Egmont

Goethe’s drama of the same name served as a sort of matrix. The completely new libretto that Christoph Klimke and I created is similar to an epic poem in which Egmont’s liberal image of society clashes against the calculating dictatorship of the Duke of Alba who is entirely focused on retaining his power. The cast has been reduced to six figures and all protagonists act on an equal footing. However, this is no mere drama between good and evil, as topical issues and conflicts are simultaneously addressed: to what extent is a society manipulable and when does a system collapse independently of its moral and idealistic values?


The connection between my opera and Beethoven results from the choice of subject and is therefore purely content-related. The focus is on Prince Egmont of Gaure as an advocate of freedom, peace and justice – themes that preoccupied Beethoven throughout his life. His famous Egmont overture is priceless for its thematic density and enormous rhythmic enthrallment. Even though I have left his work untouched, my musical material is constructed with complex density and rhythmic momentum. Nevertheless, my opera reveals a different side of Beethoven: extracts from his famous letter ‘to the immortal beloved’. The ubiquitous six-voice chorus leads us into the interior of the figures and behind the masks of their social functions in a fragile, chiselled vocal texture. Christian Jost