Transformation of Turkish images in Mozart’s Zaide Opera in contemporary interpretations

Yıl 2023, Cilt: 4 Sayı: 4, 191 - 214, 30.12.2023

Ayşe Yılmaz Ebru Gökdağ

Öz

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart began composing the opera Zaide based on a libretto written by Johann Andreas Schachtner between 1779-1780, but did not complete the work. For the first time, Mozart showed Turkish culture and Ottoman palace life on stage by including Turkish images in his opera Zaide. The plot of the work takes place in the palace of Suleiman the Magnificent in the 16th century. The characters chosen are slaves who were captured for various reasons and brought to the palace. The work is an escape story with love in it, starring Zaide, the Sultan’s favorite, Gomatz and Allazim, who are enslaved laborers. This work was left unfinished by Mozart at the part where the escaped slaves are captured, brought to the palace and plead for forgiveness from the Sultan. Researchers suggest that Mozart may have designed a scene of forgiveness for the unfinished finale. The missing parts of the opera were gradually completed by musicians and publishing companies and then published over time. The final version of Zaide that has survived to our time was first staged on January 27, 1866, in Frankfurt. In this study, the portrayal of Ottomans, Turks, and Muslims in Zaide by the composer will be analyzed to understand how these images are approached in the 21st century through the Zaide productions of Peter Sellars and Pierre-Alexandre Jauffret. In his contemporary interpretation, Sellars has made a reading of Zaide through a much broader social issue, the migrant and refugee crisis. Jauffret’s staging was more faithful to the original Zaide in terms of time, place and costume design. The manner, the images of Turks in Mozart’s original libretto were addressed and transformed in Sellars and Jauffret’s contemporary interpretations, was examined to reveal with which dramaturgical preferences the missing parts of the original libretto were completed and interpreted in terms of content, lyrics, themes and music. Thereby, an attempt is made to gain an understanding of how Ottoman, Turkish and Muslim images are approached and perceived in the current age. In order to acquire this information, the aforementioned directors’ interpretations of Zaide have been comprehensively analyzed in terms of location, setting, time, acting, characters, set design, light design, costume design, music, chorus and the final scene.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Mozart, Zaide Opera, Turkish Images, Peter Sellars, Pierre-Alexandre Jauffret

Kaynakça

• Arendt, P. (2006). Peter Sellars to take on Mozart’s Unfinished ‘Muslim’ Opera. The Guradian. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2006/jan/10/mozart.classicalmusicandopera
• Arlı, A. (2009). Oryantalizm Oksidentalizm ve Şerif Mardin. İstanbul: Küre Artists. Peter Sellars Stage Director. Operabase. https://www.operabase.com/artists/peter-sellars-14026/performances/en (06 June 2022)
• Burian, O. (1999). Interest of the English in Turkey as Reflected in English Literature of the Renaissance ll: Thomas Goffe, Osmanlı Araştırmaları/The Journal of Ottoman Studies, XIX
• Çevikayak, C. (2015). Adolphe Appia’nın çağdaş tiyatroda sahneleme tekniğine etkileri (The influence of Adolphe Appia on the staging technique in contemporary theater) web: https://www.academia.edu DOB, 2015-2016 Season, Zaide temsil kitapçığı (Zaide representation booklet)
• Kerr, E. (February 28, 2020). Distruptive and Influential Director Peter Sellars on His New Zealand Performances. Ucla School of the Arts & Architectura. https://arts.ucla.edu/single/disruptive-and-influential-director-peter-sellars-on-his-new-zealand-performances/
• Kivy, P. (1991). What Peter Sellars did to Mozart. University of California Press. Web: https://publishing.cdlib.org
• Kumrular, Ö. (2008). Türk Korkusu (Fear of the Turks). İstanbul: Doğan Kitap
• MachArthur Fellows Program (February 1, 1983). Peter Sellars. MacArthur Foundation. https://www.macfound.org/fellows/class-of-february-1983/peter-sellars#searchresults
• Metin, A. (2013). Oksidentalizm İki Doğu İki Batı (Occidentalism: Two East, Two West). İstanbul: Açılım Kitap
• Saadatı, A. & Aydın, A. (2022). Adolphe Appia Öncesi ve Sonrası Sahne Sanatlarında Işık, Gölge ve Karanlık Kullanımı (The Use of Light, Shadow and Darkness in the Performing Arts Before and After Adolphe Appia). Sanat ve Yorum 40
• Ukray, M. (2015). Jung Psikolojisi (Jungian Psychology). Ankara: Yason
• Web Sites Web 1. https://www.amazon.de/Mozart-Zaide-Ekaterina-Lekhina/dp/B0020MSTAY (March 23, 2019)
• Web 2. https://www.medici.tv/en/operas/mozart-zaide/ (April 1, 2019)
• Web 3. https://www.operaonvideo.com/zaide-geneva-2005-schneider-diakoff-garciacano-meunier- tsarev/ (March 24, 2019)