Elisabeth

From Wind Repertory Project
Sylvester Levay

Sylvester Levay (arr. Johan de Meij)


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Subtitle: The Musical


General Info

Year: 1992 / 2000
Duration: c. 8:30
Difficulty: IV (see Ratings for explanation)
Original Medium: Orchestra
Publisher: Amstel Music
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - €140.00   |   Score Only (print) - €29.50


Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe I-II
English Horn
Bassoon I-II
E-flat Soprano Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
E-flat Alto Clarinet
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Trumpet I-II-III-IV
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II
Bass Trombone
Euphonium
Tuba I-II
String Bass
Piano/Harp/Organ/Keyboard
Timpani
Percussion

(percussion detail desired)


Errata

None discovered thus far.


Program Notes

The world premiere of the musical Elisabeth took place in Vienna on September 3, 1992. From the great acclaim with which the musical was received, it became clear that the life of the Empress of Austria still appeals to the imagination.

Although Elisabeth's life (1837-1898) as an empress has a fairy-tale-like beginning, it takes a gloomy turn. In this production, Luigi Lucheni, the man who finally takes her life, tells her story. Death plays a major role throughout Elisabeth's life. In the musical, an equally mysterious and attractive man portrays the phenomenon of death, seducing her to the realm of death time after time. Elisabeth's life resembles a fairy tale when she marries the Emperor Franz Joseph at the age of sixteen. Her mother-in-law, Archduchess Sophie, does not make it easy on Elisabeth. But it is life itself that puts the Empress to the test. First, her youngest daughter dies. Then, not long after her son Rudolf is born, her happiness is clouded when her mother-in-law decides she must take pity on him. After her husband's unfaithfulness and Sophie's death, Elisabeth is so disillusioned that she chooses a travelling existence without realizing her husband and her son, Rudolf, miss her. Rudolf's loneliness is one of the reasons he commits suicide. The accumulation of disappointments in Elisabeth's life almost drives her into the arms of Death. In the end, however, it is Lucheni who kills her.

- Program Note from publisher


Elisabeth is a Viennese, German-language musical commissioned by the Vereinigte Bühnen Wien (VBW), with book/lyrics by Michael Kunze and music by Sylvester Levay. It portrays the life and death of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, wife of Emperor Franz Joseph I. It has been translated into seven languages and seen by over ten million spectators worldwide, making it the most successful German-language musical of all time.

- Program Note from Wikipedia


Media


State Ratings

None discovered thus far.


Performances

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Works for Winds by This Composer


Resources