528:, praised the quality of the performance which he felt was primarily due to Erich Kleiber's musical direction. He noted that "singer and actress" Margaret Klose gave a magnificent performance and gave high praise for Fritz Wolff. But Ohrmann had qualified words for the music. "Herbert Windt has not yet succeeded in creating an untouchable masterpiece on his first attempt. His first musical drama has undeniable, major weaknesses, but these cannot conceal the fact that behind him stands a full-blooded dramatist. But one who is only a promise whose creative powers - I believe - are far from being released because Windt was under the greatest psychological pressure for too long...Windt is the type of late-maturing composer, still internally unfree, who struggles with determination and maximum emotional commitment to realize his far-reaching artistic ideal. His themes do not always appear to have grown naturally, but often seem to have been forced upon him. They therefore lack a good deal of healthy drive. Above all, however, they lack the great breath to be able to swing out into a broad melody...This is how I explain the feverish restlessness of this music, which repeatedly pushes towards passionate outbursts, repeatedly towards new ecstasies and therefore too often lacks wise economy in the application of strong musical expressive powers... in the large ensembles and the effective choirs he demonstrates an extraordinary contrapuntal skill. He is thoroughly versed in the secrets of the diverse modern rhythms and handles the rich color palette of the orchestra with superior confidence.
715:, p. 272: Herbert Windt im ersten Anlauf noch nicht gelungen. Sein musikdramatisches Erstlingswerk hat unleugbare, ,große Schwachen, die aber nicht verdecken können, daß hinter ihm ein ollblutdramatiker stehtt. Der aber erst eine Verheißung ist. Dessen schöpferische Kräfte —so glaube ich — aber noch lange nicht gelöst sind, weil Windt zu lange unter härtestem seelische Druck stand...Windt ist mir der Typus des Spätreifenden, des heute innerlich noch Unfreien, der mir Verbissenheit und seelischem Höchsteinsatz um die Verwirklichung seines weitgesteckten Kunstideals ringt. So erscheinen seine Themen nicht immer natürlich Gewachsen, sondern oft gewaltsam aufgetrieben. Es fehlt ihnen darum ein gut Teil gesunder Triebkraft. Vor allem aber auch der große Atem, um sich in breitem Melos ausschwingen zu können...So erkläre ich mir auch weiter die fiebernde Unruhe dieser Musik, die immer wieder zu leidens schaftlichen Ausbrüchen, immer wieder zu neuen Ekstasen drängt und darum zu oft die weise Oekonomie in der Anwendung starker musikalischer Ausdruckskräfte vermissen läßt...in den großen Ensembles und den wirkungsvollen Chören beweist er ein ausserordentliches kontrapunktisches Können. In den Geheimnissen der vielgestaltigen modernen Rhythmik weiß er gründlich Bescheid und behandelt die reiche Farbenpalette des Orchesters mit überlegener Sicherheit.
751:, p. 372: In stijl en geesteshouding en ook in de muzikale onderdeelen blijft het werk binnen de paden, die het expressionisme van Richard Strauss’ „Elektra” en de opera’s van Franz Schreker afgebakend hebben. Dit genre, dat in zijn streven naar monumentale uitdrukking geen grenzen kent en dat in zijn muzikale gesten van het eene uiterste in het andere vervalt zonder tot een eigen directe objectieve vormenstructuur te geraken, staat volkomen buiten onzen tijd. Alleen enkele deelen … waar deze zich in meer bezonken aria’s uit en in de koorliederen, welke in streng gesloten vormen zijn gehouden, voelen wij, dat een persoonlijkheid, die iets te zeggen heeft, naar een eigen uitdrukkingsvorm zoekt, dat wij te doen hebben met een ernstig musicus met dramatisch en lyrisch talent.
468:
secret in the castle. She also knows that
Hermione is partly behind this secret. Prophetically she sees that through Pyrrhus’s will Hector, Skamander and Troy be avenged. Pyrrhus is shaken by Andromache’s outburst, but he is certain that fate has brought him together with her: if he must die, it should be with her. Andromache vehemently rejects him. Her hate and that of the Trojan women grows more intense as she recounts that Pyrrhus smashed Skamander’s skull against the walls of Troy. Her growing hate increases Pyrrhus’s desire for her. Ready to take the last resort, she draws a dagger in an attempt to kill herself.
739:, pp. 101–102: Leider gelingt es auch dem Musiker Windt nur in ganz seltenen Momenten, unsere am Drama innen Aufmerksamkeit durch seine Partitur zu fesseln…Was er schreibt, ist typisch die alte Erregungsmusik, ohne jede Gliederung, ohne formale Verfestigung, eine exaltiert gestikulierende Musik, die sich vom Strauß der Elektra nur durch den Mangel an Substanz und die Verbrauchtheit der damals revolutionären Mittelunterscheidet. Windt benützt ein riesiges Instrumentarium. Er will die Seelenkämpfe und Krämpfe seiner Figuren in Klangausdruck umsetzen. Aber es bleibt ein Chaos, das keinen St gebiert.
