"A Magical Moment" Medea Premiered at the Vienna State Opera

"An opera première turns into a magical moment: Aribert Reimann's Medea at the Vienna State Opera." This is how the critic of Die Welt described the evening of the 28th February in Vienna. An opera evening that is rare in the world of music and united both critics and audience:

"Frenetic applause, it seems to go on and on and on - in fact, it lasts about twenty-five minutes: a great triumph for new music." (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung)

For the Austrian Kurier, Medea is "a magnificent work of music-theatre and the composer Aribert Reimann a master of his trade. If any evidence had been necessary that it is still possible to write attractive operas for a large audience whose tastes are largely conservative, the maestro from Berlin has provided it." And Der Standard adds: "Aribert Reimann has managed to write a compact, colourful work which clearly bears traces of decades of music-theatre experience, yet also kindles a musical fire which is not necessarily present in many a mature late work."

The Salzburger Nachrichten sounds almost relieved that "it still exists, the contemporary opera as a festival of the voices, with exciting music, with a gripping, archetypal story and an intensity of emotions, which does not let the listener's attention wander for a moment. On Sunday, the world premiere of Medea ended with prolonged unanimous cheers for everyone involved in this performance. With this commission for the Vienna State Opera, the German composer Aribert Reimann has scored an admirable hit."

In all reviews, special admiration is given to the singer of the title role: "The fact that the Berlin composer knew for whom he wrote the roles was fortunate, particularly for his Medea Marlis Petersen, as once Fischer-Dieskau was his Lear", wrote the Frankfurter Rundschau, "overwhelming how she lets tricky vocal lines gleam, how her interpretation changes between burning love and degredation", said the Wiener Zeitung.

Schott Music congratulates all participants on this brilliant success!

• Aribert Reimann - Profile
  
• More Information on Medea
  
• Website of the Vienna State Opera

_{photos: Marlis Petersen and  Elisabeth Kulman (top - photo: Wiener Staatsoper / Axel Zeininger), Marlis Petersen and Adrian Eröd (center - photo: Wiener Staatsoper / Axel Zeininger), Aribert Reimann and Marlis Petersen (bottom - photo: Peter Andersen)}