The trial, the condemnation, the cover-up: behind the scenes of Brecht/Dessau's Lucullus opera(s)

Joy H. Calico

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Musicology and Musical Analysis Theater, Performance, and Music History Literature, Musicology, and Cultural Analysis

Abstract

According to conventional wisdom, East German censorship of The Trial Of Lucullus (1951) required that composer Paul Dessau and librettist Bertolt Brecht completely overhaul the opera before it could be re-premièred later that year as The Condemnation Of Lucullus. However, archival sources prove that the two versions are virtually identical, suggesting that the attendant controversy was adroitly managed by East German officials to appease both internal/Soviet and the external/Western audiences. Analysis of several versions of scene 8 demonstrates that Dessau revised far more before the first première than after, and examines his use of musical style to symbolize sociopolitical status.

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