Mightily dramatic Georg Katzer's 'Medea in Korinth' - appreciated by PATRIC STANDFORD '... vivid and clear spontaneity ...'

Christa Wolf's novel 'Medea. Stimmen' (Medea -- A Modern Retelling) is all about society's need for scapegoats -- those who, as in the history of Christianity, are either put to death, whether legally legitimatized or not, or made outcasts. From this novel, published in 1995, composer Georg Katzer has made his 'Oratoric Scenes', a ninety-minute work that could also be called a dramatic oratorio.

Medea, following her husband Jason to Corinth, discovers the secret of its king Creon's power over his people -- the alleged sacrifice of a daughter, Iphinoë. With this knowledge Medea becomes a liability and is blamed for a growing plague; the population, eager to find a cause for their misfortunes, exile her and kill her children. A curious confusion of Greek myths, but yet a story that serves the purpose.

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