Siddhartha (Nørgård)

Siddhartha is an opera-ballet by Per Nørgård to a libretto by Ole Sarvig. Written 1974–79, it was premiered at the Royal Opera in Stockholm in 1983.^[1]

The piece is based on a novella by Hermann Hesse and is set entirely in the garden of Kapilavastu palace. Influenced by the artist Adolf Wölfli, Nørgård made some changes to the score in 1984.^[2]

Recording

Edith Guillaume, Stig Fogh Andersen, Tina Kiberg, Aage Haugland, Erik Harbo, Kim Janken, Poul Elming, Christian Christiansen, Minna Nyhus, Birgitte Frieboe, Anne Frellesvig, Gert Mortensen, DR KoncertKoret, DR SymfoniOrkestret, Jan Latham-Koenig Dacapo OCLC 705275337

References

^ Audio – Page 75 The fact is that I've never found Norgard's music less than striking, and this opera-ballet (to a text by poet Ole Sarvig) recounts the rite of passage that ... a prince into the Buddha-to-be—as does Hermann Hesse's novella Siddhartha (which I found uncommonly moving when I read it long ago).
^ Per Nørgård. "Play for the Expected One" (PDF). img.kb.dk. Retrieved 22 June 2025.

[1] Audio – Page 75 The fact is that I've never found Norgard's music less than striking, and this opera-ballet (to a text by poet Ole Sarvig) recounts the rite of passage that ... a prince into the Buddha-to-be—as does Hermann Hesse's novella Siddhartha (which I found uncommonly moving when I read it long ago).

[2] Per Nørgård. "Play for the Expected One" (PDF). img.kb.dk. Retrieved 22 June 2025.

[1]

[2]

v t e Per Nørgård
Works	Gilgamesh (1972) Symphony No. 3 (1975) Der göttliche Tivoli (1982) Siddhartha (1983) Nuit des Hommes (1996)
Film score	Babette's Feast (1987) Prince of Jutland (1994)
Related articles	Music of Denmark Contemporary classical music Serialism
Category