Roger’s Comments (group member since Aug 29, 2018)

Roger’s comments from the Ovid's Metamorphoses and Further Metamorphoses group.

The Book III subsite posted by Peter contains a number of illustrations that we have posted already; this is no surprise. But what does surprise me is how many there are which I was totally unaware of. R.

SYRINX. Debussy condensed the story of Pan and Syrinx into a solo flute piece, Syrinx, which he wrote in 1913. Although quite short, under four minutes, it beautifully conveys the feelings both of freedom and tristesse. R.

https://youtu.be/YEyKM13yf_4

In the marvelous collection After Ovid (1994), there is a longish poem by the Welsh poet Glyn Maxwell titled "Phaeton and the Chariot of the Sun: Fragments of an Investigative Documentary." Its twelve sections are each in a different voice (Phaëthon, his father, his mother, a scientist, the horses, and so on), and in a different meter. I obviously can't give it all, and alas it is not online. But perhaps if I quote the first four lines and the last four, I can give some sense of the range and flavor:

Cine, sliver of history. A few minutes
finish you off in a blare of white, and the scutter
and scutter and sigh, then the lamp on and the smiling
that something, at least, is over.

[…]

Out of the night I will ride,
        Burning bright through the eye of my father.
Watch me until I am gone,
        Friend. Watch me forever, and after.

Here are two more musical Phaëthons. The first was composed in 1873 by Camille Saint-Saëns. It is an exciting piece that traces the action from its impetuous beginning to its elegiac end. The clip below has a more detailed description.

https://youtu.be/IHZBSGlXkM0

The second, by Christopher Rouse, premiered in 1987. It is dedicated to the crew of the space shuttle Challenger which fell from the sky in January of the previous year. It brings a terrible modern relevance to the ancient myth, all of which is reflected in Rouse's dramatic music.

https://youtu.be/loBE5_PrHAo

PHAETHON IN MUSIC. Here is the second of the six Symphonies after Ovid's Metamorphoses written by Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf in 1783 (see post 3/220 for further information). I don't imagine that anyone would guess the Pahaëthon theme unless told, although the first movement might be taken as an evocation of dawn, and there is certainly a lot of drama in the fourth movement, even though it ends quietly. But it would be wrong to look for blow-by-blow dramatic narrative from an 18th-century composer; if this is program music, it is much more in the manner of Vivaldi's Four Seasons than anything by Liszt or Tchaikowsky. R.

https://youtu.be/F78X-UCAXyQ

A MUSICAL FOUR AGES. Here is the first of the six Symphonies after Ovid's Metamorphoses written by Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf in 1783 (see post 3/220 for further information). The theme of the Four Ages suits the Viennese four-movement symphony form very well, though Dittersdorf has reversed the usual order to begin in tranquil larghetto for the Age of Gold, before quickening the pace. The last movement is especially effective in portraying the tension and militarism of the Age of Iron.

https://youtu.be/H9ZyUyjR9vI

Note that the person who posted the symphony accompanied it with a painting of the Four Ages of Man, which was neither Ovid's intent nor Dittersdorf's! R.

ACTAEON IN MUSIC. I found the picture above on YouTube, actually, while looking for more Ovid-inspired music. And here is a real find: a set of Symphonies after Ovid's Metamorphoses (six, but he intended more), written in 1783 by the Austrian composer Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf (1731–91). I have not yet heard them all, but I will post them in their proper places as I do. The subjects are:

1. The Four Ages
2. The Fall of Phaëthon
3. Diana and Actaeon
4. Perseus and Andromeda
5. The Petrification of Phineus
6. The Lycian Peasants Turned into Frogs

Like all the others, this third symphony is in the classical four-movement form of allegro/adagio/minuet/finale. But Dittersdorf uses it beautifully to tell his story. The opening resounds to the horn calls of Actaeon's hunt. The slow movement is a delicious pastorale anticipating the lush atmosphere and the bird-calls of Beethoven's equivalent slow movement in his Pastoral Symphony. The third movement is presumably the confrontation, though it is rather constrained by its minuet form. But the last movement lacks nothing in drama at the beginning and dies, with Actaeon, into silence at the end. The whole thing is just under 19 minutes. R.

https://youtu.be/TbnoCGCylNs

ANOTHER ACTAEON. Here is another glorious Actaeon picture, from 1765. Although the artist, Martin Johhann Schmidt or Kremser-Schmidt (1718–1801), was Austrian, the rich elegance of this picture at least shows more of the spirit of France. Anyway, I love it! R.



Schmidt: Diana and Actaeon. 1765, Ljubljana, Slovenian National Gallery.

Steve wrote: "I see someone's already commented on Book IV - did we get a 'read by' date for it?"

No. We are leaving it to Kalliope to pace this thing—pretty soon, though. I don't think we believe in the pressure of "read by" dates, anyway; more a matter of when the comments open. The person writing about Book IV was a late arrival who probably did not know that we are moving slowly! R.

Elena wrote: "And thank you Roger for working up an index, with over 600 posts so far and we are only on book III, I was getting lost in the wealth of ideas and art...."

You will have got the letter by now saying that the index is up. I do hope it is going to help. You can see it at:

http://brunyate.com/ovid/

All the best of the holidays to you too! R.