727:, p. 518: Die Sänger mühten sich nach besten Kräften, ohne zu gesanglichen Wirkungen zu kommen, die dem Aufwand an Mitteln entsprechen. waren in den Hauptpartien beschäftigt, konnten aber durch das unsangliche Wesen ihrer Partien nur stellenweise sich in das günstigste Licht stellen. Der Beifall war freundlich, hatte aber kaum etwas von Begeisterung und Mitgerissenheit der Hörerschaft an sich.
566:
orchestral artillery, darkened stage...From one end of the evening to the other the piece is as static as it is dour. Of action there is as good as none...A chorus of mourning women chants and wails lugubriously... spout and shriek in jagged declamation yards upon yards of those verbose, mouth-filling speeches which the French call 'tirades.'"
635:, p. 152: Um nun einen alten Stoff lebendig zu machen, ihn aus seinem verstaubten Dornröschen-Schlaf zu neuem Lehen zu erwecken, muß man ihn eben mit neuem Lehen erfüllen. Und das kann nur geschehen, wenn man versucht, diese mehrere Jahrtausende alte Vergangenheit und unsere Gegenwart einander zu nähern und einander entgegenzubringen.
558:
achieving an objective form and structure, and is completely outside our time...Only in some parts of the ...in the more thoughtful arias and into the choral songs... do we feel that a personality that has something to say in his own form of expression, that we are dealing with one serious musician with dramatic and lyrical talent.
647:, p. 152: Ich habe durchaus nicht ein politisches Stück schreiben wollen; wenn aber derartige politische Ereignisse einer Handlung wie der vorliegenden zugrunde liegen, dann kann man naturgemäß bei ihrer Abwandlung an ihrer Politik nicht vorbeigehen, ohne auch diese mit unserer Gegenwart in gewisse Beziehung gebracht zu haben.
623:, p. 152:...glaub ich, sie sogar ganz nach Willkür, natürlich immer im organischen Zusammenhang miteinander, verändern zu können, ohne die große, bekannte Linie, die in uns für ihre Innenwelt vorgezeichnet ist, zu zer stören und die handelnden Charaktere damit von vornherein ihrer Vertrautheit mit uns zu berauben.
542:
wrote: "Unfortunately, the musician Windt only succeeds in very rare moments in capturing our attention through his score … What he writes is typical of the old music of excitement, without any structure, without formal consolidation, an exalted gesticulating music that differs from
Strauss's Elektra
499:
Pyrrhus again asks
Andromache to consider his proposal, if only for the sake of Skamander. Andromache asks Orest if its true that his mission is to kill her son, and he somberly replies yes. Pyrrhus and his warriors declare they will guarantee’s Skamander’s life if Andromache voluntarily submits to
475:
Hermione appears and mocks
Andromache, since she wants to be the queen. Taking up a whip, the Trojan woman cringe as Hermione declares that fate has decreed that she, Hermione, should be the queen, and that all of Greece support her. Pyrrhus responds that she is only following orders from the Greek
471:
The servants restrain her and
Pyrrhus reveals that Skamander is alive. He has his sister Theano bring the boy. Andromache embraces her son Skamander, but then breaks down, wondering why her son must live as a slave in a foreign land. Pyrrhus responds that Andromache can have Skamander’s upbringing
182:
In seeing the connection between
Skamander and current times, Windt wrote: "I certainly did not want to write a political play; but if such political events form the basis of a plot such as the present one, then naturally one cannot ignore its politics when adapting it without having brought it into
557:
opined: In style and attitude the work remains within the expressionism laid out by
Richard Strauss' "Elektra" and the operas of Franz Schreker. This genre, that in its striving for monumental expression knows no boundaries and whose musical gestures go from one extreme to the other, expires without
495:
Phönix, the palace guard exits the palace and
Hermione asks him what was Pyrrhus’s decision. The guard says that Pyrrhus has offered the crown to the Trojan woman, Andromache. Insulted, Hermione approaches Orest (who is also leaving the palace with his entourage), begging him to fulfil his mission
534:
observed: "The singers tried their best without achieving a vocal effect that corresponded to the expenditure of resources. were busy in the main roles, but due to the unsingable nature of their roles, they were only able to present themselves in the best possible light in places. The applause was
508:
Writing in 1931, Windt felt his score should enable a wide range of possible mediums: "For me it is self-evident that the greatest possible unity must exist between book and score, if the two are not to run parallel to one another. I therefore had in mind wide and rich possibilities of contrast in
491:
Hermione waits outside the palace with her confidant Lamia. Lamia urges her to flee before it is too late, but
Hermione refuses. Lamia says that Hermione should go to Pyrhhus and let him determine her fate, a suggestion also refused by Hermione who, as a member of the House of Atreus, refuses to
483:
More trumpet blasts accompany Phönix, captain of
Pyrrhus’s palace, who escorts the Greek guests. Hermione is shocked to see Orest as head of the Greek visitors. She realizes that her wish has come true: Orest has come to fetch her, and she wants to follow him back to Greece. But Orest reveals he
