Sheet Music: ScoreString quartet No. 2 : "And once I played Ophelia", for soprano and string quartet / music: Brett Dean ; text: Matthew Jocelyn (after Shakespeare's "Hamlet").Also known as: And once I played Ophelia by Brett Dean (2013)
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Matthew Jocelyn's text utilizes not only Ophelia's own words from
Shakespeare's Hamlet but also words directed towards, or said
about her, from the confronting invective of Hamlet's "Get thee
to a nunnery" or his exalted love poem, "Doubt thou the stars are
fire" through to the condescending life directives handed out by
her father, Polonius ("Best safety lies in fear"; "Do not believe
his vows") and Gertrude's lyrical description of her suicide.
("There is a willow…")
Through a suite of five short movements performed without a
break, a concise portrait of Shakespeare's troubled and elusive
young character emerges. As we discussed the shape of the work,
Matthew and I saw it increasingly as an examination of what
remains in our memory and understanding of this secondary, yet
utterly pivotal role "after all the Ophelias have played
Ophelia."
Though traditionally portrayed as a meek, even weak character,
often dressed in flowing white robes and unable to defend herself
before the pressures of Elsinore cause her to snap, I've often
felt that much of what she says betrays a feistier personality
than the one we often are presented. ("And I that sucked from his
musicked vows…")
And perhaps, just perhaps, Ophelia drowns not from a
romantically-fed whim or madness, but simply because of the pure
weight of the words others say about her caught irrevocably in
her pockets.
Hence I sensed the drama of a string quartet complemented by a
high soprano voice, at times in combat with the forces around
her, at times lulled, accompanied, even defeated by them, formed
a suitable musical metaphor for this "ministering angel" and the
strange, beguiling spell she casts over us.
© Brett Dean, 2014
Published by: Australian Music Centre (under licence from Boosey & Hawkes) — 1 score (39p. -- B4 (landscape))
Difficulty: Advanced
Duration: 17 mins
Commissioned by Australian String Quartet, Britten Sinfonia, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival.
First performance by Allison Bell, Britten Sinfonia — 2 May 14. The Assembly House, Norwich, UK
Includes program notes.
Text by Matthew Jocelyn after William Shakespeare's Hamlet.
Typeset edition.
This edition produced May 14.
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Score & Part: String quartet No. 2 : "And once I played Ophelia", for soprano and string quartet / music: Brett Dean ; text: Matthew Jocelyn (after Shakespeare's "Hamlet").
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