Ceremonial Fattening for Death and Resurrection
Halim El-Dabh
About this work:
Composed for Dr. David DeBolt and the Kent Bassoon Ensemble (Kent State University, Kent, Ohio), and premiered on August 15, 1991 at Towson State University in Towson, Maryland, for the 20th Anniversary conference of the International Double Reed Society. Like many of the composer's works (most notably his "Opera Flies," which was written in response to the Kent State tragedy of 1970), "Ceremonial Fattening for Death and Resurrection" comments on current political events. Composed during the 1991 Gulf War, the work is an examination of a geopolitical reality that the composer describes thus:
"It seems that the United States has a tendency to support, or 'fatten', ruthless leaders such as Saddam Hussein, Manuel Noriega, or Mobutu Sese Seko. But if they grow too powerful or unruly, they will be deposed, and immediately replaced by a nearly identical leader (the 'resurrection' of the title). The entire process is endlessly repeated in nations around the world, in a manner resembling a ritual."
This idea is echoed in the Ancient Greek legend of Clytemnestra, who fattened her husband, king Agamemnon, enticing him with the use of a red carpet to a ceremonial bath in which she murdered him, after which he returned as a ghost. Appropriately, the work draws on musical elements from El-Dabh's 1958 score for Martha Graham's epic dance drama "Clytemnestra."
A similar story is also found in the mythology of Ancient Egypt, in which the god Osiris is tricked by his brother Set into entering a decorated wooden box, then killed by being cut into fourteen pieces. With the assistance of his wife Isis and son Horus, Osiris was put back together and resurrected.
Unpublished manuscript. Contact the composer directly if you are interested in this work.
Year composed: 1991
Duration: 00:00:00
Ensemble type: Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice:Other Combinations, 2-5 players
Instrumentation: 4 Bassoon, 1 Contrabassoon