Donnerstag aus Licht
Encyclopedia
Donnerstag aus Licht is an opera by Karlheinz Stockhausen
in a greeting, three acts, and a farewell, and was the first of seven to be composed for the opera cycle Licht
: die sieben Tage der Woche (Light: The Seven Days of the Week). It was written between 1977 and 1980, with a libretto by the composer.
, with costume and stage design by Gae Aulenti
. Scenic realisation was by Giorgio Cristini, lighting by Vannio Vanni, light compositions (act 3) by Mary Bauermeister
. Péter Eötvös
conducted, and played the Hammond organ in act 3, scene 2. Karlheinz Stockhausen was the sound projectionist.
On 19 December 1981, Donnerstag was awarded the Premio Critica Musicale F. Abbiati for "best new work of contemporary music" (Stockhausen 1989a, 189).
A second staging was given by the Royal Opera, Covent Garden in London, on 16, 18, 20, 24, and 26 September 1985. The stage direction was by Michael Bogdanov
, designed by Mari Bjornson, lighting and light compositions by Chris Ellis. Péter Eötvös conducted, and Stockhausen was the sound projectionist.
The second act, Michaels Reise um die Erde (Michael's Journey Around the Earth) was staged separately in 2008, by Carlus Padrissa of La Fura dels Baus
, with stage direction by Roland Olbeter. It was performed by Marco Blaauw
(trumpet), Nicola Jürgensen (basset horn), and musikFabrik
, directed by Peter Rundel. Video was by Franc Aleu, dramaturgy by Thomas Ulrich, lighting by Frank Sobotta, and sound direction by Paul Jeukendrup. This was initially a production of the Wiener Taschenoper in collaboration with the Wiener Festwochen
.
Donnerstag is an opera for 14 performers (3 voices, 8 instrumentalists, 3 dancers) plus a choir, an orchestra, and tapes. It was composed between 1977 and 1980. In the larger context of Licht, Thursday is Michael
's day. Thursday's exoteric
(primary) colour is bright blue, and its esoteric (secondary) colours are purple and violet (Stockhausen 1989a, 182; Stockhausen 1989b, 200). Thursday is also the day of plants (Stockhausen 1989b, 201).
merge and intertwine until each plays the other's formula. Two clownish clarinet players, costumed as a pair of swallows, mock and—together with the orchestral low brass, an emblem of Lucifer—"crucify" him, after which the act ends with a musical "ascension" in which the sounds of the trumpet and basset horn circle around until they are united in a trill (Kurtz 1992, 213–14; Kohl 1993, 209–12).
, and a Hymn of Praise, "The Heavens Rejoice", from the Book of Leviticus), as well as a different passage from "The End of Time", sung in German (Stockhausen 1989a, 206–207).
(Kurtz 1992, 214–16). The Covent Garden production in 1985 also provoked contrary points of view in the press, in part divided over the question of the music versus the theatrical conception. Paul Griffiths, writing in the Times, for example, found that "it contains much quite extraordinary music" but "the opera never for a moment works as the mystic revelation it pretends to be. … It is very wondrous to contemplate—wondrous, that is, when it is not just silly" (Griffiths 1985b). Andrew Porter, on the contrary, found the "variety of forces, forms, textures, and matter … a strength and a pleasure", and the "somewhat ramshackle construction saves the work from solemn pretentiousness. There's even a playful quality about much of it, although its essential seriousness is not in doubt and inner musical integrity is not compromised" (Porter 1985, 127). Porter concludes,
Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important but also controversial composers of the 20th and early 21st centuries. Another critic calls him "one of the great visionaries of 20th-century music"...
in a greeting, three acts, and a farewell, and was the first of seven to be composed for the opera cycle Licht
Licht
Licht , subtitled "The Seven Days of the Week," is a cycle of seven operas composed by Karlheinz Stockhausen between 1977 and 2003. In total, the cycle contains over 29 hours of music.-Origin:...
: die sieben Tage der Woche (Light: The Seven Days of the Week). It was written between 1977 and 1980, with a libretto by the composer.
