Three Orchestral Preludes for Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, Oedipus Rex
7/21/2023, 25 Tracks, 1:15:22
Featuring
Daniele Gatti
AJ Glueckert
Ekaterina Sementchuk
Alex Esposito
Adolfo Corrado
Luca Bernard
Sebastian Geyer
Massimo Popolizio
Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
Coro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
Ildebrando Pizzetti
Igor Stravinsky
Did you know?
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Composer Biography
Ildebrando Pizzetti's early interest in ancient Greece and sacred traditions, like Gregorian chant and Renaissance polyphony, was stimulated by his teacher Giovanni Tebaldini at the Parma Conservatory.
Compositional Technique
In the Latin libretto for Oedipus Rex, the letter 'c' is often written as 'k' before 'i' or 'e' to create a more archaic sound, and the 'g' is always hard.
Composition History
Ildebrando Pizzetti's Three Orchestral Preludes for Oedipus Rex by Sophocles were commissioned by actor and theatre manager Gustavo Salvini and premiered in Milan in 1904.
Interpretation
The Speaker's role in Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex is performed in Italian on this recording, following the composer's instruction that it should be in the language of the audience.
Compositional Technique
Ildebrando Pizzetti's Three Orchestral Preludes for Oedipus Rex feature an austere orchestral color, which was unusual for Italy in 1904, as it avoided French impressionistic influences.
Compositional Technique
Igor Stravinsky's opera-oratorio Oedipus Rex uses a Latin libretto, which was translated from Jean Cocteau's original text by Jean Daniélou, to give it an archaic feel.
