Odysseus and Ajax: Chamber Opera in One Act
Martin Halpern
About this work:
Freely adapted from Sophocles'play "Ajax," the opera focuses on humanistic themes that still resonate today: the sufferings of the common man compelled to fight in a war not of his making; the impermanence of the human condition, subject to forces beyond our control; and the idea that extreme egotism, when thwarted, can drive an otherwise worthy man like Ajax to madness and then to suicide, while a man like Odysseus, responding to higher moral guidance, can curb his ego and act toward those less fortunate than he with empathy and charity.
Cast: Athena, goddess of wisdom, mezzo-soprano; Odysseus,tenor; Ajax, baritone; Tecmessa, Ajax's wife, soprano; Agamemnon, bass; three Salaminian Sailors, tenor, baritone, bass.
Setting: The Greek camp outside Troy during the last year of the Trojan War. Scene I: an area before Ajax's tent. Scene II: a barren place on the shore.
Version: Piano-Vocal Score, revised 2005
Year composed: 2002
Duration: 00:50:00
Ensemble type: Opera/Theater:Chamber Opera, Two or More Singers
Instrumentation: 1 Piano, ,1 Soprano soloist(s), ,1 Mezzo-Soprano soloist(s), 2 Tenor, 2 Baritone, 2 Bass