THEOOOPER~ONFORUM November 14, 1980, Spm THE BROOKLYN PHILHARMONIA 27th Season: 1980/1981 LUKAS FOSS, Music Director MEET THE MODERNS 1: MUSIC + DRAMA two one-act operas THE CRY OF CLYTAEMNESTRA THE EGG Music by John Eaton an operatic riddle Libretto by Patrick Creagh Music and Libretto by Gian Carlo Menotti New York premiere New York premiere RICHARD DUNCAN, conductor LUKAS FOSS, conductor Staging by Maurice Edwards Staging by Maurice Edwards Lighting by William Mintzer Lighting by William Mintzer Sound Co-ordinator: Lonnie Juli Costumes by Constance Mellen Cast Cast (in o rder of appearance) (in o rder of appearance) ClytaernJlt'~tra Quec•11 o{ Ar,J~e>S . elcla elson Manuel ................................... Martin Strother lphygene1a eldest dau,J~hter o{ C/ytaemnestra St Simeon Stylites .............................joseph Levitt !111(/ A.I!Cllll£'11111011 . • • • . • . • Sally Wolf BasJIJssa Empress o{ ByzantiUm ( Pnde} . ............ Edith Diggory Agamemnon KJII,JI of ArJioS . • . • • . Tim o ble Areobindus. {avonte o{the Bas111ssa (Lust} .......... Steven Nelson Ody~seus . Ri chard Walker Gourmantus, the cook (Gluttony} . ....... ........ Ted Adkins Menelaus . ·- . Brian Trego Eunuch of the Sacred Cubicle !Slot hi ............ Richard Walker DJOilll'tks . Martin Strother Pachomius. the treasurer (A vance} . .................. Jon Fay TnKer . Steven Nelson Sister of the BasJIJssa !Envyl . ...... ............... Paula Redd Calcha~. HlJih Pnest. joseph Levitt Julian, Capt am o{ the Guard (Anger} (silent role} . .. ..... Brian Trego Acl11llcs . .Jon Fay Beggar Woman . ... .............. Sarah Miller Electra. dauxhter o{ C/ytaem11estra and !Chorusl ............ Axamemncm. as a ch1ld . ................. .. ....... Abby Tate Members of the Basi IIssa's Court Sally Wolf, Martha Waltman Rebecca Field, Glenn Siebert, Colenton Freeman Orestes. so11 o{ Clytaem>lestra and Agamemnon, as a child . ................................. Estela Eaton, Gilly White CREDITS Acg1sthus, Clytaemnestra's lover ............. Colen ton Freeman Musical Preparallon R1chard Duncan Cas~andra Pmrcess o(Troy ..................... Edith Diggory Ass1stant to Mr Mintzer· Kath1 Reid Electra . ............................. Rebecca Field Assistant to Ms Mellen Wren Cooper Orestes ..................... ........ Glenn Siebert Wardrobe Superv1ser· Robert SnJecJOski Custom Electronic Keyboard Instrument by Robert Moog Thanks to Baldw10 P1ano Company for the quarter tone piano (Intermission} Special thanks to Indiana University Opera Theatre. The Baldwin is the official piano of the Brooklyn Philharmonia Spec1al acknowledgements to Richard W D~rksen Precentor, and jane lrvJO. Arrangements Secretary. of the Wash10gton Cathedral, for mak10g the costumes for THE EGG available This concert was made possible in part with public funds from the City of Ne:-v York, Department of Cultural Affairs Administration, the New York State Council in the Arts. and the National Endowment for the Arts. The Brooklyn Phliharmon•a and Cooper Union wish to express their thanks to the following for special assistance in making these concerts poss1ble: Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust City of New York, Department of Cultural Affairs J.M Kaplan Fund, Inc Mobil Foundallon The Virgil Thomson Foundallon Henry C. Alter D~rt:etor of th~ Fomm Marion B. Ferri. Assistant D1r~ctor THE PROGRAM THE CRY OF CLYTAEM~ESTRA, spec1ous reason mg. and finally makes amorous S1meon 111 the desert and pleads for water Synopsis advances. She repels him with violent v1tuper· After accusmg h1m of bemg the devil and then Tht· ''P~ra ~~ set m Argos, a fc,~ days bdort• atwn realizing that he IS 111deed his nephew, St. Si­ lht• n·turn of Agamemnon from the TroJan He runs to Clytaemnestra who calls her meon listens to Manuel's pleas Simeon insists \\'ar though other scen~s remcmber~d or im children to attempt a reconciliation, explaining he IS no samt, but a mere sinner hoping for .l):lncd by Clytaemncstra take place on Aulis to Electra that she needs Aeg1sthus in order to forg1veness by praying and fasting. It'll \'t•ar~ ~fore (the sacnficc of lph1gt•ne1a) at govern the country But-not know111g that Manuel presents his story of social rejection Tro~· (the prophce~es of Cassandra as spoken to Aeg1sthus has made advances to Electra and and fa1lure and asks what is the meaning of A):.lllH:mnonl and 111 the future 1n Argos (the thereby morally betrayed her-she miSinter­ life S1meon tells him the fable of the egg: an nnmkr of Agam~mnon) The action is seen prets Electra s att1tude and sparks off a violent angel flew by him one Easter and gave him an from Clyta~mnestra s point of ~iew reaction by her daughter against them both for egg. telling