Wolfgang Rihm
Dionysos
Short instrumentation: 2 2 3 2 - 4 2 3 1 - timp, perc(5), hp(2), cel, pno, str
Duration: 150'
Dedication: Für Ingo Metzmacher in Freundschaft
Instrumentation details:
1st flute
2nd flute (+picc)
1st oboe
2nd oboe (+c.a)
1st clarinet in A
2nd clarinet in A
bass clarinet in Bb
1st bassoon
2nd bassoon (+cbsn)
1st horn in F
2nd horn in F
3rd horn in F
4th horn in F
1st trumpet in C
2nd trumpet in C
1st trombone
2nd trombone
3rd trombone
bass tuba
timpani
1st percussion
2nd percussion
3rd percussion
4th percussion
5th percussion
1st harp
2nd harp
celesta
piano
violin I
violin II
viola
violoncello
contrabass
Rihm - Dionysos
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Work introduction
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 Dionysos Dithyrambs which particularly inspires Rihm's creativity.
Nietzsche identified strongly with Dionysos, 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 Dionysos. “He superimposed Dionysos over his own personality”, says Rihm. They melded into a single person, like a double-exposed film.
Thus, we can see the writer himself in “N”, the main character of Dionysos. 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 Dionysos 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 Dionysos myth, and what it might mean for us today.
Wolfgang Schaufler