Die Eroberung von Mexico

Die Eroberung von Mexico
Opera by Wolfgang Rihm
Wolfgang Rihm, in 2007
Translation	The Conquest of Mexico
Librettist	Rihm
Language	German
Based on	Antonin Artaud's 1932 text, La conquête du Mexique
Premiere	9 February 1992 (1992-02-09) Hamburg State Opera

Die Eroberung von Mexico (The Conquest of Mexico) is an opera in four acts by Wolfgang Rihm, premiered at the Hamburg State Opera on 9 February 1992.

The libretto, by the composer, is based on Antonin Artaud's 1932 text, La conquête du Mexique, but also included elements of Artaud's Le théâtre de Séraphin and of poetry by Octavio Paz (his 1937 poem, "The Root of Man"). The work also cites an Aztec poem believed to be from the early 16th century, originally written in Nahuatl. The opera, which Rihm himself refers to as a 'music-drama', centres on the encounter between the invader Cortez and the Aztec ruler Montezuma, which was conceived by Rihm as 'an encounter with the Self'. Montezuma (sung by a soprano) has his words echoed by two other female voices offstage, whilst those of Cortez are echoed by two speaking roles.^[1][2]

Cortez arrives in Mexico and determines to conquer it; Montezuma presages disaster.^[4]

Cortez enters the empty city - he begins to doubt his own reality. Meeting Montezuma, Cortez's attempts at communication break down. He taunts Montezuma's idol worship, whilst Montezuma realizes that the Spaniards are only after gold. La Malinche (danced role), (who was in fact the interpreter between the two), fails to re-establish dialogue.

Montezuma is increasingly mentally disturbed. Cortez produces a screaming man who enters Montezuma's body. In torment, Montezuma delivers a long address in which his two 'alternative' voices and the female choir also join.

Montezuma has died: Cortez dreams before his statue and experiences a dissolution of his own personality. Montezuma's funeral commences and this sparks off the Aztecs and Spaniards to massacre each other (an event which did not take place in history). The male and female choruses chant the ancient Nahuatl poem. When all are dead, the voices of Cortez and Montezuma are heard in duet for the first time, singing the last verse of the poem by Paz.^[5]

The opera has been performed in Cologne, Madrid and Frankfurt,^[3] and, in 2015, at the Salzburg Festival.^[1]

Notes

Sources

• Anon (n.d.). "Wolfgang Rihm: Die Eroberung von Mexico", (in German), website of Universal Edition, accessed 9 September 2015.
• Arseni, Christian, tr. Sophie Kidd (2015). "Wolfgang Rihm: Die Eroberung von Mexico", website of Salzburg Festival, accessed 9 September 2015.
• Williams, Alistair (2004). "Voices of the Other: Wolfgang Rihm's Music Drama Die Eroberung von Mexico" (subscription required) in Journal of the Royal Musical Association, Vol. 129, No. 2, pp. 240-271, accessed 9 September 2015.