History
Donnerstag was given its staged premiere on 15 March 1981 by the La Scala Opera in the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, but without the third act, which had to be omitted due to a strike by the opera chorus of La Scala. They had demanded soloists' bonuses because of one brief passage in act 3, and had been turned down by the management. Further performances without the third act followed on 18, 21, 24, and 27 March. An agreement was finally reached and the complete opera was finally performed on 3 April, with two further performances on 5 and 7 April (Kurtz 1992, 213). The stage direction was by Luca RonconiLuca Ronconi
Luca Ronconi is an Italian actor, theater director, and opera director.- Biography :After growing up in Tunisia, where his mother was a school teacher, he graduated from the Academy of Dramatic Art in Rome in 1953. He acted in productions of Luigi Squarzina, Orazio Costa, Michelangelo Antonioni...
, with costume and stage design by Gae Aulenti
Gae Aulenti
Gae Aulenti is an Italian architect, lighting and interior designer, and industrial designer. She is well known for several large-scale museum projects, including Musée d'Orsay in Paris , the Contemporary Art Gallery at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Palazzo Grassi in Venice , and the Asian Art...
. Scenic realisation was by Giorgio Cristini, lighting by Vannio Vanni, light compositions (act 3) by Mary Bauermeister
Mary Bauermeister
Mary Hilde Ruth Bauermeister is a German artist.-Early life and family:Mary Bauermeister was artistically influenced in secondary school by her drawing teacher, Günter Ott. She studied in 1954–55 at the Hochschule für Gestaltung in Ulm and in 1955–56 at the Staatlichen Schule für Kunst und...
. Péter Eötvös
Peter Eötvös
Péter Eötvös is a Hungarian composer and conductor.Eötvös was born in Odorheiu Secuiesc/Székelyudvarhely, Szeklerland, Transylvania . He studied composition in Budapest and Cologne. From 1962, he composed for film in Hungary. Eötvös played regularly with the Stockhausen Ensemble between 1968 and...
conducted, and played the Hammond organ in act 3, scene 2. Karlheinz Stockhausen was the sound projectionist.
On 19 December 1981, Donnerstag was awarded the Premio Critica Musicale F. Abbiati for "best new work of contemporary music" (Stockhausen 1989a, 189).
A second staging was given by the Royal Opera, Covent Garden in London, on 16, 18, 20, 24, and 26 September 1985. The stage direction was by Michael Bogdanov
Michael Bogdanov
Michael Bogdanov , is a British theatre director known for his work with new plays, modern reinterpretations of Shakespeare, musicals and work for Young People.-Early years:...
, designed by Mari Bjornson, lighting and light compositions by Chris Ellis. Péter Eötvös conducted, and Stockhausen was the sound projectionist.
The second act, Michaels Reise um die Erde (Michael's Journey Around the Earth) was staged separately in 2008, by Carlus Padrissa of La Fura dels Baus
La Fura dels Baus
La Fura dels Baus is a Catalan theatrical group founded in 1979 in Barcelona, known for their urban theatre, use of unusual settings and blurring of the boundaries between audience and actor. "La Fura dels Baus" in Catalan means "vermin from the sewers"....
, with stage direction by Roland Olbeter. It was performed by Marco Blaauw
Marco Blaauw
Marco Blaauw is a Dutch trumpeter.- Biography :Marco Blaauw studied trumpet at the Sweelinck Conservatorium in Amsterdam. He continued studying with Pierre Thibaud and with Markus Stockhausen. He has an international career as a trumpet soloist and is a permanent member of the ensemble musikFabrik...
(trumpet), Nicola Jürgensen (basset horn), and musikFabrik
Musikfabrik
The musikFabrik is an ensemble for contemporary music located in Cologne. Their official name is: musikFabrik Landesensemble NRW e.V. .-Overview:...
, directed by Peter Rundel. Video was by Franc Aleu, dramaturgy by Thomas Ulrich, lighting by Frank Sobotta, and sound direction by Paul Jeukendrup. This was initially a production of the Wiener Taschenoper in collaboration with the Wiener Festwochen
Vienna Festival
The Wiener Festwochen is a cultural festival in Vienna that takes place every year for five or six weeks in May and June.The Wiener Festwochen was established in 1951, when Vienna was still occupied by the four Allies...
.
Donnerstag is an opera for 14 performers (3 voices, 8 instrumentalists, 3 dancers) plus a choir, an orchestra, and tapes. It was composed between 1977 and 1980. In the larger context of Licht, Thursday is Michael
Michael (archangel)
Michael , Micha'el or Mîkhā'ēl; , Mikhaḗl; or Míchaël; , Mīkhā'īl) is an archangel in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic teachings. Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans refer to him as Saint Michael the Archangel and also simply as Saint Michael...
