels (The Tragedy of the Devil) opens at the Bayerische Staatsoper on February 22; Aribert Reimann's Medea premieres on February 28 at the Vienna Staatsoper; and Carl Orff's Gisei-Das Opfer (Geisha-The Victim) has its long awaited first night at the Staatstheater Darmstadt on January 30.

In Die Tragödie des Teufels, Peter Eötvös has collaborated with renowned German author Albert Ostermaier to create an opera inspired by the drama Die Tragödie des Menschen, published in 1861 by the Hungarian author Imre Madách. Die Tragödie des Teufels is a Faustian tale in which Lucifer and his minions are intent on showing Adam and Eve the invalidity of human values through subjecting them to conflict, misunderstandings and uncertainty, all controlled by Lucifer's twisted game. The opera reveals a contemporary topical sensibility in each scene with references to illegal immigration, Abu Ghraib, the ethics of cloning, and more. When the devil loses his power in the conclusion of the opera, the tragedy of the devil becomes the tragedy of man, who can no longer attribute evil to ubiquitous forces, but can find it only within himself. The premiere production is conducted by Peter Eötvös (stage music led by Christopher Ward) and directed by Balázs Kovalik.

Aribert Reimann's new opera Medea gives a modern slant to the fabled myth. The action in the opera is propelled by Medea's rejection by society, which ultimately drives her to catastrophe and infanticide. Reimann's work occupies only a few hours of Medea's life: her first encounter with Creon and Creusa following her arrival in Corinth; the accusation of murder and the dispute concerning her children; and finally the perilous arson. The opera is divided into four scenes in two acts, with instrumental interludes between scenes. In this opera, Reimann's music often returns from full orchestration to intensely-focused chamber music, more so than in any of his other operas. All of the musical ideas of the opera are contained within the first scene, forming a nucleus from which all subsequent music is developed. The production is conducted by Michael Boder and directed by Marco Arturo Marelli.

From his early youth, Carl Orff had always been fascinated by Japan and its culture-particularly literature and bunraku (Japanese puppet theatre). He was particularly captivated by the play Terakoya No Dan, an eight-hour historical drama which provided Orff with the material for his first stage work Gisei-Das Opfer, composed when he was only seventeen. For this work, Orff developed an exotic-sounding musical vocabulary which was still deeply rooted in the European tradition. In one prelude, a man and a woman mourn the sacrificial death of their child, Kotaro. The story is told in the manner of a flashback, in which the events leading up to the killing of the boy are depicted to explore the idea of fate. Orff did not permit a performance of this work during his lifetime, as he feared that the music and its subject would soon become dated. Almost a century after its composition, Orff's first stage work sees its world premiere by the Staatstheater Darmstadt. The production is conducted by Constantin Trinks and directed by John Dew.

---

Learn more on the music of Peter Eötvös, Aribert Reimann and Carl Orff by visiting their composer profiles on www.schott-music.com.

---

Peter Eötvös
Die Tragödie des Teufels (2009)
(The Tragedy of the Devil)
comic-utopian opera in twelve scenes
libretto (Ger) by Albert Ostermaier
based on the drama Die Tragödie des Menschen by Imre Madách
for 3 sopranos, 2 mezzo-sopranos, alto, 2 tenors, high-baritone, 3 baritones, bass and orchestra
in orchestra pit: 2perc-acc.hp.pno(four hands, top player dbl.cel)-str
behind the stage with separate conductor: 3(1,2.pic; 3.afl,pic).3(3.ca).3(2.Ebcl; 3.bcl).3(3.cbn)-4.3.2.cbtbn.1-2perc-str
full evening

Aribert Reimann
Medea (2007/2009)
an opera in two acts
libretto (Ger) by the composer based on Franz Grillparzer's interpretation of Medea
for soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto, tenor, countertenor and baritone
pic.1.afl.bfl.1.ca.heckelphon.Ebcl.1.bcl.cbcl.2.cbn-4.3.btp.3.1-timp.4perc-hp.cel-str
130'

Carl Orff
Gisei–Das Opfer, (1913)
(Geisha-The Victim, op. 20)
poetic text (Ger) by Carl Orff after Terakoya No Dan by Takeda Izuma
for 4 sopranos, tenor, 2 baritones and SATB chorus
3.3.ca.3.bcl.asax.tsax.bass-sax.3.cbn-4.3.3.2timp.perc-glass harm.pno.2hp-str
stage music (can be reduced): 2(2.pic.).0.0.3-0.3.3.2-timp.perc-glass harm.hp-str
50'