Duration: full evening
Text by the composer after a drama of the same name by Friedrich Hebbel and texts from the Old Testament
EnglishTranslation: B. Jacobson
Place: In Babylonian Camp outside Bethulian and in der town Bethulian (on both scenes simultaneously)

Characters: Holofernes, Babylonian Army Commander (bassbariton) - Holoferness Commander (bass) - Holofernes Chamberlain (baritone) - Achior, Commander of the Moabiter (baritone) - High Priest (bass) - Nebukadnezars Messenger (tenor) - A Soldier (baritone) - Ephraim, a young Man (tenor) - Osias, Highest Priest (bass) - Daniel, a Gods Jester (tenor) - Ammon, his Brother (baritone) - Hosea (bass) - Judith (soprano) - Mirza, her Maid (alto) - Edoms Ambassador, Moabs Ambassador, Soldiers and Priests, Folk (chorus) - A Slave (Dancer)

Matthus generally follows Hebbels drama, diverging, for example, in the compression of the first three acts into one large simultaneous scene, which shows both the besieged Bethulians and the Assyrians attacking them. We see the protagonists Judith and Holofernes in their privileged positions and respective surroundings, whereby this juxtaposition shows up some surprising parallels. Each is an antagonist to the other with respect to faith, character and way of life. Matthus repeatedly interweaves quotations from the Old Testament such as Psalm verses or parts of the Song of Songs, which give the subject a broader meaning. The close of Hebbels play has been radically changed in Matthuss work: the Bethulians joy at being liberated by Judith, who has beheaded Holofernes, suddenly shifts as they start to plunder the Babylonian camp and ultimately assault Judith. This, too, is drawn in broad strokes. The tragedy of the story does not lie solely in the inner disintegration of the heroine, but also in the unpredictability and cruelty of man per se.


CD/LP:
Eva-Maria Bundschuh (Judith), Werner Haselau (Holofernes) a. o., Rundfunkchor Berlin, Chor und Orchester der Komischen Oper Berlin, cond. Rolf Reuter
2 CDs Magna AV 2200 239 / Berlin Classics 9339-2
LP DMM 725 136-137
Aris Argiris (Baritone), Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen, cond. Siegfried Matthus
CD Siegfried Matthus Beloved Dionysos, Genuin, GEN 89144


Bibliography:

(Anon.:) Balada „Cristobál Colón“ / Matthus „Judith“ In First Performances, in: MadAminA! 2/1990.
Gennrich, Judith: „Ich bin ein Sänger ohne Stimme“. Siegfried Matthus’ Kompositionsweise für die Singstimme am Beispiel der Opern „Die Weise von Liebe und Tod des Cornets Christoph Rilke“ und „Judith“. Musiklehrer-Diplomarbeit Mainz 1997.
Büchter-Römer, Ute: Aspekte des Neuen Musiktheaters und Strategien seiner Vermittlung, Augsburg 1996 (Forum Musikpädagogik, Band 18).
Herbort, Heinz-Josef : Der große Dialog der Monologe, in: DIE ZEIT, 11. Oktober 1985.
Matthus, Siegfried: Musiktheater soll Auge, Ohr und Verstand zugleich beschäftigen, in: Neues Deutschland, 18. März 1981.
ders.: Textvertonungen und musikalischer Affekt. Gespräch mit Ulrike Liedtke, in: Musik und Gesellschaft 3/1984.
ders.: Beschreibung eines Zustandes. Warum komponiere ich eigentlich eine Oper?, in: Neue Zeitschrift für Musik, 6/1989, S. 13f.
Theobald, Christiane: Gedanken zur musikalischen Form der Oper „Judith“, in: Programmheft der Städtischen Bühnen Krefeld/Mönchengladbach zur Inszenierung 1986.