him that by breaking it the secret of Coue~s~ly . The C'r}· of Clytaemnestra IS an 1n their adultery and betrayal of Agamemnon life would be revealed to him. After pondering tt•nst· pt·rsonal drama showmg the agony and Th1s turns 1nto a family row, in which its mystery, and deciding it was keeping him ~ufknng~ wh1ch lead Clytaemncstra to dec1de Aeg1sthus. anxious to get nd of Electra for fear fr om prayer, Simeon threw the egg away. He to kill ht:r hu~band Agamemnon-a decision she should g1ve away h1s conduct demands tells Manuel that if he can find the egg in the lmo~t un1que 1n anc1ent Greek theater in that that the children be sent away to relieve an 111· desert 11 IS his The scene ends with Manuel 11 1' made out of her own convicllon without tolerable situation findmg the egg. and joyously proclaiming that the prnmptmgs of gods or oracles or fate. Clytaemnestra wishes to be left alone With 111 11 is the solution to his troubles. Simeon The opera opens w1th a cry Clytaemne~tra, Electra and once more tnes to explam herself shoos him away, as he wants to catch up on his 111 a fu of uucontrollablt: gncf IS se~kmg for to the g1rl and just1fy her conduct But th1s only prayers. but Manuel asks to tell him what he her loug·dead daughter lphig~n~1a , but prays leads to such a terrible denunciatiOn that Cly· finds if he succeeds m openmg it. that sht• might forget the horror of that taemnestra is broken down by it She ends by Scene II opens w1th Manuel before the Em­ memorv But th1s she cannot do and wt• sn· ordenng Electra to leave the palace even at the press Basllissa He has told the story of his what sht: remembers the Gr~ek pnnce~ pt•r­ pnce of losmg Orestes along w1th her. precious egg and has been scorned and ~uadmg Agamemnon to sacnfice h1s own Alone now, Clytaemnestra laments the loss threatened with death for being an impostor daughtt:r to gam a fa1r wmd for Troy of hl•r children, the death of lph1geneia. and But the Empress IS 111terested in his fantastic lph1gent:1a herself 111 happ1er days at home the pas~ing away of mnocence In a final pro· story Manuel tells her that he, as well as St. Si· and finally tht· way 111 wh1ch the g1rl1S tnckt•d lt'-'>l agamst the InJUStice of the f<1te with wh1ch meon could not crack the egg. Her reply: by Agamemnon, and killed hy h11n for women ilrt' cursed she reaches such a p1 tch of Give it to me, to the sublime Basilissa sole reawns of state". f rt'nl)" that she loses COnSCIOUSness represcntallve of Christ on Earth, the egg will She comes out of her broodmg and tries to UnconsciOus. she dreams that Agamemnon surely open " She calls in Gourmantus, who pt·rsuade her lover Aeg1sthus to he less harsh has rt•turned Sht' welcomes hm1 fulsomely proposes a spectacular recipe, but one which towards her children The scene develops mto prt•p;lring a ritual bath and hcggmg him to put ultimately fails-the egg will not open. Priscus a funous quarrel, in the cours~ of wh1ch on <J robe that she hils woven for him This. as IS brought m but is also not up to the task. Aeg1sthus n'eanl)· if 111 self-defense, rcveab to already foretold by Cassandra IS a cunningly Pachomius arnves, and plans are made to give Clytaemnestra that Agamemnon is havmg an t·onct•alt-d ~trail Jackt:l 111 which she im Manuel rubies 1f he can open the egg, which he affair w1th Cassandra the prophetess and mohlli:t•s h1m She tt:lb h1111 she IS g01ng to kill cannot Pachomius is dismissed harshly and pnncess of Troy awarded to h1m as the spmls hun, and why and she strikes off his head with Areob111dus and Basilissa's sister make ap· of war Th1s leads to further acnmony though an axt• pcarances. the Situation becoming increasingly the scene ends with Clytaemnestra in posst'S· When sht• ,l"<lkens. she knows that th1s is ndiculous Finally. Bas1lissa has Manuel and s1on of herself aga111 , f1rm w1th Aeg1sthus. but exactly wh<~t sht• has to do. and she hes1tates his egg banished. to avoid further embar· thoroughly deJt'Ctcd no longn At <lllct' the first ~aeons flare up. rassments to her and her court When he has left her sht• 1ma~mcs a sccuc .Jl .Jnnounc1ng the return of Agamemnon In the final scene Manuel comes across a Tro) dunng "hKh Cassaudr,i propheslt's to Clyt.Jt•mnt·stra puts aside all her guilt, noslill!pa woman and her starvmg child in the desert, A~amemnon conn:r111ng Ius own death He and rt•gn•t nnd got'S tnumphantly to meet a and gives her the egg. The egg opens and the fa1ls to ~ce tht· true mt·anmg of her "ords hut m<~n who ~~~far as she IS concerned i~ already secret mcanmg IS revealed-the egg will open not so Clytaemm:stra Th1s prophecy glvt·s her dco~d only 1f g1ven away in an act of Christian chari· the hrst mkhng of tht• dreadful deed she IS later ty.