479:
At that moment trumpets are heard, heralding the arrival of the Greeks. Pyrrhus orders preparations for a reception to receive them. Once he has left, Hermione breaks down and pleads for help and advice from Lamia, her confidant. Lamia advises her to return home and reminds her of her beloved
170:
In an article published six months before the opera's premiere, Windt acknowledged that he had known the story of Andromache for many years. The appeal of writing an opera on the topic (his first) was based on "my idea of choosing events and characters that were as remote in time as possible, in
467:
In front of Pyrrhus’s palace, the chorus of captured Trojan women lament their lost homeland and their captivity. Pyrrhus steps out, accompanied by Andromache, his slave. She is in a rage, espousing her hatred for Pyrrhus. She also suspects that Pyrrhus is in danger, and knows he’s guarding a
565:
conservative music critic Herbert F. Peyser gave a very negative view of the opera. "One can scarcely imagine a work for the lyric theatre more dismally barren of either popular appeal or artistic reward. A two-and-one-half-hour yelling match carried on against an unmerciful racket of heavy
543:
only in its lack of substance and the exhaustion of the means that were revolutionary at the time. Windt uses a huge range of instruments. He wants to translate the mental struggles and convulsions of his characters into sound expression. But it remains a chaos that gives birth to no star."
512:
With regards to being modernistic, Windt wrote: "I will never be one of those innovators who want to be "modern" at any price; on the other hand, I am not reactionary enough to underestimate the extensions brought about by modernity and not to use them where I consider them appropriate and
178:
sleep to new life, one must fill it with new life. And that can only happen if one tries to bring this past, which is several thousand years old, and our present closer together and bring them towards one another."
194:
sought to form a cohesive strategy for suppressing Jews from cultural life and amplifying those viewed as Aryan. As Windt had joined the Nazi Party in 1931, he was viewed as part of Nazi Germany's musical future.
509:
keeping with the style of the book and in this respect I pulled out all the stops that were available to me; from the more intimate chamber music style to the pathetic and pompous style of the "big orchestra."
171:
order to be able to ascribe new contexts and new lives to these actions and characters that are well known in themselves, without changing or alienating the image that we have established too much."
484:
came for a very different purpose: To force Hermione’s marriage to Pyrrhus and to kill Skamander as was demanded by Greek politics. He follows his companions into the palace.
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totally in her hands. But Andromache lives in the past: She orders her followers to go to Hector’s tomb. Only at the memorial to her husband will they find peace.
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Windt understood the challenge of making a modern audience relate to legendary characters: "In order to bring an old subject to life, to awaken it from its dusty
426:
496:
by killing Andromache, Skamander, and Pyrrhus. Half-mad, she believes she’s no longer speaking to Orest but to Lamia, and allows herself to be taken away.
213:- is a little older than Pyrrhus; she is a full-blown beauty. Her costume .(and that of her entourage) differs significantly from that of the Greek women
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cousin Orest. But Hermione refuses to return since she betrayed Orest and can not return home as a beggar. Her pride urges her to fight on.
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219:- about 20 years old with red hair. Ambitious, she deserts her cousin Orest to marry Pyrrhus, a marriage based on power, not love
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Pyrrhus in love, not a slave but as a princess. The opera ends with Andromache declaring that Ilion is defeated.
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588:. Windt went on to write numerous film scores both during and after the Nazi period, including three films for
944:
448:
584:. Premiering days after the Nazis came to power, the film is considered the first ideological film of
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Although the opera received mixed and negative reviews, a number of critics recognized Windt's talent.
243:- in his late 50s with graying beard. He is always in uniform, aware of the dignity of his position.
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showed enough color and power that he was selected to score his first feature-length film,
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friendly, but hardly reflected any enthusiasm or excitement on the part of the audience."
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237:- a little older than Hermione. She functions more as a confidant than as a servant.
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Ohrmann, Fritz (1932). "Herbet Windts "Andromache" in der Berliner Staatsoper".
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Leichtentritt, Hugo (1932). "Herbert Windt: Andromache (Berlin, Staatsoper)".
