Narcissa-Aria

From “Philemon und Baucis”, Compositions for the opera fragment by Joseph Haydn

op. 18a, 2003

For soprano or mezzo-soprano
Duration: 1.30 min.

Konstantia Gourzi completed the fragmentary work by Haydn with her own compositions and integrated it into a new artistic concept
Commissioned by Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin
World premiere: 26 April 2003, Magazin building (today Boulez-Saal) of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Berlin
Orchestra: Ensemble echo, stage direction: Immo Karaman, stage design: Alexander Polzin, artistic director: Ralf Waldschmidt, soloists of the Staatsoper, freelance performers, students of the Hochschule Hanns Eisler Berlin, conductor: Konstantia Gourzi

 

Composer’s notes

Conducting Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 43 in E flat major was the starting point for the examination of his unknown and fragmentary conveyed works. Fascinated by “Philemon und Baucis”, a work that is rooted in Greek mythology and its gods, a complementary composition was created.

The Narcissa Aria is part of this composition project. Here, Opera is conceived as musical text and play in which singer-actors appear on stage not as “perfect voices” but as mediums of verbal articulateness combined with physical presence and emotions.

 

Audio Sample

 

Score