Fredrik Högberg
The Woman of Cain
The story of a family in the dawn of civilisation
From an original idea by Tove Alsterdal and Fredrik Högberg Libretto by Tove Alsterdal
English translation: Lysanne Sizoo Additional translations: Fredrik Högberg, Martin Möller, Tove Alsterdal p A r T i T ur/ S cor E
The opera Woman of cain is based upon what is not told in the Bible. As we all know, Genesis tells the story of the first human beings on Earth, Eve, Adam and their sons cain and Abel. Suddenly another person enters the scene, apparently from nowhere: the woman of cain. Apart from the facts that she saw her husband, conceived and bared a son, her origin and identity have yet remained untold. until now.
The woman of cain is a story about the people who believed they were the first and only; a drama about truth and lies, denied and forbidden love, the everlasting dream of a paradise and human struggle to control life itself.
The opera opens with the aged Enoch, son of cain, who finally must face the unavoidable – to write down the true story of his own origin, how it all began.
Enoch’s narrative forms the frame story, completed with flashbacks on life in Paradise before his birth, and in his youth when the very first city has just been built.
Foreword 2 Contents / ensemble 3 Instrumentation .................................................... 4 synopsis .......................................................... 5 The Woman of Cain – Opera creative overture 8 1. Enoch’s chamber 9 2. The creation 27 3. The Garden of Eden ............................................ 41 4. The Sons, the Murder .......................................... 63 5. Bygones be Bygones 98 6. cain Banished 108 7. The city 130 8. Enoch’s Accusation ............................................ 158 9. The prostitute ................................................ 189 10. The confrontation 209 11. The Truth 218 12. The child 224 13. The Death of cain 233 14. The Name of God ............................................. 244 15. The Dream of paradise ......................................... 254 16. origins of a Dream 269 e N s
emble
Adam – the first man on earth Bass eve – the first woman Soprano Cain* – their first born Baritone Abel – the younger son .......................................... Tenor enoch* – son of Cain and the first writer of history ................ Baritone Aya* – Enoch’s woman, a prostitute Mezzo-soprano The four versed-in-scriptures (the scribes): scribe 1 counter Tenor (or Mezzo-soprano) scribe 2 ....................................................... Tenor scribe 3 ....................................................... Tenor scribe 4 Bass mehujael – Enoch’s grand child, a young boy Spoken The other people choir SATB and Dancers citizens, merchants, beggars, construction workers and others.
* cain, Enoch and Aya appears both as young and old. use pre-recorded video or double singers when necessary.
CON T e NT s
piccolo 2 Flutes 2 oboes
English Horn 2 clarinets in Bb
Bass clarinet 2 Bassoons contrabassoon 4 Horns in F 2 Trumpets in c 2 Trombones
Bass Trombone / contrabass Trombone Tuba
Timpani percussion i, ii, iii: Marimba, Xylophone, Vibraphone, Glockenspiel, Tubular Bells, Tambourine, Tam-tam, Tom-toms, Gran Cassa, Piatti, Cymbals, Snare Drum, Triangle Harp Strings score in C
Orchestrations also by Martin Möller, Truls Nilsson and Kristine Boussard.
Duration: 135 min (interval preferably between scene 7 and 8)
original version commissioned by Norrlandsoperan re-make for the internet commissioned by iopErA
iSMN 979-0-070-11465-3
Score: GE 11465; Parts available on hire; Vocal score: GE 11466; Libretto: GE 11491 Also available in concert version: Suite from The Woman of cain GE 11315; parts available on hire copyright © 2011 Gehrmans Musikförlag AB, Stockholm printed in Sweden by responstryck, Borås 2013
IN s T r ume NT ATION
Creative Overture: Another Time – A rave party, outskirts of Eden Eve, choir, dancers
Present day: Eve is totally wasted and messed up at some kind of filthy club with loud music. She eventually passes out and gets carried around by the crowd. The loud drumming turns into door knockings.
1. Enoch’s Chamber – A chamber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Enoch,
the Scribes
The elders in the first city wakes Enoch up to have him start working on what will hopefully be the first history writings. Enoch is reluctant and wants to go back to sleep, claiming he is sick. But the elders insist and proclaims the importance of truth and the need for order and structure in their dawning society.
2. The Creation – A field close to the woods Adam, Eve, Enoch Adam is walking alone in the woods when he finds a beautiful woman, obviously younger, asleep on the ground. He falls in love. She wakes up, confused enough to accept his explanation about her being: that she was created by Adam in the very moment his love aroused her to life. Adam declare his love: they are the first and only people, created for each other, to replenish Earth. He gives her a name, Eve, and shows her how to love him.
