The Flood: A musical play (1962) is a short biblical drama by Igor Stravinsky on the allegory of Noah, originally written as a television opera in response to a commission by CBS Television. It is in Stravinsky's late, serial style. The work was premiered in the United States on the CBS Television Network on June 14, 1962, a production conducted by Robert Craft and choreographed by George Balanchine. Robert Craft also conducted the first staged performance, in Hamburg on April 30, 1963.
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Stravinsky on The Flood
About the title of the work, Stravinsky wrote: "Why did I call my work The Flood, instead of Noah? Because Noah is mere history. As a genuine antediluvian he is a great curiosity, but a sideshow curiosity. And even as 'eternal man', the second Adam, the – to Augustinians – Old Testament Christ image, he is less important than the 'Eternal Catastrophe'. The Flood is also 'The Bomb'."
Text
The narrative of The Flood juxtaposes the story of the Creation with that of Noah. The text was compiled by Robert Craft using material from Genesis and the York and Chester cycles of mystery plays. Excerpts from the Te Deum are sung by the chorus.
Scoring
The work is scored for tenor soloist (Lucifer/Satan), two bass soloists (God), several spoken parts (a narrator, Satan, Eve, Noah, a caller, Noah's wife, son of Noah), chorus (SAT) and a large orchestra of 3 flutes (3rd doubling piccolo), 2 cors anglais, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, bass drum, cymbals, xylorimba, 3 tom-toms, xylorimba, harp, celesta, piano and strings. The Flood is published by Boosey & Hawkes.
Movements
The work is in seven parts:
- Prelude
- Melodrama
- The building of the Ark (choreography)
- The catalogue of the animals
- The comedy (Noah and his wife)
- The Flood (choreography)
- The covenant of the rainbow
Recordings
- Robert Craft conducting (in the composer's precence) the Columbia Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, recorded in 1962 for Columbia Masterworks Records, released on CD by Sony Classical Records (SM2K 46300)
- Oliver Knussen conducting the London Sinfonietta on Deutsche Grammophon (DG 447 068-2, released 1995)
References
- Phillip Ramey: Liner notes to Igor Stravinsky Edition, vol. X: Oratorio and Melodrama (Sony Classical SM2K 46300)
- Boosey & Hawkes' information about the score. Retrieved August 16, 2007
- Analysis of The Flood by Andrew Kuster. Retrieved August 16, 2007
