FULL THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH (Martinů) Brno 2015 Brian Caspe, Adriana Kohútková, Martin Šrejma, Jiří Hájek, Adam Plachetka
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Information on the Performance
- Work Title: The Epic of Gilgamesh
- Composer: Martinů Bohuslav
- Libretto: based on the epic of Gilgamesh
- Venue & Opera Company: Brno Philharmonic, Czech Republic
- Recorded: December 13, 2015
- Type: Concert Live
- Singers: Brian Caspe, Adriana Kohútková, Martin Šrejma, Jiří Hájek, Adam Plachetka
- Conductor: Alexander Markovič
- Orchestra: Brno Philharmonic
- Chorus: Czech Philharmonic Choir Brno
- Chorus Master: Petr Fiala
- Stage Director:
- Costume Designer:
Information about the Recording
- Published by: Czech TV
- Date Published: 2015
- Format: Broadcast
- Quality Video: 4 Audio:4
- Subtitles: nosubs
- Video Recording from: YouTube FULL VIDEO
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS PERFORMANCE
The Epic of Gilgamesh (Czech: Epos o Gilgamešovi) is an oratorio for solo voices, chorus and orchestra by Bohuslav Martinů composed in 1954–1955 near Nice in France, and premiered in 1958 in Basel, Switzerland, with a title and text in German, as Das Gilgamesch-Epos.
Maja Sacher visited the British Museum and brought back to Switzerland the booklet about the clay cuneiform tablets concerning Gilgamesh she had seen. Martinů was very much taken with the subject (he had in 1919 created a work based on another Babylonian theme, Istar) and in September 1948 he urged his friend Sacher to obtain a complete translation; this was one by the archaeologist Reginald Campbell Thompson. However, Martinů wrote his text in English, based on the translation in hexameters by Campbell Thompson, The Epic of Gilgamish (1928), in his own style, choosing freely what would suit his music best. Martinů would have preferred to compose it to a text in Czech and, according to his biographer Miloš Šafránek, he regretted hearing too late about the recent Czech translation of the epic by poet Lubor Matouš. Later, Ferdinand Pujman translated Martinů’s text on the basis of Matouš’ work for what became Epos o Gilgamešovi. The composer began work around Christmas in 1954 and finished on 18 February 1955, keeping in close contact with the Sachers the whole time.
The text comprises a sectional portrait of the original Epic of Gilgamesh in three parts. They are entitled ‘Gilgamesh’, ‘The Death of Enkidu’, and ‘Evocation’ where Gilgamesh summons Enkidu from the world of the dead. Parts of the text are transplanted – for instance the first section contains elements of the Third Tablet and the final section comes from the Tenth Tablet.
Synopsis
Part 1, “Gilgamesh”: The people describe the horrors of their ruler and ask Aruru to create a companion for Gilgamesh so that he may be distracted; Aruru creates Enkidu; Gilgamesh learns about the hunter and has him brought under his influence through a sexual seduction; Enkidu accepts the woman’s approaches and goes into the city; Enkidu’s herd no longer wants to be with him and flees; Gilgamesh and Enkidu fight each other.
Part 2, “Death of Enkidu”: The fight in the past, they become friends; but Enkidu falls ill and dreams that he will die; which he does, after twelve days of pain. Gilgamesh cries for him; he seeks eternal life, but cannot find it.
Part 3, “The Incantation”: Gilgamesh comes to realize that he has not been able to learn the mystery of immortality; Enkidu has to come to life again by an incantation and tell him; in a conversation with his spirit, all that is heard are the words: “I saw”.
Quoted from Wikipedia