BENJAMIN BRITTEN Phaedra Dramatic cantata for mezzo-soprano and small orchestra Op.93 Words from a verse translation of Racine’s Phédre by ROBERT LOWELL FABER MUSIC LIMITED London Barentciter-Verlag Kassel : G, Schirmer Inc. New YorkPhaedra PROLOGUE In May, in briiant Athens, on my marriage day, earned aside for shelter feoms the snnie of Thescus. Death was frowning in an aisle ~ Hippolytus! I saw his fae, turned white! RECITATIVE My lost and dazzled eyes saw only night, ‘capricious burnings flickered through my bleak abandoned flesh, I eculd nor breathe or speak [faced my flaming executioner, Aphrodite, my mosher's murdeser! I tried to alm» hee wrath by flowers and praise, Tui her a temple, fretted months and days oon decoration Alas, my lu thirting with adorati Venus resigned her altar to my PRESTO (to Hippolyrus) You monster! You understood me too well! Why do you hang there, speechless, petrified, polite! My nuind whiels. What have Leo bide? Phaedea in all her madness stands before you. love you! Fool, Hove you, [adore you! Do not imagine that my mind approved ay first defection, Prince, or that loved your youth ight-heartedly, and fed my sceason with cowardly compliance, till [lose my reason. Alas, my violence to resist you made any face inhuman, hateful. 1 as afraid to kiss my husband lest | love his son. Tmade you far me (this was easily dowd), ‘you loathed me more, | ached for you no less. Misfortune magnified your loveliness. “The wite of Theseus loves Hippolytus! See, Price! Look, this monster, ravenous for her execation, will no finch. | want your swonts spasmodic final inch. ry open mouth, tasted drouth — vw lard.RECITATIVE (00 Ocnone) Oh Gods of wrath, hhors fir Coe travelled on my dangerous path! T go eo meet my husband; aehis side will sand Hippolytus, Hows shall I hide ny thick adulterous passion for this youth, sho has ejected me, and knows the truth? Will he not draw his sword and stztke mie doa Suppose he spares me? Whar if noshing’s said? Can | kiss Theseus with dissembled poise? The very dust rises eo disabuse ny husband — 10 defamte me and acewe! enone, Lyvant to die. Death will give me freedom; ob it's nothing not to live: dhach to eke tnbappy's no catastrophe! ADAGIO (00 Theseus} My time’s to short, your highness. It was I, awho lasted for your som with may hot eve. ‘The famics of Aphrodite maddened mie Then Oenone’s tears, troubled my mind: she played upon my fears, uunuit her pleading forced ane to declare Toved your son. ‘Theseus, Ista belie you to absolve your noble son. Sire, only thts resolve upheld me, and made vie theow dow my knit Fve chosen a slower way to end amy hie ~ Medea’s poison; chill already dare along my boiling veins and squecze my heat ‘A cold composure Vhave wever known gives mea moment's pose. I sand alone nl scemy 0 see mty outeaged husband fide and waver into death's dissolving shade My eyes at last give wp these h the day they've soiled resume tts purity Reprinted by permision of Faber and Faber Led from Phe by Racine na verse wansation by Robest LowellPHAEDRA DRAMATIC CANTATA FOR MEZZO-SOPRANO AND SMALL ORCHESTRA ; Words from ROBERT LOWELES : Music by translation of Racine’s Phidre BENJAMIN BRITTEN 0p.93 PROLOGUE Broadly flowing ‘.-54) an Orchestra freely (a= 4: approx. of orchestra) se SS StS Se In May, in brilliant A-thens, riage day. on my mar ~ Ak "In order to suggest the cymbals the pianist should play a cluster of 3 or 4 of the top notes of the piano.ded =— => 7 gtr Pee 1 turned a-side for shelter fromthe smile — of Theseus.) =) 2 re n= 824 Se was frowning in an aisle~ Hip - poty-tus! I saw his face, "turned = oo 4b 3] RECITATIVE (agitated crotchets)id- a0) PP. I = =F = = ; oa SS = a3 pe oe a white! My lost and daz-ziedeyes saw on-ly ee - It bee ?