Type: Programme Notes
Language: Greek
Year of Publication: 1964
Description:
The Stasimon B’ represents the composer’s effort not only to revive an excerpt from ancient tragedy with modern musical means but also to use the peculiarities of the ancient Greek original text to create a unified musical work in terms of rhythm, pitch, and musical form. A serial mechanism, specifically calculated to convey every nuance, not only of the melody of each distinct word but also the unlimited rhythmic variety of the verse, entirely excludes the use of any language other than that which Euripides used to create a poetic text where the beauty of the tragic speech is combined with the wise crafting of its poetic realisation.
The second stasimon from Euripides’ Iphigenia in Tauris is found towards the end of the tragedy. Iphigenia, a priestess at the temple of Artemis in the distant and barbaric land of Tauris, after many adventures, is finally preparing to secretly return to her homeland, Greece. Her attendants, young Greek slaves of the king of Tauris, Thoas, know her secret, but they cannot follow her. They rejoice in her happiness, while simultaneously mourning with the memory of distant and beloved Greece, which they will never see again.
-This is a near-verbatim translation of Sicilianos’s Greek text.
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YSC64 |
Stasimon B' |
from Euripides "Iphigeneia in Tauris" for Mezzo-Soprano, Women's Choir and Orchestra |
25 |
2222-4231, Timpani, Percussion (Xylophone, Vibraphone, Metallophone or Glockenspiel, Marimba, Snare Drum, Cymbals, Suspended small Cymbal, Suspended large Cymbal, Tam-Tam, Triangle, Bass Drum), Harp, Celesta, Strings, Mezzo-Soprano, Female Choir (21 sopranoes, 21 mezzo-sopranos) |