Komponist. Vito Zuraj , Photo. Tone Stojko

ATALANTA’S CALL (2019) for solo voice - Vito Zuraj
première: 1 May 2023, Festival Acht Brücken Köln

Johanna Vargas – soprano

Atalanta is a character in Greek mythology. Her father Iasus left her on a mountain top to die, because he wanted a son instead of a daughter. Atalanta appears to have been brought up as an orphan, since her mother, Clymene, is hardly mentioned in any of the stories about her. Atalanta was raised by a bear, and grew into a tireless huntress with no interest in marrying. She was always on the move, unable to settle down. Eventually, Iasus came back into her life and attempted to fulfill his fatherly obligations by finding her a husband. Atalanta reluctantly agreed, but proposed a test.

In order to be successful, suitors would have to beat her in a running race, with those who lost being beheaded by her. Hippomenes, who fell in love with Atalanta, prayed for help to Aphrodite, who presented him with three golden apples. Whenever Atalanta drew ahead of Hippomenes during the race, he would roll an apple to one side. Finding the sight of the golden apples irresistible, Atalanta took a detour each time to collect them, resulting in her losing the race. She married Hippomenes, but the marriage ended in disaster, when, after the pair of them had desecrated a temple to Zeus, they were transformed into lions by the infuriated god. This was regarded by the Greeks as particularly poetic, as they believed that lions could only reproduce with leopards.

Vito Žuraj (trans. Alwyn Tomas Westbrooke)