The Collaboration with the Danish Poet Ole Sarvig – on the Opera “Siddharta” (1981)
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THE COLLABORATION WITH THE DANISH POET OLE SARVIG – ON THE OPERA “SIDDHARTA” (1981) By Per Nørgård Having completed my opera Gilgamesh (1971- a bad one. The danger of the “emblematic” 72), I contemplated a kind of ‘sequel’, though was more than imminent, he said, and I soon on a different level. Gilgamesh, as I saw him, came to realise that he was right. was a person lacking in self-control, who nev- I had in a letter murmured something ertheless acquired it through experiencing about Siddharta though, and now Ole sud- loss — thereby breaking through to a new denly brought up the idea himself with level of consciousness, that of brotherly love. warmth and interest. A Seven-year collabora- Now, almost waggish, my question was “How tion had begun. I added the Jesus-idea to my in fact would a ‘self-controlled person’ act — list of shipwrecked works and thereafter con- and what would that person’s reaction be to centrated entirely on the Siddharta-theme. the experience of loss?” Eventually a couple of Siddharta’s great despair and horror on figures came to my mind: Jesus and — no, not learning the truth probably on a par with that Buddha, but that Prince Siddharta, who only of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane — and achieved the state of ‘Buddha-ness’ after the his feeling of having been let down by his entire trials and tribulations of many years. With the surroundings must even have exceeded what figure of Jesus it was especially His tremendous Jesus felt? The creation of the libretto for “Sid- loneliness during the last night in the Garden dharta – Play for the Expected One” took place of Gethsemane that interested me. There, on on my terms, which Ole generously accepted. the eve of His approaching death, not even His This was not to be yet another ‘author’s opera’ nearest and dearest could support Him during (my words) which the composer merely ‘sets the agonising period of waiting — before the to music’ according to the author’s forms — arrest, torture and terrible execution. recitatives, arias and chorus — but an opera I visited the Danish poet Ole Sarvig (1921- composition, in which the words may well be 81) at his home in Glumsø in the south of Zea- essential but also closely integrated with and land (Sjælland) and told him of my interest in subordinate to the music-drama. In short, the loneliness-theme associated with the fig- having mapped out the theme (for which Ole ure of Jesus. With that idea in mind, to whom produced an astonishing ‘collection of ele- else could I turn than to the originator of the ments’, or details regarding the background unique book “Evangeliernes Billeder belyst af story), we proceeded to outline the acts. And denne tid” (Images of the Gospel Illuminat- from a few crucial sentences, or ‘modules’, ed by Our Time)? I explained to him that his arose the scenes and acts that followed upon mythical poetic sounding-board would obvi- the composition of the music/word-pictures.1 ously appeal very strongly to me in connec- Unfortunately Ole came thereby to pro- tion with precisely the figure of Jesus, but so duce rather more verbal material (in “module would his “Krisens Billedbog” (“Picture Book form”, as we had agreed) than the composer in of the Crisis”), with its metaphysical, sleuth- me could absorb — and reproduce in music. like eavesdropping on this century’s gradual, At lunch in a provincial cafe where I happened almost exhibitionist self-unveiling — spiritu- to let most of the contents of a hors d’oeuvre al ‘strip-tease’ right through to the marrow. platter return to the kitchen, he could not Sarvig listened — his head characteristi- help sarcastically comparing his own plenti- cally bent and slightly on the slant — as he ful proposals with the untouched dishes that smiled amiably and archly into his comfort- now left the table. In addition (‘carried away ing teddy-bear beard. But he instantly found by the process’, as Ole kindly yet euphemis- the Jesus-idea too difficult — and therefore tically put it) I had begun to find sentences Per Nørgårds skrifter. Udgivet af Ivan Hansen. Dansk Center for Musikudgivelse - www.kb.dk/dcm 1 myself, since now and again snatches of song ar power stations fail to put a stopper to this in combination with the contents of a scene, long-drawn-out cannibalism? suddenly ‘heard’ and thereupon composed, Such and similar questions in our time — prompted me to concretise the dramatic pic- with the rearmament-craze, pollution and ture also in words, even though Ole might not inequality in the centre —appeal to all those yet have managed to provide ‘module texts’ who don´t obediently say “yes, my father!” for that particular place. to the ever more demented consequences of However, Ole received these young ver- traditional power political measures to adopt bal cuckoos in a fatherly fashion, preened this uncompromising attitude. Siddharta’s their feathers with his poet’s breath, so that ´no!