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231:- blonde, like Pyrrhus, age 17; she mirrors her brother's desires and wishes.
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31:
870:"Von oben sehr erwĂĽnscht": Die Filmmusik Herbert Windts im NS-Propagandafilm
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225:- about 30 years old, brown hair. He bears the fate of the House of Atreus
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came to power in 1933, they exerted an influence on German culture. The
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Oboussier, Robert (1932). "Correspondenties Buitenland: Uit Berlijn".
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Strobel, Heinrich (1932). "Umgruppierung in den Berliner Theatern".
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789:"Andromache: Opern-UrauffĂĽhrung in der Berliner Staatsoper".
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Avoiding too radical a modernist style, Windt's music for
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604:, copyright 1931, plate number U.E. 1118 (317 pages).
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Ewers, Hanns Heinz (1932). "EinfĂĽhrung in das Werk".
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124:is an opera in two acts with words and music by
940:Opera world premieres at the Berlin State Opera
901:Windt, Herbert (1932). "Warum "Andromache"?".
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375:Orest, son of Agamemnon, cousin of Hermione
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249:- a handsome dark-curled six-year-old boy.
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349:Hermione, daughter of Helena and Menelaus
872:. Trier: WT Wissenschaftlicher Verlag.
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290:Pyrrhus, king of Epirus, son of Achills
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887:Windt, Herbert (1931). "Andromache".
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846:Peyser, Herbert F. (April 17, 1932).
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950:Operas based on classical mythology
476:princes and cares nothing for him.
388:Phönix, captain of Pyrrhus's palace
256:, in front of the palace of Pyrrhus
183:some connection with our present."
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955:Operas based on works by Euripides
891:. 13 Jahrgang (Heft 6-7): 152–153.
410:Trojan women, soldiers of Pyrrhus
192:Militant League for German Culture
152:with background material based on
128:. The opera is based on the play
14:
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822:Signale fĂĽr die musikalische Welt
600:The vocal score was published by
526:Signale fĂĽr die musikalische Welt
802:. 12. Jahrgang (Heft 8): 10–11.
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863:. 11. Jahr (Heft 4): 147–148.
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848:"Andromache' a Dreary Opera"
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277:Premiere cast, 16 March 1932
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338:Skamander, Andromache's son
16:1931 opera by Herbert Windt
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903:Blätter der Staatsoper
800:Blätter der Staatsoper
538:The unnamed critic in
138:, as well as Racine's
945:Operas based on plays
492:give up her power.
207:- about 25 years old
399:Servant of Hermione
725:Leichtentritt 1932
532:Hugo Leichtentritt
427:Franz Ludwig Hörth
312:Theano, his sister
110:Berlin State Opera
602:Universal Edition
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259:Time: After the
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793:: 101–102. 1932.
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935:1932 operas
791:Der Auftakt
773:Volker 2003
761:Peyser 1932
657:Volker 2003
596:Publication
551: [
540:Der Auftakt
447: [
430: [
405:Marcel Noë
341:silent role
302: [
299:Fritz Wolff
68:Jean Racine
914:Categories
701:Windt 1931
669:Ewers 1932
645:Windt 1931
633:Windt 1931
621:Windt 1931
608:References
576:Andromache
440:Set design
320:Else Fink
273:Voice type
261:Trojan War
211:Andromache
188:Nazi Party
166:Background
140:Andromache
131:Andromache
121:Andromache
103:1932-03-16
89:The Illiad
72:Andromaque
63:Andromache
38:Librettist
22:Andromache
835:De Muziek
809:Die Musik
581:Morgenrot
570:Aftermath
517:Reception
367:contralto
280:Conductor
247:Skamander
155:The Iliad
136:Euripides
58:Euripides
459:Synopsis
378:baritone
252:Place:
217:Hermione
95:Premiere
54:Based on
46:Language
41:composer
889:Anbruch
353:soprano
316:soprano
205:Pyrrhus
101: (
930:Operas
876:
841:: 372.
488:Act 2.
464:Act 1.
254:Epirus
241:Phönix
229:Theano
149:Aeneid
144:Virgil
81:Aeneid
77:Virgil
49:German
861:Melos
555:]
504:Music
451:]
434:]
402:tenor
306:]
294:tenor
235:Lamia
223:Orest
199:Roles
160:Homer
86:Homer
28:Opera
874:ISBN
854:: 8.
391:bass
269:Role
158:by
146:'s
134:by
30:by
916::
850:.
837:.
826:90
824:.
813:24
811:.
693:^
676:^
592:.
553:de
449:de
432:de
304:de
282::
162:.
142:,
84:,
75:,
66:,
60:'
882:.
839:6
105:)
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