Richard Strauss
Die ägyptische Helena

Like many other works by Richard Strauss following Die Frau ohne Schatten, even the adorable Die ägyptische Helena has remained largely on the fringes of the repertoire, but of course, this means very little; even without replicating the grandeur of FrOSch, or the seminal impact of Salome and Elektra, Strauss continued to compose great music until his death, always seeking to experiment, to add new nuances to his already vast palette. There are many well-hidden secrets in the "twilight" Strauss repertoire, very curious and captivating works, of which Die ägyptische Helena, for which I have a real soft spot, is a perfect example. In the hands of a skilled director, someone who knows how to move with style within the sacred and inviolable limits of good taste and respect for the librettist and composer's original idea, this opera has everything to bring to life a delightfully eccentric theatrical performance, for which it alone deserves much more attention and notoriety. And then, as Wikipedia reminds us, it's the only opera that among its characters also includes an omniscient seashell, moreover, a beautiful little part for a contralto.

The libretto by Hugo Von Hofmannstahl revolves around the same central theme as Frau Ohne Schatten, family harmony as the ultimate goal, the final crowning of happiness achieved after misunderstandings and sufferings; anyone familiar with the biography of this great librettist and playwright can easily understand why this ideal was so dear to him. But, honestly, more than for the symbolism and philosophical morality, Die ägyptische Helena (like FrOSch) attracts me more from a purely aesthetic and imaginative standpoint: we have the Homeric Helen and Menelaus squabbling like any couple in crisis and a semi-surreal scenario populated by omniscient shells, mischievous sprites, and a sorceress improvising as a marriage counselor, an improbable mix that succeeds perfectly in entertaining and stimulating the imagination with extreme refinement and pleasure. All these extravagances are probably also due to the fact that Die ägyptische Helena was intended to be an operetta in the original intentions of the dynamic duo, but during the composition process, it gradually transformed into a semi-serious opera that, in accordance with the ancient Greek tradition of pairing a comedy with a tragedy, represents the ideal comedic counterpart to Elektra, as both reinvent the characters of the glorious and dysfunctional dynasty of the Atreides; in addition, similar pairings also exist in Wagner (Tannhäuser and Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg) and Britten (Peter Grimes and Albert Herring).

Do you know what distinguishes a great librettist? First of all, the ability to create characters that come to life in a well-rounded, multidimensional manner, avoiding as much as possible excessive stylizations of symbolic or iconographic character, and here Von Hofmannstahl, more than for the overall narrative arc, is appreciated precisely for this. Each of the three main characters has a perfectly outlined psychological profile, and Strauss assigns the respective vocal parts in perfect concordance: Aithra, a well-intentioned but immature, naive, and clumsy demigoddess is for a light lyric soprano; for the regal, haughty but intelligent Helen, a stronger vocality is needed, although it is not a true dramatic role, and in Gwyneth Jones, with that powerful and silvery voice, sharp enough in the high notes, it found a splendid interpreter, and the restless Menelaus, one of the most beautiful Strauss tenor roles, requires great dynamism, good agility, and interpretative richness more than pure power, qualities not so obvious in a typical heldentenor.

Here too Strauss makes use of an imposing orchestration, but this time he uses it in a more calibrated way compared to the much more dramatic contexts of Salome, Elektra, and FrOSch; in ägyptische Helena the strings stand out much more than the brass, mainly used in the fortissimos that underline the most tense moments. Here, the Strauss sound vault expresses an alluring and pervasive sensuality mixed with a good dose of irony. As far as sensuality is concerned, just think of "Zweite Brautnacht", the splendid aria of Helen that opens the second act, with an almost bel canto vocal line, a perfect expression of that refined magnificence typical of Strauss's orchestration and the visionary poetics of Von Hofmannstahl, or even the waltz-time monologue of Aithra immediately following Helen's shipwreck, laden with subtly sapphic attraction; for irony, there's the initial exchange between the same Aithra and the omniscient shell, a delightfully whimsical little scene, tension is found in all the dialogues between Helen and Menelaus, and it resolves when the two find themselves again, relinquishing the concealment of the past with ruses and illusions.

But, as always with Richard Strauss, none of his works, not even those "minor" like this one, can be considered negligible (apart from Guntram, which is merely a youthful indiscretion), the charm lies in the whole, in that broad, airy sound fresco that pampers the senses and the intellect. I think I've made it abundantly clear already, but I reiterate that for me, listening to Die ägyptische Helena is always a genuine joy, it matters little if it doesn't rank among the highest pinnacles, among the most historically significant episodes of its author. After all, not even in opera does one live solely on masterpieces (although, as far as I'm concerned, this one is), and woe to take official criticism and the standard repertoire as law.