Twentieth Century Opera.

Just as in art, the twentieth century saw many experiments with different styles. Perhaps it was Arnold Schoenberg's innovations in what is termed atonality which created most sensation. This Austrian and later American composer was also associated with the Expressionist movement in German poetry and art, and was the leader of the Second Viennese School. His operas include Erwartung (1924), a monodrama for soprano and orchestra, Die Glückliche Hand (1924) and Moses und Aron (unfinished, 1932). This last work has its roots in his agitprop play, Der Biblische Weg, which can be seen as a response to the growing anti-Jewish movements in the German-speaking world after 1848.

Among the many prominent musicians who studied under Schoenberg, Alban Berg emerged to combine the Romanticism of Mahler with a personal adaptation of his teacher's twelve-tone technique. Although initially more interested in literature than music, he went on to produce compositions for piano, chamber, orchestra and vocal. Work on his first opera, Wozzeck (1925) began in 1914, but it was not until he was on leave from his regiment towards the end of World War I that he was able to devote more attention to it. It is regarded as the first "avant garde" opera of the C20th, and quickly became established in the repertoire of the major European opera houses. His second opera, Lulu (1937) was incomplete on his death. It is based on Frank Wedekind's plays Erdgeist (Earth Spirit, 1895) and Die Büchse der Pandora (Pandora's Box, 1904). Its structure is said to be that of a mirror: Lulu's popularity in the first act is mirrored by the squalor she lives in during Act III, and this is emphasised by Lulu's husbands in Act I being played by the same singers as her clients in Act III.

Dissonant harmonies were a characteristic of another German-speaking composer, Richard Strauss. He was considered a leading composer of the Romantic opera in the early C20th, and gained wide renown for his operas, Salomé (1905), Electra (1909), Der Rosenkavalier (1911), Ariadne auf Naxos (1912) and Die Frau ohne Schatten (1919). He wrote all but the first of these in collaboration with the poet Hugo von Hofmannsthal. Like Wagner, there is much controversy surrounding Strauss's role in Germany as a political figure. Some say that he was constantly apolitical, and never cooperated with the Nazis completely. Others point out that he was an official of the Third Reich. Several noted musicians disapproved of his conduct while the Nazis were in power, among them the conductor Arturo Toscanini, who is quoted as having said, "To Strauss the composer I take off my hat; to Strauss the man I put it back on again." (See: Kennedy, Michael. Review of "A Confidential Matter: The Letters of Richard Strauss and Stefan Zweig, 1931-1935". Music & Letters, Vol. 59, No. 4, October 1978. pp. 472-475.)

Suggestion and atmosphere rather than strong emotion or the depiction of a story, the use of dissonance and uncommon scales feature in the work of the French pianist and composer, Claude Debussy (1862-1918). His only completed opera is Pelléas et Mélisande (1902) whose libretto was adopted from the Symbolist play of the same name by Maurice Maeterlinck. The plot concerns a love triangle. Prince Golaud finds a mysterious young woman, Mélisande, lost in a forest. He marries her and brings her back to the castle of his grandfather, King Arkel of Allemonde. Here, Mélisande becomes increasingly attached to Golaud’s younger half-brother Pelléas, arousing Golaud’s jealousy. Golaud goes to great lengths to find out the truth about Pelléas and Mélisande’s relationship, even forcing his own child, Yniold, to spy on the couple. Pelléas decides to leave the castle but arranges to meet Mélisande one last time and the two finally confess their love for one another. Golaud, who has been eavesdropping, rushes out and kills Pelléas. Mélisande dies shortly after, having given birth to a daughter, with Golaud still begging her to tell him “the truth”.

Operatic composers who have emerged since World War II include Gian-Carlo Menotti. This Italian-American composer and librettist created, amongst other works, The Medium (1946), The Consul (1950), and Amahl and the Night Visitors . This last opus was commissioned by NBC television.

George Gershwin was another American composer whose works spanned both popular and classical genres. His most ambitious composition was Porgy and Bess (1935) which was created with his brother, Ira. Gershwin called it a "folk opera," and it is now widely regarded as the most important American opera of the twentieth century. Based on the novel Porgy by DuBose Heyward, the action takes place in the fictional all black neighborhood of Catfish Row in Charleston, South Carolina. With the exception of several minor speaking roles, all of the characters are black. The music combines elements of popular music of the day, which was strongly influenced by black music, with techniques found in opera, such as recitative and leitmotivs.

Another English-speaking composer who became internationally accepted was the Englishman Benjamin Britten. His first operatic success was Peter Grimes (1945), followed by The Rape of Lucretia (1946). Britten's other works include Billy Budd (after Melville's story, 1951), The Turn of the Screw (after Henry James's story, 1954), A Midsummer Night's Dream (1960), and Death in Venice (after the novella by Thomas Mann, 1973). He also worked with the Anglo-American poet, W H Auden, for the 1939 documentary film, Night Mail. In 1937, he was to meet the tenor Peter Pears, who became his musical collaborator and inspiration as well as his life partner.

W H Auden wrote the libretto for the cosmopolitan Russian composer, Igor Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress (1951). It is based loosely on the eight paintings and engravings A Rake's Progress (1733–1735) of William Hogarth. The story concerns the decline and fall of Tom Rakewell, who deserts Anne Trulove for the delights of London in the company of Nick Shadow, who turns out to be the Devil. After several misadventures, all initiated by the devious Shadow, Tom ends up in Bedlam, a psychiatric hospital south of London. The moral of the tale is: "For idle hearts and hands and minds the Devil finds a work to do." The music is described as "direct but quirky", and it harks back to the themes of Monteverdi, Gluck and Mozart.

Sources:
Del Ser Guillén, M. La Ópera del Siglo XX desde la perspectiva del conexto musical. Iniciación a la Ópera. 2008-2009. Talleres y Cursos Culturales. ULPGC.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alban_Berg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alban_Berg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Britten
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Debussy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gershwin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igor_Stravinsky#Composition
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menotti
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pell%C3%A9as_et_M%C3%A9lisande_(opera)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Strauss

Image: Red Gaze by Arnold Schoenberg.