's day. Thursday's exoteric
Exoteric
Exoteric refers to knowledge that is outside of and independent from anyone's experience and can be ascertained by anyone. Compare Common sense. It is distinguished from internal esoteric knowledge. Exoteric relates to "external reality" as opposed to one's own thoughts or feelings. It is knowledge...
(primary) colour is bright blue, and its esoteric (secondary) colours are purple and violet (Stockhausen 1989a, 182; Stockhausen 1989b, 200). Thursday is also the day of plants (Stockhausen 1989b, 201).
Roles
| Role | Performer | Premiere cast (La Scala, 1981) | London cast (1985) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael | tenor | Robert Gambill (act 1), Paul Sperry (act 3) | Julian Pike (Frieder Lang on Wed. 18 Sept.) |
| Michael | trumpeter | Markus Stockhausen Markus Stockhausen Markus Pirol Stockhausen is a German trumpeter and composer.-Biography:Born in Cologne, he is the son of composer Karlheinz Stockhausen. At age four he appeared as "child at play" in his father's theatre piece Originals. He received his first piano lessons at age six, and at age twelve he began to... |
Markus Stockhausen |
| Michael | dancer | Michèle Noiret | Michèle Noiret |
| Eve Adam and Eve Adam and Eve were, according to the Genesis creation narratives, the first human couple to inhabit Earth, created by YHWH, the God of the ancient Hebrews... |
soprano | Annette Meriweather | Annette Meriweather |
| Eve | basset horn | Suzanne Stephens Suzanne Stephens Suzanne Stephens is an American clarinetist, resident in Germany, described as "an outstanding performer and tireless promoter of the clarinet and basset horn" .-Biography:... |
Suzanne Stephens |
| Eve | dancer | Elizabeth Clarke | Elisabeth Clarke |
| Lucifer Lucifer Traditionally, Lucifer is a name that in English generally refers to the devil or Satan before being cast from Heaven, although this is not the original meaning of the term. In Latin, from which the English word is derived, Lucifer means "light-bearer"... |
bass | Matthias Hölle | Nicholas Isherwood Nicholas Isherwood Nicholas Isherwood is US-born bass singer, who specialises in contemporary and baroque music. Notable roles include "Lucifer" in the world premieres of Stockhausen’s Montag, Dienstag, and Freitag from Licht at La Scala and the Leipzig Opera, and in Donnerstag aus Licht at Covent Garden.Isherwood... |
| Lucifer | trombonist | Mark Tezak | Michael Svoboda |
| Lucifer | dancer-mime | Alain Louafi | Alain Louafi |
| Michael’s Accompanist | pianist | Majella Stockhausen | Majella Stockhausen |
| Invisible Choirs | choir | WDR Westdeutscher Rundfunk Westdeutscher Rundfunk is a German public-broadcasting institution based in the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia with its main office in Cologne. WDR is a constituent member of the consortium of German public-broadcasting institutions, ARD... Choir, Karlheinz Stockhausen, cond. (16-track recording) |
WDR Choir, Stockhausen, cond. (16-track recording) |
| Clownesque Pair of Swallows | clarinetists (2nd doubles basset horn) | Alain Damiens, Michel Arrignon | David Smeyers, Beate Zelinsky |
| Two Boys | soprano saxophonists | Hugo Read, Simon Stockhausen | Simon Stockhausen |
| Old Woman | actress | Elena Pantano | |
| Messenger | tenor | Giovanni Mastino | |
| Penguins at the South Pole (act 2) | orchestra | Orchestra of the Teatro alla Scala, Péter Eötvös, cond. | Orchestra of the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, Péter Eötvös, cond. |
| Heavenly Choirs and Orchestra (act 3) | choir and orchestra | Orchestra and Choir of the Teatro alla Scala, Péter Eötvös, cond. | Orchestra and Choir of the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, Péter Eötvös, cond. |
Synopsis
The time and place are universal.Donnerstags-Gruß
The Thursday Greeting is performed in the foyer as the audience is arriving.Act 1: Michaels Jugend
The first act consists of three scenes that follow one another without a break.Scene 1: Kindheit
In "Childhood" Michael, a son of poor parents, demonstrates exceptional gifts. His father, a schoolteacher, teaches him to pray, hunt, shoot, and perform in theatre. From his mother he learns singing and merry-making, dancing—and seduction. His parents quarrel, and a younger brother, Hermannchen, dies in infancy. The mother goes mad, attempts suicide, and is hospitalised. The father turns to drink, and goes off to war.Scene 2: Mondeva
