Sarah Maria Sun, the soprano for whom Hersch's MEDEA was written, is known for her compelling stage presence and has premiered around 400 works.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Composer Michael Hersch and librettist Stephanie Fleischmann aimed for starkness and avoided excess in their collaboration on MEDEA, drawing inspiration from ancient and modern interpretations of the Medea archetype.
Recording & Production
This recording of Michael Hersch's MEDEA is a Westdeutsche Rundfunk Cologne Production from 2023, recorded at the Klaus-von-Bismarck-Saal in Cologne, Germany.
Compositional Technique
The opening music of MEDEA, which features corrosive sounds from two pianos at triple forte, plays a decisive role in the work's progression and signals the extreme psychological and emotional state of the character.
Composition History
Michael Hersch's opera MEDEA, with a libretto by Stephanie Fleischmann, was originally conceived for a single voice and ensemble but expanded during its multi-year compositional process.
Interpretation
The composer Michael Hersch states that his MEDEA can be presented fully staged, semi-staged, or unstaged, as the music and text are designed to convey abstract and confronting realities without requiring explicit visual correlation.
Compositional Technique
In Hersch's MEDEA, the vocal ensemble Schola Heidelberg serves as a 'manifold character,' representing both the many figures in Medea's life and the fragmented aspects of her own nature.
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