From Nono’s Prometeo to Ferneyhough’s Shadowtime: An Evolution of the Idea of the “Dramma in Musica”

Abstract

The article focuses on two musical performances, the premieres of which were separated from each other by two decades: the “tragedia dell’asciolto” [“tragedy of hearing”] Prometeo (1984‒1985) by Luigi Nono and the musical-stage action Shadowtime (2000‒2004) by Brian Ferneyhough. A comparison of the concepts and their implementation in the musical space of compositions makes it possible for us to conclude that the evolution of the historical genre of dramma per musica into a unique modern phenomenon “dramma in musica” (Jürg Stenzl) is objective in its nature, associated with the tendency clearly outlined in the second half of the 20th century to return opera drama to the experience of the first Italian operas, which are often not distinguishable from the early oratorios. This conclusion is supported by examples from the music composed by some of the leading 20th century composers. In particular, the numerous connections are analyzed between the opera project Hyperion by Bruno Maderna and Prometeo by Nono, on the one hand, and between Prometeo by Nono and Shadowtime by Ferneyhough, on the other. Within the framework of comparative analysis, accents are made the nature of the libretto, the methods of interaction between the textual and the musical content, as well as the peculiarities of the textural organization. The study allows us to come to the conclusion that the development of the opera genre possesses a unique alternative evolutionary line, which led to the emergence of a static opera performance from the point of view of the visual element, marked by an active dynamization of its sound solution.

Keywords: Luigi Nono, Brian Ferneyhough, opera, Prometeo, Shadowtime, choral texture, text and music