Techniques for working with poetic text in M. Feldman’s opera “Neither” to the libretto by S. Beckett in the context of anti-opera aesthetics
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33910/2686-830X-2023-5-2-84-96Keywords:
Feldman, Beckett, “Neither”, anti-opera aesthetics, mono-opera, depersonalization, “pure duration”Abstract
M. Feldman’s opera “Neither” based on S. Beckett’s libretto is one of the striking examples of “anti-opera” aesthetics in the music of the 20th century. The work is distinguished by the maximum depersonalization of the only character in the opera and the absence of any theatrical specificity (plot, stage action, etc.). At the same time, comparing “Neither” with the experimental works of Feldman’s contemporaries, one can notice that the concept of the work is between traditional opera and its negation.
This article is devoted to the analysis of the composer’s methods of working with poetic text from the point of view of the role they play in the embodiment of the original concept of the opera. During the analysis, it is possible to find out that with the help of a number of techniques the effect of depersonalization is achieved, which is the key point of the concept of the opera. An analysis of Feldman’s methods of working with poetic test allows us to identify fundamental differences between the vocal parts in “Neither” and A. Schoenberg’s “Erwartung”. The author of the study comes to the conclusion that Feldman’s music creates the effect of immersion into the deep layers of the psyche. The article also traces the similarity of Feldman’s concept of time, based on the intrinsic value of each moment and the absence of cause-and-effect relationships between them, with the idea of “pure duration” by A. Bergson.
The opera “Neither” can also serve as an example of an original solution to the idea of overcoming the subject-object duality of worldview, which is relevant for the artistic culture of the 20th century. The author of the article puts forward the assumption that Feldman saw the process of overcoming subject-object boundaries as a transformation of individual consciousness rather than as its destruction.
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