L'ABSENCE (2006-2008)

Elisabeth Reuter: Jabès/Yukel

recordings of different compositions (studies) for "L'Absence" mp3 excerpt "de Yukel à Sarah"  (ensemble "Accroche Note"; conductor: Armand Angster)     mp3 excerpt 1 "Le chiffre 4"  (ensemble CNSM de Paris; conductor: Leonard Ganvert)     mp3 excerpt 2 "Le chiffre 4"  (ensemble CNSM de Paris; conductor: Leonard Ganvert)     mp3 excerpt "Interludien"  (ensemble "Klangexekutive"; conductor: Tammin J. Lee)     mp3 excerpt "cherchée-cherchais"  (Tomasz Wija, baritone and David Santos, prepared piano)

programme notes commissioned by the Musikakademie Rheinsberg and Muenchener Biennale Edmond Jabès was born in Cairo in 1912. In 1957 (during the Suez crisis) he was forced to emigrate to Paris, where he then lived and worked until his death in 1991. His books represent the literary avantgarde, he uses absolutely individual and new forms – like the breaking off or dispersal of the narrative structure for example – at the same time his texts retain a great vividness, a specific emotional density and closeness. They are cryptic, but not reserved or abstract: their poetry is profoundly human. Le Livre des Questions speaks about the great tragedy of the last century. However, it doesn’t contain any historical platitudes – the story remains mostly hidden, but steadily present in the background. It deals with absence and mourning, with the loss of something irretrievable – the unique beloved. Sarah and Yukel are separated. Yukel is searching for Sarah desperately. Maybe she is dead? Her parents were murdered after the deportation. But throughout the book it becomes more and more evident (although only in the form of hints), that she had gone mad because of her tragical experiences. That is why she is not longer in her body. Insanity as a terrible loss of a person, makes Yukel also feeling as half dead. Indeed it means that the initial crime has two more victims, murdered not physically, but in their souls. And yet Le Livre des Questions is not only negative or pessimistic: on the contrary it creates its deep and fatal impression by a beautiful and sensuous language. – Je n’entends pas le cri, dit Sarah. Je suis le cri. Edmond Jabès, Le Livre des Questions, p. 187, © Éditions Gallimard The story is partly told by a narrator, who seems to be the author, but sometimes to be an older double of Yukel. The structure of the text reminds of the Talmud: again and again a choir of imaginary rabbis appears, giving contradictory commentaries. The continuity is abolished. In its open form the book seems to be work in progress. Due to this openness, I think, the subject has a high potential for the stage – the mystical features increase the impact on the audience. The ambiguity, the tension between hope and illusion fascinate me a lot. Shadows and twilight are used as the possibility for imagination. The light reveals the absence. For the libretto I chose several excerpts – chronologically corresponding to the book – which are in its poetic language strongly suggestive on the one hand, but on the other hand I also selected passages, which contain action for the stage. The stage design shall be marked by a wall, which has several functions: its general meaning is to be a mechitsa – the deviding wall used by many orthodox Jewish communities, where men and women have to be separated. So during the whole opera it separates Yukel from Sarah. But the wall is also used as a surface for projections – for the graffitis in the 2. Act (MORT AUX JUIFS) for example, or for shadows. The material of the wall must be some kind of translucent paper, so that silhouettes can be seen behind. Especially the shadow of Sarah plays a significant role (as it is the only thing seen from her in the 1. Act – the idea of shadows appears very often in the book). In the best case the stage should be revolving - if it is not possible to organize a revolving stage, the wall (or the walls) itself (themselves) could be on castors – small wheels – to give the illusion of rotation. The rabbis could move them. The singer „Sarah“ (soprano) has a double as a dancer. This „Sarah II“ is very important: she is dancing for the shadows, but in the end (5. Act) the evidence of the schizophrenic Sarah is given by both Sarahs being simultaneously on the stage. Paintings inspired by Edmond Jabès' "Le Livre des Questions" by Elisabeth Naomi Reuter The music of the opera is structurated by the influence of traditional Jewish music, but this will never be obviously although it will always be in the underground. The influence can be seen in several parameters: like rhythmical structures that faintly remind of old Jewish dances or special forms like the so called doina, a highly structured free-metered improvisatory form together with a following fast dance. The manner of singing will be influenced by different aspects of Jewish music: like the tradition of cantillation – the special way of chanting or intonation used for the public recital of the Holy Scriptures within the synagogue service. The harmonic sphere will be connected with the Jewish scales or modes which are part of liturgical chant as well as folk songs. The specific tradition of micro-tonality as well as the usage of glissandi, vibrati, appogiatura and other ornaments as means of expression will help to create musical characters of the opera. I was also influenced by works of composers of the New Jewish School (see www.musica-judaica.com). I wrote several studies for the opera: „de Yukel à Sarah“, which was performed at the Strasbourg festival „Musica“ on September 30th by „Accroche note“ - the music will be integrated into the 3rd act. „Interludien“ (2006) as interludes for the 1st, 2nd and 4th act. „Le chiffre 4“ (2008) as a study for the end of the 2nd act and „cherchée-cherchais“ (2008) for the epilogue. I wrote the opera in two versions: in french and german (translated by Henriette Beese) - with kindly permission of Éditions Gallimard Paris and Suhrkamp Verlag Frankfurt. The opera "L'Absence" is dedicated to my teacher Walter Zimmermann.

press

journal Conservatoire National et Supérieur de Paris - about the premiere of "Le chiffre 4" November 2008

Enquête de sens Plus personelle et appartenant à un projet de grand envergure, la pièce de Sarah Nemtsov (Berlin), tranche par la question identitaire qu'elle soulève. En reposant sur Le livre des questions de l'écrivain juif Edmond Jabès, la compositrice a choisi de nous présenter une étude pour son opéra à venir Yukel et Sarah [Arbeitstitel - jetzt "L'Absence"]. Subtil jeu de cache-cache entre les instruments, couleurs harmoniques personelles et instrumentation délicate (à part peut-être le solo d'accordéon), Le chiffre 4 est une pièce bien construite et très touchante. Aurélien Dumont

The planned and announced premiere of "L'Absence" on May 29th 2009 at the Theater Rheinsberg - as well as further performances on 6th and 7th June - had to be cancelled because of financial reasons. The premiere will be 2012 at Muenchener Biennale .