In the forest, Michael encounters Mondeva (Moon-Eve), half woman, half bird, and falls in love with her. As he discovers how to control her music through erotic play, in a parallel scene Michael’s mother is being killed by a doctor in an asylum.Scene 3: Examen
Michael undergoes a triple admission examination to the conservatory. First as a singer, then as a trumpeter, and finally as a dancer, he amazes the jury, who enthusiastically admit him.Act 2: Michaels Reise um die Erde
In the second act, Michael undertakes a journey around the world in what is essentially a trumpet concerto with orchestra, performed in a huge rotating globe set against a starry firmament. There are seven "stations" along the way, at each of which the music takes on colour from the locale: Germany, New York, Japan, Bali, India, Central Africa, and Jerusalem. Michael's formula gradually evolves from a simple beginning form to increasingly florid extravagance, finally shattering into incoherent fragments in stations 5 and 6. When he reaches Central Africa, Michael hears a distant basset horn, and orders the globe to stop turning. Michael commands the earth to rotate in reverse as the seventh station, Jerusalem, is reached, and he begins a new process of rehabilitation in a therapeutic conversation with a double-bass player. Mondeva appears, and they perform a duet in which their melodic formulasFormula composition
Formula composition is a serially-derived technique encountered principally in the music of Karlheinz Stockhausen, involving the projection, expansion, and Ausmultiplikation of either a single melody-formula, or a two- or three-voice contrapuntal construction .In contrast to serial music, where the...
merge and intertwine until each plays the other's formula. Two clownish clarinet players, costumed as a pair of swallows, mock and—together with the orchestral low brass, an emblem of Lucifer—"crucify" him, after which the act ends with a musical "ascension" in which the sounds of the trumpet and basset horn circle around until they are united in a trill (Kurtz 1992, 213–14; Kohl 1993, 209–12).
Act 3: Michaels Heimkehr
In the third act Michael—in his threefold manifestation as tenor, trumpeter, and dancer—returns to his celestial home.Scene 1: Festival
As the invisible choirs sing all around, he is welcomed by Eve—also in threefold form as soprano, basset hornist, and dancer—five choirs (delegates from various parts of the Michael Universe), five orchestral groups, and a background string orchestra (Stockhausen 1989a, 412).- "Meditation". Eve presents Michael with a gift of three plants, and another of three compositions of light:
- "First Light Composition: Chaos out of Colours"
- "Second Light Composition: Suns out of Chaos"
- "Third Light Composition: Chaos from Colours"
- Part 1: "Moons"
- Part 2: "Moons and Glassy Images"
- Part 3: "Starry Sky". The signs of the Zodiac appear, one after another, from Aquarius to Capricorn. Suddenly, an old lady steps forward and demands, "Why don't you all come home!" The choirs answer her: "There is no 'home'. Even angels are always on the move". Eve presents Michael with a final gift, a terrestrial globe as a souvenir of his journey around the earth. Lucifer appears, first as a gremlin who springs out of the globe and presents Michael with his own, smaller blue globe. Michael passes it around to the choir, which infuriates the gremlin, who makes threatening gestures and summons assistance.
- "Michael's Battle with the Dragon". Lucifer reappears in a second form, as a tap-dancing trombonist dressed as a torero with a black cape and hat, and the gremlin turns into a dragon. Michael gives battle and the dragon, wounded many times, sinks to the ground. Michael borrows the conductor's long baton to deliver the coup de grâceCoup de grâceThe expression coup de grâce means a death blow intended to end the suffering of a wounded creature. The phrase can refer to the killing of civilians or soldiers, friends or enemies, with or without the consent of the sufferer...
. The dragon tries one last time to rise, but falls on his belly. The trombonist, too, staggers and falls on his back, legs in the air. - "Boys' Duet", played by two angelic soprano saxophonists.