3. The Garden of Eden – In the woods, a glade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Enoch, Scribes, Adam, Eve, choir Enoch and The versed in the Scriptures look back on the past, with romanticised, delightful images of life in Paradise. Cracks in the image is vaguely hinted. Eve wants to explore the world outside, wondering what’s beyond the dark, thick woods. Adam stops her, proclaiming that this is the only paradise and everything outside is dark and dangerous.
4. The Sons, the Murder – An open field
Abel, Cain, dancers, Enoch Three women of the other people get caught in snares and end up hanging upside down from a tree. Cain and Abel comes along and quarrels about whether the women are animals or not. Cain gets attracted wile Abel is just disgusted. The start to wrestle but suddenly the fighting turns into hugging and caressing. Cain gets confused and runs off. The ageing Enoch is alone is his chamber, unable to carry on writing what he remembers of his fathers stories about his brother. He drinks copiously from a jar of wine and curses his history writing task, but then continues to remember; Abel returns to tend the sheep when Cain comes back, now overwhelmed by forbidden lust. Abel turns him down. Humiliated, Cain rapes and kills his brother.
5.
Bygones
be Bygones – Enoch’s chamber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Enoch, Aya, Scribes
Old Enoch sits amongst his writing, troubled about what he is to put down. The scribes are reading nearby. Aya, Enoch’s woman, enters the room, wanting him to call it a day and come to bed.
sy NO ps I s
GE 11465
6. Cain Banished – The field, the glade Adam, Eve, Cain, Abel (dead), Mehujael Eve finds Abel’s body and mourns by its side. Meanwhile Cain comes home, upset and stained with blood. He carries a lamb. Adam meets him and figures out what has happened. He strikes Cain to the floor and kicks him out of the cabin. Adam rejects his son in despair: ”A fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be and wander restlessly on Earth”. Cain leaves for good.
7. The City! – An early city with walls
Enoch, Aya, Citizens
In the first city building work is in full swing. The market is prospering, selling anything and everything. Enoch, who is a restless young man, is seeking the pleasures of the city: drugs, games, fallen women and even greater forbidden fruits. The young Aya is there as well, a beautiful prostitute.
8. Enochs Accusation – A tavern in the city . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Enoch, Cain, Citizens
Cain has found out about Enoch’s wild life in the city. He exhorts him to lead his life as the superior man he’s born to be. Enoch accuses his father in rage, about how he always has shuffled away the truth of his origin, never telling him who his mother really was. Wasn’t she a whore as well, or even an animal, why else would he keep her identity a secret and leave him without any roots to his past? Enoch runs away in anger, leaving Cain alone in despair.
9. The Woman of Enoch – Aya’s house . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Enoch, Aya, Enoch
To console himself, Enoch walks to his secret mistress, Aya,the prostitute, with obvious features of the other people. She exhorts him to forget, to live in the present and let bygones be bygones. She says she’s pregnant with his child. Enoch comes to peace in her chamber. The aged Enoch remembers her words and regrets that he didn’t follow her advice, so that the truth soon could have been buried with him. The versed in the Scriptures are above all horrified at the immorality and want to leave it out of the story, but Enoch forces himself to go on, to expose the truth.
10. The Confrontation – The prostitutes house Cain, Aya, Enoch Cain arrives to Aya’s house, with the intention to make her leave the city. She refuses, she loves Enoch. Cain, contemptuous and furious to be opposed by an inferior, forces himself on her. Enoch, who has been asleep next door, turns up and pulls his father away. Aya escapes. Enoch threatens to kill Cain: isn’t he just a bitter and envious old man who denieshis son the happiness he never could achieve for himself? Cain pleads Enoch to carry out his threat: the truth and evil shall die together with him. When Enoch threatens to kill himself, Cain is forced to tell him the true story.
11.
The Truth – A field close to the woods
Cain, Eve, Cain
Back in Eden. Abel is dead and Cain has reached the woods nearby Eden, anguished. He realises what he has done, mortifies himself and tries to deaden the pains with narcotic herbs. Eve suffers in agony and fear of losing both her sons. At night she searches the woods and finds Cain, almost unconscious. She consoles, expresses her feelings and begs him to stay. Her desperate expression of love merges into physical passion. Eve takes advantage of Cain.
