The Magic of Korngold

When one thinks of opera, one thinks of people in wigs singing to the old aristocracy, one thinks of Mozart's conflicts, quartets, and his metaphors of society, one thinks of Wagner's mythological masterpieces and revolutionary harmonic writing, and one thinks of Beethoven's ideas of justice, humanity, and love over oppression. But what about the psychology of a man, the tormenting demons of lost love and guilt? Few operas take on such challenging material. However, Viennese composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold took on that challenge when he wrote what would become his only full scale opera, Die tote Stadt, or, The Dead City.

The story of Die tote Stadt is based on a 1892 novel and subsequent play by Belgian author Georges Rodenbach, under the title of Bruges-la-Morte (The Dead City of Bruges). The play was later translated into German by Siegfried Trebitsch who was a close friend of Erich Korngold's father, Julius Korngold. One day in 1916, the two men met in the street and talked about a possible adaptation of the play into an opera. When the idea was pitched to the young Erich, who was only 19 at the time, he was delighted at the opportunity. After the first act of the libretto was written by Trebitsch to Erich's dissatisfaction, he and his father decided to write the libretto themselves under the pseudoym Paul Schott. Korngold started writing the music soon after, and the opera did not have its' premier until 1920.

The story tells of a man named Paul who cannot come to terms with the recent death of his young wife Marie. He keeps a "Temple of Memories" devoted to her complete with photographs, a painting, clothing, and a lock of her hair. Paul soon meets a young dancer girl named Marietta who looks exactly like Marie, and, believing that this is his wife, invites her back to his house. When she arrives, she is put off by his odd behavior but insists on charming Paul. However, she soon realizes his secret and leaves. Paul, driven to a state of extreme anxiety, suffers a horrific vision which begins with a visit from the ghost of his dead wife. The ghost tells him not to forget her and he is torn between his loyalty to his wife and his new affection for Marietta. The vision continues as he alienates his friends with the pursuit of Marietta. Eventually, Paul, still hallucinating, yields to Marietta and they engage in a passionate embrace. As the vision continues, we find Paul living with Marietta at his house. They quarrel as she becomes fed up with his continuing obsession with Marie. Marietta soon begins to taunt Paul by dancing seductively holding the lock of Marie's hair. In a fit of rage, Paul grabs Marietta, throws her to ground, strangles her with the hair, and kills her. After this, he awakes from his vision and realizes his unhealthy obsession. His friend Frank invites him to leave the "Dead City" and he answers, "I will try." The story ends with Paul casting one more look around his "Temple of Memories" before leaving the room for the last time.

Musically, Die tote Stadt is nothing short of amazing. Korngold works in a late romantic idiom which has roots in the style of composer Richard Strauss. However, Korngold's approach takes his music to a different realm, a realm that links him to the golden age of Hollywood cinematic film scores. Indeed, Korngold in the 1930's moved to the United States where he became one of the founding fathers of film music.

Here is Marietta's Song, a key central moment in the whole opera:

Filled with romantic passion and dramatic flare, it's hard to imagine this music not accompanying a love scene in a film, especially when one listens to the melody beginning at 4:55. It is one of the most gorgeous passages of music I have ever heard, and if it ever were to be featured in a film, there would not be a dry eye in that theater.

Until next time,

Noah V.M.