description Oedipus Rex (Stravinsky) Overview
Oedipus Rex is an opera-oratorio by Igor Stravinsky, first performed in 1927. Jean Cocteau prepared the libretto from Sophocles' tragedy, with the sung text translated into Latin and a narrator addressing the audience in the local language. Scored for male chorus, vocal soloists, and orchestra, the work recounts Oedipus's discovery that he has unknowingly killed his father and married his mother.
help Oedipus Rex (Stravinsky) FAQ
Why is Oedipus Rex sung in Latin but narrated in another language?
Stravinsky wanted Latin to give the sung drama a monumental, ritualized distance from everyday speech. A narrator summarizes events in the audience's language, linking the formal Latin scenes for local listeners.
Who wrote the libretto for Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex?
Jean Cocteau prepared the libretto from Sophocles' tragedy, and Abbé Jean Daniélou translated it into Latin. The work was first performed in Paris in 1927.
Why is Oedipus Rex called an opera-oratorio?
It combines operatic characters and dramatic confrontation with the static, ceremonial presentation associated with an oratorio. Stravinsky scored it for soloists, male chorus, orchestra, and a speaking narrator.
Which characters reveal the truth about Oedipus's identity?
Tiresias declares that Oedipus himself is the source of Thebes's pollution, while a messenger and shepherd establish his parentage. Jocasta realizes the truth first, and Oedipus later blinds himself after finding that she has died.
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