Honegger: Jeanne d’Arc
NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra / Thomas Hengelbrock
Description
The dramatic oratorio »Joan of Arc at the Stake« by Arthur Honegger premiered in 1938, just before the outbreak of the Second World War. It depicts a world in chaos. Poet and librettist Paul Claudel tells the story of the life and death of the French national heroine, Jeanne d’Arc. She is fighting for her beliefs in a corrupt world where the powerful decide the fate of nations in a game of cards.
Honegger’s music mirrors this chaotic world by combining various genres: oratorio, opera, and mystery play. Stylistically, he fuses highly diverse elements, ranging from Gregorian chant to jazz. The role of Joan of Arc will be performed at the Elbphilharmonie by actress Johanna Wokalek.
Performers
NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester
NDR Vokalensemble
WDR Rundfunkchor
Knabenchor Dortmund
Johanna Wokalek Heilige Johanna
Dominique Horwitz Bruder Dominik
Katharina Konradi Die Jungfrau Maria
Maria Bengtsson Heilige Margarethe
Gerhild Romberger Heilige Katharina
John Daszak Porcus / Eine Stimme / Erster Herold / Der Geistliche
Dimitry Ivashchenko Eine Stimme / Zweiter Herold
Björn Meyer Mühlenwind
Brigitte Janner Mutter Weinfass
Benjamin Utzerath narrator
Felix Knopp narrator
Erik Schäffler narrator
conductor Thomas Hengelbrock
Programme
Arthur Honegger
Jeanne d’Arc au bûcher (Joan of Arc at the Stake) / dramatic oratorio
