Aribert Reimann

Stoffreste

The libretto by Günter Grass develops a grotesque setting which can be interpreted as a satire on the hectic and excessive 'economic-miracle-like' world of consumption. Framed by a 'ballet of moths' who are relishing de- stroying goods of the merchant in the opening and closing scenes, the ballet centers around the merchant and his relationship with twins. The merchant tries in vain to drag the twins into an erotic game with colourful fabrics. In a rage at being rejected, he attempts to stab them both to death with two pairs of scissors which he takes from a rack of scissors - without success: the twins continue to dance merrily, with the scissors embedded between their shoulder blades. A policeman and onlookers observe the scene, the mer- chant is arrested. The twins, however, pull the scissors out of their backs and use them to cut the panels of fabric whereupon the merchant is released. The twins want to hurry away with the beautifully tailored clothes; the merchant tries to stop them but only gets hold of the scissors. 'After a desperate dance with the scissors, which seem to stick to his hands and which no one takes off from him any more, he plunges both pairs of scissors into his chest, collapses onto the table and dies.' (Günter Grass, cited in: Wolfgang Burde: Reimann - Leben und Werk, Mainz 2005, p. 29)For this sequence of scenes, Reimann wrote [a] gestural music of alternating accentuation, with allusions to the foxtrot and a jazz 'walking bass', with glissandos, motivic development and occasional dense wind sections. The work on the ballet sharpened Reimann's awareness as a composer and the collaboration with the dancers was interesting: How does a person react to sound or a rhythmic movement which one has written? 'And I began to think in enormous rhythmic variations. And that was very important to me. Without this experience, even my rhythmic thinking would not have developed like that'. (Wolfgang Burde: Reimann - Leben und Werk, Mainz 2005, p. 29f)