- "Argument". A messenger arrives to announce that Lucifer is once again causing trouble. Lucifer reappears, now in triple form as a bass singer, a trombonist, and a dancer-mime, and taunts Michael, who dismisses him: "You have lost. You have corrupted your wisdom through your bitter irony, poisonous sarcasm now fills your heart. … You are no longer immortal, Lucifer! … Can't you just once allow us to celebrate a festival in peace?" Lucifer can only go away muttering in disgust, "You fool! You fool!" as the scene ends.
Scene 2: Vision
In a process of 15 cyclical transpositions, Michael explains (in threefold appearance as singer, trumpeter, and dancer), his experience and opposition to Lucifer.Donnerstags-Abschied
The Thursday Farewell (also called "Michael's Farewell") is performed outside the opera house following the performance, by five trumpeters who begin as the last scene, Vision, is concluding. They are costumed as Michael and positioned on the rooftops or on balconies surrounding the square, floodlit like statues on a tower. They each repeat one segment of the Michael formula, with long pauses between repetitions, for about 30 minutes, withdrawing at the end in the order in which their respective segments occur in the formula (Stockhausen 1989a, 488).Unsichtbare Chöre
The Invisible Choirs are played back in the theatre over eight channels throughout most of act 1, and again in act 3, scene 1, and is composed in such a way that they could never be sung by a choir live, in part because there are as many as 180 separate voices, and in part because of the demands of polyphonic synchronicity, exactness of intonation, and dynamic balance (Stockhausen 1996, 77). There are three texts sung in Hebrew ("Judgement Day" from The Ascent of Moses, "The End of Time" from the Apocalypse of Baruch2 Baruch
2 Baruch is a Jewish pseudepigraphical text thought to have been written in the late 1st century CE or early 2nd century CE, after the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE. It is attributed to the Biblical Baruch and so is associated with the Old Testament, but not regarded as scripture by Jews or by...
, and a Hymn of Praise, "The Heavens Rejoice", from the Book of Leviticus), as well as a different passage from "The End of Time", sung in German (Stockhausen 1989a, 206–207).
Critical reception
The staged premiere of Donnerstag was very well-received in Italy, where it was awarded the Italian Music Critics' Prize for best new work in December 1981. The German press reception, on the other hand, was harsh and often ad hominemAd hominem
An ad hominem , short for argumentum ad hominem, is an attempt to negate the truth of a claim by pointing out a negative characteristic or belief of the person supporting it...
(Kurtz 1992, 214–16). The Covent Garden production in 1985 also provoked contrary points of view in the press, in part divided over the question of the music versus the theatrical conception. Paul Griffiths, writing in the Times, for example, found that "it contains much quite extraordinary music" but "the opera never for a moment works as the mystic revelation it pretends to be. … It is very wondrous to contemplate—wondrous, that is, when it is not just silly" (Griffiths 1985b). Andrew Porter, on the contrary, found the "variety of forces, forms, textures, and matter … a strength and a pleasure", and the "somewhat ramshackle construction saves the work from solemn pretentiousness. There's even a playful quality about much of it, although its essential seriousness is not in doubt and inner musical integrity is not compromised" (Porter 1985, 127). Porter concludes,
hearing and seeing the drama is an engrossing, enjoyable, and elevating adventure. Ear, mind, and spirit are engaged. And, as I suggested, moments of jokiness, naïveté—silliness, even—save the work from being unbearably solemn: Stockhausen-Sarastro has a vein of Papageno in him. There is a great deal to listen to and to watch. Some of the spans, especially in the last scene, are traversed slowly. But things happen; the music doesn't fall into simplistic repetitions or numbing stasis. There are counterpoints to follow. There are supple melodies and rich harmonies. There are wonderful sounds—new and stirring sounds. The score is a culmination of the marvellous musics—in whose making Michael's vision, Lucifer's technical skills, and the inspiration of Eve's love seem to have conspired—that have poured from Stockhausen during the last thirty years. … But what matters most now is the excitement of entering this huge, ambitious work, responding to its sounds and sights, trying to understand it, and feeling, perhaps, that it is—by intention at least—something like a Divine Comedy and a Comédie Humaine in one. (Porter 1985, 131)
Discography
- Stockhausen: Donnerstag aus Licht. Annette Meriweather (soprano); Robert Gambill, Michael Angel, Paul Sperry (tenors); Elizabeth Clarke, Alain Louafi (speakers); Markus Stockhausen (trumpet); Suzanne Stephens (basset horn); Alain Damiens (clarinet); Michel ArrignonMichel ArrignonMichel Arrignon is a French clarinetist and professor of clarinet at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris.Arrignon studied at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris. He played in the Orchestre Mondial des Jeunesses Musicales and won second prize in the Geneva...
