Product Description
Commissioned as a part of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music
Department of Choral Studies' 2014-2016 celebration of the life of William
Shakespeare, from the 450th anniversary of his birth to the 400th
anniversary of his death, Lament for Ophelia is a morose setting of
Gertrude's report to Laertes and Claudius describing the circumstances of
Ophelia's death. Two motives are constant throughout the piece: the
descending melody that is heard from the downbeat, and the melody sung
by the first sopranos at measure 5, and both are used to highlight the
progression of the character from a young, naive daughter of the court to a
person driven to madness by the conspiring and duplicity of the factions
surrounding her. This is demonstrated by the innocuous, childlike character
of the opening choral melody and continuation into a somewhat playful,
jaunty theme at measure 15, which, after a short interlude where Gertrude's
allegory becomes exceedingly clear, briefly recapitulates before the two
motives converge and gather rhythmic and melodic intensity, emphasizing
her growing psychosis. Ultimately, Ophelia drowns in the brook above
which she once played so innocently, as the opening measures of the piece
return to end the tale. Ideally the performing chorus will be able to convey
the two halves of the piece in two different voices: that of Gertrude setting
the scene and telling the story, and that of the doomed Ophelia. The two
personages exist simultaneously in the text, as it is Gertrude's voice whom we
hear as we see Ophelia consigning herself to death.
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