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Salzburg Festival Premieres Wolfgang Rihm’s Dionysus and Launches "Kontinent Rihm."

Jul. 08, 2010

Wolfgang Rihm is celebrated in an extensive and unprecedented composer portrait series at the 2010 Salzburg Festival entitled Kontinent Rihm from July 27 through August 22. A staggering series of 10 concerts over 14 days showcases works spanning the entirety of Rihm’s prolific output, and will feature ensembles such as Klangforum Wien, the Arditti Quartet, the Hilliard Ensemble, Ensemble Modern, and the Vienna Philharmonic. The headlining event of the performance series comes on July 27 when the Salzburg Festival presents the world premiere of Rihm’s new opera, Dionysus, based on texts by Friedrich Nietzsche. A co-production of the Salzburg Festival, Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin and De Nederlandse Opera, the opera is conducted by Ingo Metzmacher and directed by Pierre Audi.

As Wolfgang Schaufler of Universal Edition, Vienna writes,

Wolfgang Rihm has always been fascinated by the world of the late works of Friedrich Nietzsche. In this piece, it is the visionary power of the Dionysus Dithyrambs which particularly inspires Rihm's creativity. Nietzsche identified strongly with Dionysus, even signing his letters with the name. He believed in the Dionysian mission to change the world and bring peace. Nietzsche considered himself to be as strong as Dionysus. “He superimposed Dionysus over his own personality”, says Rihm. They melded into a single person, like a double-exposed film.

We can see the writer himself in “N”, the main character of Dionysus. Some scenes also have parallels with his life: a journey over Lake Lucerne, a scene in a brothel, the famous meeting with the horse on the marketplace in Turin. But Dionysus is not a biography of Nietzsche. This operatic fantasia is more of a game, on many levels: playing with the operatic genre itself. But also a playful exploration of the Dionysus myth, and what it might mean for us today.

Visit www.salzburgerfestspiele.at for more info.

To learn more on Wolfgang Rihm, please go to www.universaledition.com

Wolfgang Rihm
Dionysus (2009/2010)
Scenes and Dithyrambs – an operatic fantasia
based on texts by Friedrich Nietzsche, libretto (Ger) by the composer
for 2 high sopranos, mezzo-soprano, alto, high baritone, tenor and chorus
2.2.3.2-4.2.3.1–timp.5perc.2hp.cel.pno-str
120’

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