<center>
Salvador Dalí:
In Voluptate Mors</center>
Aunque comentaremos a continuación toda la Primera Escena, debido a que sólo existe una grabación comercial, la audición dentro del mensaje se limita al fragmento Dies Irae:
1 PIET
(off-stage, from afar)
Dies iræ, dies illa,
solvet sæclum in…
O, golden Breughelland,
that never knows a care,
fill all your children
with delight!
O, long-lost paradise,
where are you now?…
(Amando and Amanda, young very beautiful lovers,
as in a Botticelli painting, enter entwined in
each other’s arms. Armando carries dagger.)
2 AMANDA, AMANDO
O, my (dear) darling!
(take light-footed steps)
As marble white ’neath heaven’s fire
glows thy form with love’s desire!
O, love’s desire, beyond restraining.
Let us yield to ardent rapture!
Enraptured am I by thee! O, bliss!
And here and now must show thee my love!
Love thee I must! So let us
in our bliss together perish.
(Amanda and Armando slowly leave the stage,
entwined in each other’s arms.)
3 NEKROTZAR
(voice from the burial chamber, distant,
as if from the underworld)
Perish, but not for bliss!
4 PIET
Oh, my ! All these heavenly twists and turnings !
Such curvings!
(Wants to drink, but in his wounderment forgets
about the bottle.)
5 AMANDA, AMANDO
(appear again)
Like a long bow…
6 AMANDO
… tightly spann’d…
7 AMANDA
… trembling, oh!
Here in my hand I languish, blissful.
8 AMANDO
… trembling, oh, here in my hand!
9 PIET
(imitates Amanda’s emotional gestures in an
ironical manner)
Ha! Blissful!?
10 AMANDA, AMANDO
With sweetest lust see how my/thy heart’s full!
11 PIET
(listening comically and imitating the loving
couple)
Ha!? I know what she’s full of!
12 NEKROTZAR
(screams at Piet with all his might from
the burial chamber)
Lecherous worm!
13 AMANDO
(screams at Piet in anger)
Miserable scoundrel! That for the worm!
(Strikes Piet with his dagger.)
14 PIET
Mercy, lord! I spoke no word!
It came from above, so who spoke?
The Almighty!
15 AMANDA, AMANDO
O, my (dear) darling!
16 AMANDO
By this vile rogue we are disturb’d!
17 AMANDA
O, how I ache!
18 AMANDO
And I shall burst!
19 AMANDA, AMANDO
Where is a place, a secret place,
where our sighing will not be heard?
(The slowly leave the stage.)
(Short pantomime by Piet : he gazes at the lovers
and comments on the action with obscene dumbshow.
Meanwhile he approaches the burial chamber
and perhaps leans against the door.)
(Nekrotzar appears suddenly from the tomb. He is
very tall and thin and he should give the impres-
sion of being larger than life : is he Death or just a
charlatan?)
20 NEKROTZAR
Away, you swagpot!
21 PIET
Ah!
22 NEKROTZAR
Lick the floor, you dog!
23 PIET
Yes, Sir! Miaow!
24 NEKROTZAR
Squeak out your dying wish, you rogue!
(Nekrotzar remains motionless during Piet’s monologue.
Piet is rather drunk.)
25 PIET
Have mercy, Your Skinniness!
Have mercy, Your Ugliness!
I have done you no wrong.
Just had bit too much to drink,
have now and then hallucinations,
hear horrible music.
Ah! Have mercy on Piet,
you mighty friend!
On Piet the Pot,
by trade winetaster
here in Breughella… la-la-la…
(Piet throws himself grotesquely like a marionette
onto his belly and remains there outstretched.)
(Nekrotzar makes a commanding gesture. He has
been standing motionless until now. Now he suddenly
springs into action as if a film which had
come to a standstill suddenly carries on.)
26 NEKROTZAR
Shut up!
And rejoice to…
(Grotesque, furious dance. Piet still lies motionless.)… be still alive.
27 PIET
(singing lying down)
Oh, yes!
28 NEKROTZAR
Yet thou shalt perish!
29 PIET
Oh, yes!
30 NEKROTZAR
Your belly burst open!
31 PIET
Oh, yes!
32 NEKROTZAR
Your throat racked with thirst!
33 PIET
Amen!
Wait!
(At this point Piet leaps to his feet.)
What is that you said? Racked with thirst! No!
You spoke of death, not punishment!
Hey! Friend! You go too far! Hey! Look out!
(Takes up a boxer’s stance.)
34 NEKROTZAR
Piet the Pot, your time runs out;
so hear the bitter words of these my tidings:
That all, all men on earth, must perish!
35 PIET
Any fool knows that.
36 NEKROTZAR
But no one knows the hour.
Or do you know it?
Here tonight, as midnight strikes,
you will espy a pale horse,
and on its back sits Death,
and all hell follows behind!
So scream and howl and tremble!
For there will be blood,
and fire will follow!
And nothing remain
but dust and ash!
CHORUS OF SPIRITS
(off-stage during Nekrotzar’s declamation)
Destruction soon draws high,
thou art in peril great,
for death will be thy fate!
Take warning now,
at midnight thou
shalt die!
38 PIET
(imitating Nekrotzar)
But dust and a’ …
Rot!
Tell me, with whom exactly have I the honour?
39 NEKROTZAR
I bear the name of Nekrotzar.
40 PIET
And where does its bearer come from?
41 NEKROTZAR
(points to the grave)
From there!
(taking a closer look at Piet)
Ha! I could make good use of you,
you are so… tubby…
and yet still agile.
Go down that tomb!
Left, right, left, look smart!
