Description
Long overshadowed by her towering legacy as one of the 20th century's most influential music teachers, Nadia Boulanger's creative voice as a composer is rediscovered in La vulle morte (The Dead City) - a haunting opera of passion, loss, and psychological intensity. Composed in collaboration with Raoul Pugno and based on a libretto by Gabriele D'Annunzio, the work was originally planned for its World Premiere in Paris in 1914, but the outbreak of World War I silenced it before it could be heard. Now, more than a century later, this long-buried score rises from obscurity, a revivified opera where forgotten desires return to life against the backdrop of ancient ruins. Set in the crumbling city of Mycenae, where buried passions mirror a decaying past, the opera unfolds through themes of obsession, betrayal, and blurred boundaries. Its rich emotional landscape is matched by impressionistic orchestral textures and intimate, arioso-style writing that nods to the styles of both Debussy and Wagner. In this evocative setting, Boulanger reveals a daring, expressive side that defies her reputation as the stern guardian of musical tradition.
