History turns into stone: Stravinsky’s neoclassical approach in the opera “Oedipus Rex”

FEBRUARY 15, 2019

10am Hawaii – 12pm PST – 1pm MST – 2pm CST – 3pm EST

Duration: 15 mins

Presented by Jessica Rhee, Portland State University

ABSTRACT

When is a history born? How do concepts of the classical take new forms or embody old principles in different eras? In our present? This presentation will introduce Igor Stravinsky’s neoclassical approach in his opera, “Oedipus Rex”, and discuss its relationship between history and style. Composed in 1929, “Oedipus Rex” is based on the Greek tragedy and is performed in Latin with the libretto written by Jean Cocteau. Stravinsky complemented these classical elements with musical equivalents drawn from Handel and Verdi. Various narratives of time are reframed from Stravinsky’s perspective to voice the past and reflect the present’s distance from history in this modernist work. Stravinsky’s treatment of style and language, musically and linguistically, raises questions in relation to historical consciousness and the role of classical works.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Neoclassicism – неоклассицизм
Historical consciousness – историческое сознание
Stylization – стилизация
Antiquity – античность
External attributes – внешние атрибуты
Reproduction – воспроизведение
Imitation – подражание
Recreate – воссоздавать

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