Heft 04 / Oktober 2014

Zusammenfassung:

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Summary:

Mozart as a means of postmodern critique. The concept of repetition in Bernhard Lang’s »I hate Mozart« – Combining a variety of influences such as free jazz, visual arts and neo-Marxist philosophy, the music of Austrian composer Bernhard Lang is dominated by the idea of repetition as both a complex form of differentiation and a means of questioning identity. In the defiantly titled opera I hate Mozart (2006), Lang allows his audience to take a privileged look behind the scenes of the opera house, illustrating the various ways in which opera singers approach Mozart’s music and the tradition surrounding it. Throughout the entire opera the legacy of Mozart lingers like a ghost: his music is omnipresent, but never explicitly hearable due to extensive electronic interventions and loops. Commissioned by the Wiener Mozartjahrs 2006, this self-reflective and provocative opera unlocks a critical debate on topics such as musical tradition, (historically informed) performance practice and the cultural industries. In this research paper, I aimed to demonstrate the musical techniques Bernhard Lang uses to decontextualize the œuvre and legacy of Mozart and the implications that arise from that process. Combining historical source-study, music aesthetics and music analysis, I was able to interpret I hate Mozart as both a subversive critique and a turning point in the composer’s œuvre.

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