Kalliope wrote: "In the 'Post des Arts' in Paris there was an exhibition of modern sculpture with one Actaeon composition."

Just looked this up: the sculptor is Daniel Hourde (2016). R.

Le Brun: Centerpiece of the Bassin d'Apollon, Versailles, finished 1671.

I agree that the Gleyre is spooky. But if you want violent, do look at a few minutes of the Henze opera clip I posted at #182. When the dripping head, limbs, and body of poor Pentheus are brought back onstage separately and then reassembled, it does tend to bring it all home. R.

Such delicate carriages, aren't they? Wouldn't last ten seconds with the horses of the Sun! R.

I had hoped to post some samples of early settings of the Daphne story; the 1598 Dafne of Jacopo Peri is considered to be the first opera, but the music to it is lost. However, Marco da Gagliano made his own setting of the same text in 1608, and this has been recorded:

https://youtu.be/sxL2iQ6SoOY

This is in sound only. Perhaps of interest to members of our group is the fact that it begins with a prologue by Ovid himself. The Wikipedia article gives the text of a Ovid's opening and a few more helpful facts. R.

I am working on developing an index as a searchable online resource for the group. It will take me a couple of days, but I'll let you know if/when I can. R.

UPDATE: Yes, the technology is working. But I don't know how long it will take to enter the information. Stay tuned. R.

THE BASSARIDS. To complete the Pentheus story, take a look at this marvelous clip. It is the final quarter-hour of The Bassarids, the 1966 opera by Hans Werner Henze, with text by the incomparable duo of WH Auden and Chester Kallman. It is sung in English, although the words are hard to hear; there are titles in Italian. But don't worry; the scene is gripping enough even without understanding everything!

https://youtu.be/qtzDh_1QQRw

When the clip begins, Agave (the mother of Pentheus) and her daughters awake covered in blood from their hunt. They believe they have dismembered a lion with their bare hands, but when Agave unwraps the head she realizes it is her own son. You will recognize Tiresias and Cadmus (the black singer in uniform). It may surprise you that in this version Pentheus returns as a ghost, making possible a touching moment between him and his devastated mother. And at the very end, a figure who has hitherto been known only as a The Stranger reveals himself as Bacchus. R.

Same lush music, RC, but much less shocking. This is really only a couple of short clips, one of which is sound only, so it will hardly make your Christmas. R.

Richard Strauss also wrote a Daphne, in 1938. The plot is rather more complicated than in Ovid. Apollo himself turns Daphne into a tree, in remorse for having killed a rival who also loves her. As so often in Strauss, the transformation takes place as much in the orchestra as on the stage. The link below is to a sound-only recording with Hilde Gueden, conducted by Karl Böhm. I have cued it to the last few minutes of the opera, but of course you can go back.

We have talked a lot about Ovid's women losing their voices. In this case, though, while Strauss has Daphne losing her words, the voice is allowed to remain. Indeed, her wordless vocalise, mingling with the shimmering orchestra and going on seemingly for ever, is the most wonderful take-away from this excerpt:

https://youtu.be/6GlSjsTbvBE?t=466

Unfortunately, there is no tolerable video that shows the physical transformation as Strauss no doubt imagined it. But there is this final scene from a 2006 production in Venice with June Anderson that has a beauty of its own. The sound is not so good as in the link above, and the video is not crisp, but at least it has the advantage of English titles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKykD...

I have also a few posts on Apollo/Daphne operas. This one, though, Handel's relatively early Apollo e Dafne (finished 1710), is not an opera but a short dramatic cantata. That has not stopped people from staging it, though. There is a very inventive and fun staging on YouTube by an Israeli group called Barrocade. I have cued it up to the point where he really begins to put the pressure on her, though you can of course start at the beginning. I give the text below as translated on Wikipedia. I have no idea about the bald heads!

[Or you can scroll down for a more conventional production.] R.

https://youtu.be/qaZo8xESEG8?t=2000

16. Duet
     A. Ah! Soften that harsh severity.
     D. To die is better than to lose my honour.
     A. Ah! Cease your anger, O beloved of my heart.
     D. To die is better than to lose my honour.

17. Recitative
     A. Always will I adore you!
     D. Always will I abhor you!
     A. You shall not escape me!
     D. Yes, I will escape you!
     A. I will follow you, fly in your steps; swifter that the sun you cannot be.

18. Aria (Apollo)
     Run, my feet: hold tight, my arms, the ungrateful beauty.
     I touch her, I hold her, I take her, I hold her tight
     But what sudden change is this?
     What did I see? What behold?
     Heavens! Fate! Whatever is it!

19. Recitative (Apollo)
     Daphne, where are you? I cannot find you.
     What new miracle has taken you away,
     changed you and hidden you? May the cold of winter never harm you
     nor the thunder of heaven touch your sacred and glorious foliage.

20. Aria (Apollo)
     Dear laurel, with my tears I shall water your green leaves;
     with your triumphant branches will I crown the greatest heroes.
     If I cannot hold you in my bosom, Daphne,
     at least on my brow will I wear you.

There is also a much more conventional staging at an outdoor performance near Prague, which has the advantage of English titles:

https://youtu.be/L8qAa-wxFRQ