Sonntag takes as its subject the
Solar System and the relationships of all the planets that orbit the Sun. In this opera, the Earth and life on it is represented as the result of the union of light and water. These two elements are presented in the first scene, and the rest of the opera celebrates the evolution of life, of plants, animals, humans, and above all this the planets, moons, and heavenly constellations. The opera has a pronounced ritualistic and meditative character, with very little that can be described as dramatic action. There are five scenes (or six, counting the two versions of
Hoch-Zeiten separately), and a concluding "farewell". Most of the scenes include elaborate spatial movement, each with "a distinctive spatial imprint".
Scene 1: Lichter—Wasser (Sunday Greeting) Lichter—Wasser (Lights—Waters) is both the first scene and the "Gruss" (greeting) of the opera. An initial duet by the soprano (Eve) and tenor (Michael) is followed by the entrance of the orchestra, who take their places throughout the audience, which is arranged in triangular segments facing the centre. Each musician is provided with a rack with a lamp and a glass of water. Seventeen high-register instruments are identified by seventeen blue lamps, corresponding to the Michael formula, and twelve lower-register instruments are lit by green lamps, corresponding to the Eve formula. The music rotates through the space in two simultaneous layers and in 12 successive waves. These rotations are related to the planets and moons of the Solar System, whose names, astronomical characteristics, and symbolisms form a part of the sung texts, which were written by the composer. At the end, the musicians make their exit and the soprano and tenor sing a closing duet.
Scene 2: Engel-Prozessionen In the second scene,
Engel-Prozessionen (Angel Processions), seven groups of angels move through the space singing God's praises in seven languages (Ulrich 2011, 3). The seventh group consists of four soloists, and are the Angels of Joy (Sunday Angels). They sing in German. The soprano and tenor soloists should either be the same as in scene 1, or strongly resemble them. The other six choirs are Angels of Water (Monday Angels), Angels of Earth (Tuesday Angels), Angels of Life (Wednesday Angels), Angels of Music (Thursday Angels), Angels of Light (Friday Angels), and Angels of Heaven (Saturday Angels), and sing in Hindi, Chinese, Spanish, English, Arabic, and Swahili, respectively. The texts were all written by the composer in German, and translated into the respective languages. In
Lichter—Wasser the composed movement of sounds in the hall is only apparent, with musicians remaining at stationary positions, but in
Engel-Prozessionen spatial movement is real, with the singers physically moving through the performance area.
Scene 3: Licht-Bilder The scene
Licht-Bilder is performed by two pairs of musicians, a flute and basset horn on the one hand, and a tenor and trumpet on the other. The tenor (Michael) sings the praises of God in the form of His creations, manifested from stones to spirits. The music is accompanied by corresponding light images, hence the title of the scene. The flute and basset horn represent Eve, while the tenor and trumpet represent Michael, and each pair always sound together. Although the musical material is all drawn from the Michael and Eve layers of the
Licht superformula, the assignment of these melodies to the pairs changes from section to section. The musical figures given to the basset horn and flute on the one hand, and to the tenor and trumpet on the other, are gradually displaced and then brought together again seven times, forming large phases corresponding to the days of the week. At the same time, movements of the performers on the stage corresponding to the musical figures are composed, and the waves are mirrored by a double
ring modulation, creating new harmonies and timbres.
Scene 4: Düfte-Zeichen The fourth scene recapitulates the seven days of the entire
Licht cycle. The protagonists explain each day in terms of their characteristic signs and scents. Afterward, Eve appears as
Earth Mother (sung by an alto), and Michael appears in the form of a boy soprano. The seven fragrances chosen for the days of the week, their associated geographical areas, and the seven voices and voice combinations are: • Monday: Cúchulainn (Ireland), solo for high soprano • Tuesday:
Kyphi (Egypt), duet for tenor and bass • Wednesday:
Mastic (Greece), trio for soprano, tenor, and baritone • Thursday: Rosa Mystica (Italy/Germany), solo for high tenor • Friday: Tate Yunanaka (Mexico), duet for soprano and baritone • Saturday:
Ud (India), solo for bass • Sunday:
Frankincense (Africa), duet for high soprano and high tenor An alto voice from outside the hall, identifying herself as Eve, causes the soloists to run out, in turbulence. They return in procession, escorting the alto to the front while singing an "overtone chant." The alto Eve calls the boy Michael to her out of the audience, they sing a mystical duet, and she takes him with her into another world.
Scene 5: Hoch-Zeiten for Choir and for Orchestra Hoch-Zeiten (High Times, or Marriages) is performed simultaneously in two different halls by five choral groups and five orchestral sections, respectively. The five divisions in each hall perform at independent speeds, producing "a tour de force of multiple superimposed tempi". The performance is then repeated, with the audiences changing halls. As such, these two versions are sometimes regarded as both the fifth and sixth scenes of
Sonntag. The basic structure of the orchestral version is identical to that of
Hoch-Zeiten for Choir, but has added to it five duos and two trios performed by the
first-desk players of the orchestra. These ensembles are recollections of characteristic moments from each of the seven operas in the
Licht cycle, presented not in weekday order but in the order they were composed: • Thursday duo, for
trumpet and
clarinet, quoting from
Mondeva, act 1, scene 2 of
Donnerstag • Saturday duo, for
flute and
trombone, quoting from
Kathinkas Gesang, scene 2 of
Samstag • Monday duo, for
viola and
cello, quoting from
Wochenkreis, the second "situation" of act 2, scene 3 (
Evas Lied) of
Montag • Tuesday duo, for
flugelhorn and trombone, quoting from
Pietà, in act 2 of
Dienstag • Friday duo, for
oboe and
bassoon, quoting from
Elufa, the ninth "real scene" of
Freitag • Wednesday trio, for clarinet,
violin, and cello, quoting from the "
Carousel" section of
Michaelion, scene 4 of
Mittwoch • Finally, a Sunday trio for flute, viola, and
synthesizer, quoting the opening of
Lichter—Wasser, the first scene of
Sonntag.
Sonntags-Abschied The Sunday Farewell is essentially
Hoch-Zeiten for choir played by five synthesizers, including the phonetic notation of the original vocal texts. It is not so much an arrangement as an adaptation, and is intended for five-channel playback in recorded form in the foyer and outdoors as the audience exits the theatre. ==Discography==