´ would at first glance appear insignifi- they slipped in among Ole’s original contri- cant — as helpless in its protest as ‘Women’s butions relatively unnoticed. Moreover, as fight for freedom’ — but people must say no, a by-product of this quite special collabo- and people must fight, however impotently, ration, Ole insisted on being merely cred- until sufficiently many fighters find a com- ited for his ‘assistance’. Nevertheless, I feel mon tempo. that throughout this not always easy process some good strong Sarvig-lines have appeared Notes in Siddharta — lines that arouse that special 1) SIDDHARTA – PLAY FOR THE EXPECTED feeling of a ‘mythical flow’ which is associ- ONE (1974-79/1984). Opera-ballet i 3 acts ated with Sarvig’s oeuvre. Both Ole and I re- (I. Morning. II. Noon. III. Evening), for soli, garded this approximately 2500 year-old Sid- mixed choir, children’s choir, symphony dharta story as both timeless and, in several orchestra – and ballet dancers (and acro- respects, of burning current interest. With- bats, ad lib.). Libretto by Ole Sarvig in col- out directly adhering to any conspiracy theo- laboration with the composer. Versions ry as concerns ‘the international military, fi- of the opera exists in Danish and in Swed- nancial and political demonism’, nowadays ish; English and a German versions are in everyone must be able to perceive the efforts preparation at Edition Wilhelm Hansen to repress — to scour off life’s raw edges, to (2013). beautify the horrific with comforting man- ■ ners of speech — which reduce, as in a uni- versal mass media-trance, both life and death From an article first published , in Danish, in into a kind of non-stop, harmless-grotesque, the book Tidstegn – en bog om Ole Sarvigs for- Evelyn Waugh-style ‘American funeral’. fatterskab, Centrum 1981 (Sign of Our Time, a Even Siddharta’s unwavering resolution book about Ole Sarvig, Centrum 1981). to leave the very palace and the very structure Texts by Nørgård on the opera consists of that had for so long deceived him touches on Play for the Expected One – The opera “Siddhar- a current problem. How many young people ta” and Its Music (1983) – also in this archive (and old) have not felt the absence of this Sid- – the present text, and (with Lars Runsten) a dharta-like resoluteness when yet another of Introduction and synopsis,printed below. the numerous present day infamies has come It should be mentioned that all these to light? texts (written between 1981-3) refers to the What happened, for example, to the po- first (“Stockholm”-)version of the opera. In litical cleaning up process following Khrush- 1984, having experienced the works of the chev’s disclosure of Stalin’s reign of terror at schizophrenic artist Adolf Wölfli (1864-1930) the 1956 Party Congress? How could people Nørgård changed and enlarged Siddhartas go on living with an organisation that had central “Farewell-aria” in act 3, using words made such perverse monstrosities possible? by Wölfli. The relation between the operas How can today’s telling figures concerning Siddharta (1972-79/1984) and the ´Wölfli-op- the cancer risk incurred by daily exposure to era´ The Divine Circus (1982) is described in radioactivity in uranium mines and nucle- the articles, in Danish, At handle eller ikke at 2 Per Nørgårds skrifter. Udgivet af Ivan Hansen. Dansk Center for Musikudgivelse - www.kb.dk/dcm handle – Is that a question? (1983), Indenfor- Suddhodana and all his counsellors are Udenfor (1985) – and Kvalmemusik? (1984), worried. Is the newborn child to leave the pal- both in this archive. ace and renounce his inheritance? No, his spirit shall remain dormant, he must be pro- ■ tected from the courtiers and all the people INTRODUCTION AND SYNOPSIS are convinced of this, all except the doubting The drama deals with the birth and youth of Asita. The prince is to grow up in a realm of Siddharta — the prince who, later, after much bliss, his spirit bound with the fetters of beau- suffering and privation, became Buddha. ty and pleasure; sickness, old age and death The opera’s three acts move gradually from must never be mentioned. Thus the sick, the a ‘mythical passage of time’ in the first act to old and the ugly are to be hidden away. In a vi- a purely naturalistic rendering in the third olent outburst of mass hysteria all that bears act. You could compare to the landing of an these ´visible signs of life´ are seized and aircraft: From high up the overall view is the thrown into the dungeons.