(clarinet and basset horn); Hugo Read, Simon Stockhausen (soprano saxophones); Mark Tezak (trombone); Majella Stockhausen (piano); Ensemble InterContemporainEnsemble InterContemporainThe Ensemble InterContemporain is a French chamber orchestra, based in Paris at the Cité de la musique and IRCAM, which specialises in contemporary classical music....
; Choir of the West German Radio, Cologne; Hilversum Radio Choir; Péter EötvösPeter EötvösPéter Eötvös is a Hungarian composer and conductor.Eötvös was born in Odorheiu Secuiesc/Székelyudvarhely, Szeklerland, Transylvania . He studied composition in Budapest and Cologne. From 1962, he composed for film in Hungary. Eötvös played regularly with the Stockhausen Ensemble between 1968 and...
(conductor and Hammond organ); Karlheinz Stockhausen (conductor and sound projection). DG 2740 272 (4 LPs); DGG 423 379-2 (4CDs). Hamburg: Polydor International, 1983. Reissued Stockhausen Complete Edition, CD 33 A–D (4CDs). Kürten: Stockhausen-Verlag, 1992. - Schöpfung und Erschöpfung. Musik in Deutschland 1950–2000. Mauricio Kagel; Karlheinz Stockhausen. CD. 74321 73635 2. [Munich]: BMG Ariola Classics, 2003. Includes Examen, act 1 scene 3 from Donnerstag aus Licht (Julian Pike, tenor; Markus Stockhausen, trumpet; Suzanne Stephens, basset horn; Majella Stockhausen, piano; Annette Meriweather, soprano; Nicholas Isherwood, bass; Elizabeth Clarke and Alain Louafi, speakers; Karlheinz Stockhausen, sound projection.
- Karlheinz Stockhausen: Unsichtbare Chöre / Invisible Choirs /Chœrs Invisibles vom / from / de Donnerstag aus Licht. West German Radio Chorus (prepared by Herbert Schernus, Godfried Ritter, Karlheinz Stockhausen); Suzanne Stephens (clarinets); Karlheinz Stockhausen (musical direction, sound projectionm and tape mixdown). DG (LP) 419432-1; CD 419 432-2. Hamburg: Polydor International, 1986. Reissued, Stockhausen Complete Edition CD 31. Kürten: Stockhausen-Verlag, 1992.
- Karlheinz Stockhausen: Michaels Reise um die Erde: Solisten-Version für einen Trompeter, 9 Mitspieler und Klangregisseur (1977/78). Markus Stockhausen (trumpet), Suzanne Stephens (basset horn), Ian Stuart (clarinet), Lesley Schatzberger (clarinet and basset horn), Michael Svoboda (trombone and baritone horn), Kathinka PasveerKathinka Pasveer-Biography:Kathinka Pasveer was born in Zaandam, North Holland, the daughter of a conductor who also taught at the Amsterdam Conservatory . She studied with Frans Vester at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, where she received her performer's diploma, with the distinction of the Nicolai Prize in...
(alto flute), Andreas Boettger (percussion), Isao Nakamura (percussion), Michael Obst, Simon Stockhausen (synthesizers), Karlheinz Stockhausen (sound projection). ECM New Series 1406 437 188-2 (Japan release CD POCC-1008). Munich: ECM Records GmbH, 1992. - Karlheinz Stockhausen Musik für Klarinette, Baßklarinette, Bassetthorn: Suzee Stephens spielt 15 Kompositionen. With Kathinka Pasveer (alto flute), Joachim Krist (viola), Majella Stockhausen (piano), Julian Pike (tenor), Markus Stockhausen (trumpet), and Simon Stockhausen (synthesizer). (Includes Tanze Luzefa! for basset horn, Bijou for alto flute, bass clarinet, and tape, Mondeva for tenor and basset horn, and Mission unf Himmelfahrt for trumpet and basset horn, all from Donnerstag aus Licht.) Stockhausen Complete Edition CD 32 A–C (3 CDs). Kürten: Stockhausen-Verlag, 1994.