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12. The Child – The glade, a field close to the woods
Cain, Enoch, Cain, Enoch Eve, Adam
After the loss of his two sons, Adam has turned old and weak. Eve’s pregnancy is beginning to show, though she tries to cover herself with hides and skins. Adam is aware of that his days of strenght is over and accuses her, convinced that someone else is the father. Eve protests and Adam forces himself on her, to get proof of her love. In great pain, Eve gives birth to a son. After the redemption she sneaks away to leave the child with Cain, who still secretly stays in the woods nearby. She tells Adam the child was stillborn. In the darkness of night, Cain walks away with the child.
13. The Death of Cain – Somewhere in the city . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cain, Enoch, Cain, Enoch
The aged Cain has come to the end of his story. He tells Enoch how a vision took form in his imagination as he walked to the land of Nod, were he decided to settle down and build the first city. When Cain has finished his story, he once again exhorts Enoch to carry out his threat and kill him. Enoch refuses and leaves Cain without forgiveness. Cain kills himself. Enoch walks away to find the woman of his love.
14. The Name of God – Outside the cabin in the glade Eve, Adam, Aya, Enoch Eve and Adam lives in a dull, silent marriage. Eve is pregnant again. She talks to herself, to the sky at night. Adam is convinced she’s gone mad. Eve claims she is talking to the Lord, the source of everything alive on Earth, who shall give her a new son instead of Abel. Adam tries to talk sense to her, but Eve goes on raving about the lord she calls God and that her new son shall be brought up to call upon the name of the lord so that nothing will ever harm him in life. The old Enoch looks out from his porch. Aya comes out and comforts Enoch who is grumbling about the city’s prosperity is slowly fading.
15. The Dream of Paradise – The city forum
Enoch, Mehujael, Aya, Scribes, Citizens
The aged Enoch is about to finish his story. The images of Eden returns, but they are now dark and filled with agony. Enoch recalls a dream which came to him in his 89th year. It was a beautiful dream, about a paradise before life and beyond death. ”And in the dream the serpent came, and I saw a beautiful tree in the midst of the garden and I called it the tree of life, and I saw another tree and I called it the tree of knowledge of good and evil. And I saw a paradise where people lived their lives in love and peace and this paradise I called the Garden of Eden. I am no longer a marionette played by the hands of my ancestors. I am now following the first steps of my grandchild Mehujael. Who am I to deprive him of his paradise?” Enoch makes the decision to keep the truth a secret. He collaborates with The Scribes to write down the story of Paradise, for which people shall be longing, now and forever more.
16. Origins of a Dream – The city forum
Mehujael, Enoch, Aya, Scribes, Citizens
At the marketplace. People are gathering, mumbling. A merchant is bored, the commerce has temporarily stopped. The Scribes enters with scrolls of skin (or if it is a giant stone with engravings that is to be uncovered). They are to reveal the history written down by Enoch. They find that there is a person missing in the chronicle, Enoch’s mother. But Aya and Enoch’s lead them away from further inquiries. The people are captivated by the thought and starts to dance intensely while singing ” A paradise, a paradise”. Mehujael joins in. The sun rises behind the city walls. Mehujael let’s go of his grandfathers hand and runs of to join the fanatically dancing crowd.
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GE 11465
The Woman of Cain Opera
Music: Fredrik Högberg (2009/2013) Libretto: Tove Alsterdal
cr EAT i VE o VE r T ur E
Present day: A filthy night club, a rave party or something similar.
Eve is leaning over a steel sink in front of a broken mirror in a filthy bathroom.
Blood from her nose colours the sink red. She looks tired and stoned.
Sound of loud, ultra modern, aggressive music. The music gets louder when she leaves the bathroom.
Eve’s eyes are unfocused. Everything is distorted around her.
She tries to dance but falls to the floor. She fails to get up.
The crowd pick her up and carry her on their lifted arms. It looks like a tribal ritual.
Eve closes her eyes and passes out. Drum sounds transform into loud door knocking.
• Use contemporary music to accompany the overture. In 2012 we would probably use the music of Meshuggah.
• This Overture is to be regarded as a dream sequence and can be presented in many creative ways: staged, projected video, or why not as a MMS to the audience, or what ever new gadgets you in the future possess.
• It should be obvious to the audience that Eve in the Overture is the same as Eve in
Scene 2 – The Creation.
Kopiering förbjuden enligt lag! Copying prohibited by law!
GE 11465 Copyright © 2011 Gerhmans Musikförlag AB, Stockholm
Music: Fredrik Högberg
Libretto: Tove Alsterdal
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