Enoch Arden gets new life at Theatre Project
May 15-17 brings the world premiere of Enoch Arden at Baltimore Theatre Project, with an original transcription for string trio by Molly von Gutzeit from a Strauss original with text from Tennyson, spoken in this instance by WBJC’s own Judith Krummeck.
Alfred, Lord Tennyson published the narrative poem Enoch Arden in 1864 during his tenure as England’s poet laureate. The poem tells the fraught, ultimately heartbreaking story of a fisherman-turned-merchant sailor who is deemed lost at sea when he fails to return from a long voyage. In his absence, his wife remarries and forges a new life and family as he discovers, to his dismay, when he finally returns–in secret. The story ultimately gave its name to the legal precedent allowing a person to remarry in the event of a spouse’s absence and presumed death. Some decades later, in 1897, Richard Strauss set the poem as a recitation for piano and spoken word. The Music in Words performances mark the world premiere of a transcription for string trio accompaniment arranged and set by Molly von Gutzeit.
Tennyson’s wrenching poem likely drew inspiration, in part, from the story of Robinson Crusoe as well as from the Biblical figure of Enoch, who gave the character his name and a certain thematic resonance; these elements arguably made it rich terrain for the likes of Strauss to mine for his own musical reimagining. Since, the source material has given rise to many retellings, especially in films ranging from the direful and dramatic to screwball romances; it even shares some echoes of similarity with Sweeney Todd. Now it finds new life in the hands of Molly von Gutzeit as a piece for string trio and voice.
I had the chance to talk to Molly about the piece and the process, joined by her husband, Benjamin von Gutzeit, who not only will play viola as part of the trio but also collaborated in the workshopping and editing that have helped shaped the original conception. Hear their reflections here:
Find more information about the Music in Words residency for Enoch Arden at Baltimore Theatre Project here: https://theatreproject.org