(Piet obeys unwillingly. A grotesque choreography
follows, a sort of stylised hunt : Nekrotzar wants to
impose his will on Piet.)
Bring out the instruments there,
I need them - get a move on! -
for the bus’ness which I
am doing night by night.
(Now Piet really goes to the tomb, opens it and
climbs inside.)
42 PIET
Ugh! How it stinks down here!
43 AMANDA, AMANDO
Oh…!
(The lovers appear, dishevelled.)
44 AMANDO
Amanda! Can do no more!
45 AMANDA
Ach, ah, my Amando!
(Piet emerges out of the tomb with a scythe, a
trumpet and a cloak. Piet collides inadvertently
with Amanda. Choreography like a Punch and
Judy show.)
46 AMANDO
(attacks Piet)
Devil pay you,
I shall slay you!
47 PIET
(drops the objects he is holding)
Ow! Ow!
48 AMANDO
Prowling wizard
slit your gizzard!
Stop your rot,
pissing pot!
49 PIET
Ah! Och!
50 AMANDA
(rushes to the tomb)
There! There! Amando, see!
(Amando also runs to the tomb.)
51 AMANDA, AMANDO
Here, here is free!
(Disappear quickly into the tomb.)
52 NEKROTZAR
Ha-ha-ha-ha!
Hey!
(lordly gesture)
Give me my requisites, slave!
(Piet gives Nekrotzar scythe and trumpet and
hangs a cloak covered with little bells over his
shoulders [i][ad lib. he also puts a grotesque leather
hat on his head]. Nekrotzar stands there in all his
glory, mows the air wildly with his scythe.)[/i]
Well? What d’you say to that?
Tell me, who am I?
53 PIET
With a scythe? With a tra-trara-trumpet?
B-b-b-b-bells?
And that bony face?
The hollow eyeballsockets?
Those grinning jaws?
(Piet collapses weakly.)
Now I’m properly in the muck!
54 NEKROTZAR
(in the pose of a visionary prophet)
The will of the Almighty…
55 PIET
Oh, gruesome Lord Macabre!
56 NEKROTZAR
… whose executor I am…
57 PIET
Oh, hear my pleading, my wailing, beseeching!
58 NEKROTZAR
… sets me to work!
59 PIET
Oh, please, Sir, please
spare the people of Breughelland!
60 NEKROTZAR
I mow them blind!
61 PIET
Let the children live still!
62 NEKROTZAR
The good ones and the evil!
63 PIET
Oh, Breughelland!
(fit of weeping)
64 NEKROTZAR
Arise, night of triumph!
On to the city!
65 PIET
A horse!
(Piet is utterly cowed.)
66 NEKROTZAR
A horse! You! You shall be my horse!
(stamps his foot impatiently and points imperiously
at Piet)
67 CHORUS OF SPIRITS
Destruction soon draws nigh,
thou art in peril great,
for death will be thy fate!
Take warning now,
at midnight thou
shalt die!
68 NEKROTZAR
(mounts Piet, who serves as a horse,
with difficulty)
Make room! Room for the Great Macabre!
(Blows his trumpet and attempts to make Piet trot
(with kicks etc., he still holds the scythe !). Piet
does not move from the spot.)
The end of time has come!
(blows his trumpet again)
The world! The world will meet its doom!
(Blows his trumpet the third time. It grows dark.)
Gee-up, horse!
(Nekrotzar whips Piet wildly. Piet whinnies dreadfully
loud and trots with Nekrotzar, riding pick-aback,
quickly off-stage. The voices of Amanda and
Amando come from the tomb [here no distortion
of voices]. The burial chamber or coffin can be
bathed in a gloomy, ghostly light, so that the two
singers are visible.)
69 AMANDO
Melting snow is thy breast,
close entwined, rest, oh rest!
70 AMANDA
Snow I was, yet now am flowing,
flower am I brightly glowing.
71 AMANDA, AMANDO
Fireflower, blossom rose-red!
Loving and loved (till we are dead…)
(The curtain falls slowly. Complete darkness.)
Dies Irae-Le Grand Macabre
La aparición del ebrio Piet inicia la ópera. Ligeti alterna una especie de danza deformada con una escritura vocal casi paródica. El fin de la intervención de Piet, se junta en la nota “LA” con el comienzo del diálogo de los enamorados, Amanda y Amando, recuerso que se emplará más veces en la ópera para separar secciones. El dúo de amor es una referencia a Monteverdi, con un lírico declamado que se convierte por momentos en arioso.
En el pasaje siguiente, la voz de Nekrotzar desde la tumba desencadena un pasaje donde se alternan momentos dialogados con la tensión entre los personajes. Finalmente, con el fondo de la primera aparición del órgano electrónico, Amanda y Amando recuperan su línea vocal de ángeles barrocos .
A continuación, Nekrotzar surge de la tumba y empieza la sección final de la escena, planteada como:
Primeras intervenciones de Nekrotzar
Respuestas de Piet
aria de Piet
Réplica de Nekrotzar
duo (casi diálogo hablado) Piet – Nekrotzar
aria del oráculo (Nekrotzar, Coro de espíritus): «Here Tonight…»
duo (casi diálogo hablado) Piet - Nekrotzar
duo Amanda - Amando con intervenciones de Piet
duo Nekrotzar - Piet : «The will of the Almighty…» con intervención del Coro de espíritus
Breve interludio orquestal
duo Amanda – Amando
El ritmo, tanto musical como dramático, se acelera a partir del aria del oráculo; el punto culminante es el uso de Piet como cabalgadura de Nekrotzat. La tragedia nunca termina de arrancar, siempre templada por la caricatura. Finalmente, en un lento y calmado final, los dos amantes descienden a la tumba.