| crese. . oe ——— =~ "pn 3a Pe3 hehe pS night, ca-pricious burnings | flickered through my bleak a-bandoned| —-——~ eae Se a , ay Pe : tet s 4 hs = a a = Hs = = e pty pt (4) (a) P — Sr ; . = 62 eS SS SS SSS ftesh could not breathe or speak.a aa ng. ea aa de-co- ra tion. smooth SSS SSE IT built ner o) oo 4a piritsy P mouth, thirsting with a-do-| ra tion, tasted (4) Sf 3S SS Ve-nus_ resigned herPRESTO 5] Fast and i a Sue 45m ep tel ess ee apie pled fist? mes dieing = —— sa 5 —— ippolytus) with force == te She aS “You mon ) You un-aerert Se & speech - tess, | pet - ri-fied, ——— (PS eee St = =/9 lz { Soe ey ee = = = ib ce — (7 _ - Ce SS SS mind —__ whirls 4 . ft be 2 + (® se E ete = < et = ¥ : a7 § crese 4. ml =| lée SS =e ee oS Se fe ey pap pS Ge et pee pe What have 1 to |niae? (# ptrtsteti—e: $ +g = =: z z aaa = 7 Es les Lo, , BRS be = bp é = Ss sere ¥(8) ironicany(9) as before SSS SSS = = (ees ania Pop rg ma loaez SS e a aa oe ipo aS cantadite9 aim ve : hehe = = =" et Se eh te SSS trea - son with cow-ard- ly com -|'pli-ance, fin T toot my [" een es Doe emer = of — |Fsin a eeiniete A fie mc negriestee epo tt y b gh force gy 4 dim. a a me | _ e (fe ee ae ae locales? te gees PTS o apy oe Ss— __ FP aS — __ f— 1 = Pig aaa a ——" == “hasta, ate | Toon = | —— zt lp SER Lee ft a pS a a aT | -ele ey Jase Se ee = ie EFS == —-4 be bz Zo ee a fraid— to lis my hus!- bandtest 1 love nis “sa ee 3 a [ Ghee eed | aes aim _ Mf cantabite =F Lays = ———. === iS a oe 7 — pe == SSS SS T made you a z 2 SSS Se = SS SSS ‘you foathed me more,wn (no rall.) [p smooth a.{14)-2) oe —s— oe rd ove-li-ness. mag-ni-fied your fr poco arpege. < (pore, as before) -— SS See, Prince! The wife of (es poco meno (colla voce) ‘The-seus loves Hip|- po -ly- tus! =of ai {16) a ——— eS — . 1 want your ree spas-| mo - die fi - nal inch 6 £ be be | be « ¢ + etree t tt eter litt eter : \* tn me ye yo ; aaa SaaS i a ee Gao ee SSis[17J-0) (ded 2 = = =| SSS = = pep 4 Been _ SS =A Sees a = a a ain oi ee ple aie) i L == \ 4 = Sm { 4 aay ae == S SS 7 3 SS Ss eh ga yg - ——or RECITATIVE (to Oenone) [ISl-+) Regular crotehets (4-42) (@) BP sadly ‘ | "| al id | | fh ait a a om =p eS tena ee et ss tele: posse f aE hh, | —es a ee | SS = = —h—hrh © I go to meet my fA ay i \ i dh J os |, sl | (5) 19] ime , sa 5 sea largamente i ps oe SPS nae at his side will stand Hip-po-ly-tus.15 pp freely ee How shall hide__ my thick adulterous pas - sion for this youth, ——__ ey (in tempo) marked : =_——=— 1a) Did — ea t G2 32255 SiS who has reject-ed me, and knows the truth? Will he ot draw his sword and — = 1 SS SS Ses! re (5) = os as a PSS See strike me dead? Suppose he spares me? What if | nothing’s said? et rm Bh — (a= = SS SS Se _ ne : i Z = z i 2 SSS SS (8) poco f a! git SSS 2355 SS SS et thes Can I kiss The - seus withdis-|sem-bled poise? = aaa = = = = = a — —_ -: co i =: a 0 = $82 = \ = fee [vp of fe fF ifm Pp? i oe SS SSS SSP smooth se J, 2S See Sp SSS ‘The ve-ry dust ri-ses to dis abuse my hus-band- to de-fame me and ac-cuse! == SSS SS ee iy io ee. : a _ aa im Freely e mm @) eee E et gS Death will give me free-dom; tieely ee es ez = a S45 € f = (rall,) | | fim) “mmol P lect fis Sy ~ IS : 5 — oe = on = a - ee ADAGIO smoothly parses Qi) id- 44) - _ ———— ie ST pe S= —— death to the un no ca-tas-tro-| phe! (2 SSS SSS SSS — (an ste) pp 3 bee = — £ + ae Se Ng ge ae etagitated = Ge SS Se My — times too short, your | highness, It was | a (¢ eae, rd —— Ta. qe 2" [ [el } (np it Spe agg Sy . a —= I, who lust-ed for your son with my hot ‘The flames of A~ phro a pitt + SS ee l= ett ea— SS epee ie tee . ‘Phen Oe-no-ne's | tears, troubled my| mind; she played up-on my | z ‘timp. (SS ae a lowe pean === =4 fe=> erese. ot —, = (BR ge ig ee (S15 SS SS CL i loved HS = | _ = ¥ a tg I fF Fee gee daa gee very broatly 4 ~ fire = ( ee pw == [eo ||] stand ovore You. fo a) [ee - eo | SS = ———— 4 =| | = = -solve your no-ble son, 2 Hea E === E tie 2s =| AE Ip eet 5 = oat == = = eel os pe~~ : . % == =x sy =—s = = 6 = Gia? Peds Pada sé Sire, this resolve upheld me, and made me thraw down my knife. i “2 ’ 4 4. bs — a Sana f == express. and sus i BP express | age Se ; iH a OQ, I = a a sa (gi ey ee ve chosen a slower way to end my Slow minims (as before) id. 49) pp clearly _ - = = SS chills alread-y dart a-long my boil-ing veins and (6 SSS 3 we Io | 2 7 = Zz e less soft heart. A cold. com). posure I have never known gives me a_-mo-ment’s —=== |B» (one!aH SS stand a-lone and seem to see my outraged husband fade and eS ———— eit wa-ver_— in-to death's dis-sobw soiled ei Fight, and see the day they've 29] Very soft and free 2 Meee iT] ing | shade. My eyes at Jast give up their 2 ‘rgonmeym) Et, ate fs p <<. plas at the start) => > able be. siete ‘ PP fast (a fF GAS as a aa is before)