This one is over the top even by Strauss standards.
Today marks the 100th anniversary of the premiere of Richard Strauss’ only full-length ballet, “Josephslegende” (“The Legend of Joseph”), which was first performed at the Paris Opera on this date in 1914.
The biblical story of the attempted seduction of Joseph by Potiphar’s wife was suggested by frequent Strauss librettist Hugo von Hoffmansthal, between their work on “Ariadne auf Naxos” and “Die Frau ohne Schatten.”
Strauss confessed in a letter, “The chaste Joseph himself isn’t all up my street, and if a thing bores me I find it difficult to set it to music. This God-seeker Joseph – he is going to be a hell of an effort!”
Perhaps it was to alleviate his boredom that Strauss bolstered his orchestration with four harps, organ, celesta, glockenspiel, xylophone, large and small cymbals, four pairs of castanets and a double-bass clarinet.
The composer himself conducted the premiere, which ran for seven performances. Vaslav Nijinsky choreographed and danced the lead. Sir Thomas Beecham conducted an additional seven performances in London. He had put up the money for the “Diaghilev” commission. However, with the war looming, Strauss never received his fee.
Follow the link to listen to the rarely-heard complete ballet.
The work also exists as a “symphonic fragment,” in reduced orchestration. But where’s the fun in that?
I must say, I had a blast Google image-searching for paintings of this one. Seemingly everyone painted Joseph and Potiphar’s wife.
PHOTO: “C’mere you!”