- Markus Stockhausen Plays Karlheinz Stockhausen. Markus Stockhausen (trumpet), Nick de Groot (double bass), Annette Meriweather (soprano). (Halt from Michaels Reise um die Erde, for trumpet and double bass; Aries fron Sirius, for trumpet and electronic music; In Freundschaft for trumpet; Pietà from Dienstag aus Licht for flugelhorn and soprano.) EMI Classics (CD) 5 56645 2. Cologne: EMI Electrola GmbH, 1998. Reissued Stockhausen Complete Edition CD 60. Kürten: Stockhausen-Verlag.
- Karlheinz Stockhausen: Bass Clarinet and Piano. Volker Hemken (bass clarinet), Steffen Schleiermacher (piano). (Tanze Luzefa!, from Michaels Jugend, act 1 of Donnerstag aus Licht; Klavierstücke VII, VIII, and IX; In Freundschaft for bass clarinet; Tierkreis for bass clarinet and piano, with toy piano and music box.) DG Scene (CD) MDG 613 1451-2. Detmold: Dabringhaus und Grimm Audiovision, 2007.
- Stockhausen: Michael's Farewell. John Wallace (trumpet), Andrew Powell (live electronics). (Karlheinz Stockhausen, Michael's Farewell from Donnerstag aus Licht; Andrew Powell, Plasmogeny II; Roger Smalley, Echo III; Tim Souster, The Transistor Radio of St. Narcissus.) Deux-Elles CD DXL 1039. Reading: Deux-Elles Limited, 2002.
- Tara Bouman, Klarinette, Bassetthorn: Contemporary. (CD) DeutschlandRadio Aktivraum AR 50101. Cologne: Aktivraum Musik, 2003. Includes Mission und Himmelfahrt from Michaels Reise um die Erde, from Donnerstag aus Licht, with Markus Stockhausen (trumpet).
Filmography
- Davies, RussellRussell DaviesRobert Russell Davies , known as Russell Davies, is a British journalist and broadcaster. He presents a Sunday radio programme on BBC Radio 2 which spotlights popular song, as well as Brain of Britain on Radio 4.-Background:...
(presenter). 1985. Arts Review. Segment "Opera: Donnerstag by Karlheinz Stockhausen" includes studio discussion with Bernard WilliamsBernard WilliamsSir Bernard Arthur Owen Williams was an English moral philosopher, described by The Times as the most brilliant and most important British moral philosopher of his time. His publications include Problems of the Self , Moral Luck , Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy , and Truth and Truthfulness...
, Judith WeirJudith WeirJudith Weir CBE, is a British composer.-Biography:Her music has been appreciated by audiences and critics alike. She trained with John Tavener while still at school and subsequently with Robin Holloway at King's College, Cambridge, graduating in 1976...
, and Michael NymanMichael NymanMichael Laurence Nyman, CBE is an English composer of minimalist music, pianist, librettist and musicologist, known for the many film scores he wrote during his lengthy collaboration with the filmmaker Peter Greenaway, and his multi-platinum soundtrack album to Jane Campion's The Piano...
, and a filmed interview with Stockhausen by Peter HeyworthPeter HeyworthPeter Lawrence Frederick Heyworth was an American-born English music critic and biographer. He wrote the definitive biography of Otto Klemperer and was a prominent supporter of avant-garde music....
. BBC2 (21 September, 7:40–8:30pm). - Examen vom Donnerstag aus Licht. José Montes-Baquer, dir. Cologne: WDR, 1990.
- Michaels Reise um die Erde. Markus Stockhausen (trumpet), Symphony Orchestra of the RAI Rome, Karlheinz Stockhausen (cond.). Rome: RAI, 1979.
- Michaels Reise um die Erde. Soloists’ Version. Cologne: WDR, 1990.
- Michaels Reise um die Erde. Marco Blaauw (Michael, trumpet), Nicola Jürgensen (Eve, basset horn), Carl Rosman and Fie Schouten (Swallow pair, clarinets). Carlus Padrissa, stage director. Roland Olbeter, art director. Chu Uroz, costumes. MusikFabrik, Peter Rundel, conductor. Thomas Ulrich, script editor. János Darvas, director. WDR for Wiener Festwochen, 2009.