This was the last work written by Barber before the opera Antony and Cleopatra, whose failure would have a devastating effect on his confidence and creativity. In response to a commission of the New York Philharmonic, he decided to set a text from Greek mythology in the form of a scene for soprano and orchestra. He chose the English translation of a text from Euripides' "The Trojan Women" where Andromache, the widow of Hector, the Trojan Hero, farewells their little boy Astyanax who is just about to be killed by the Greek. The work opens with a dramatic orchestral introduction which creates the desolate but tense atmosphere preceding the entrance of the soprano. She tells the boy that he is going to die, evokes her late husband and then embraces the child. The work closes with a brief and violent orchestral coda.

© All Music Guide

Portions of Content Provided by All Music Guide.
© 2008 All Media Guide, LLC. All Music Guide is a registered trademark of All Media Guide, LLC.