Michael Udow

Strings, Plucked Strings, Brass, Percussion, Choir, Narrator, and Film

Composer's Note:

The Twelve Labors of Hercules was commissioned by Edeta Arts, John Crozman, CEO, in recognition of Llíria, Spain being designated as a UNESCO City of Music. This was one of ten works I composed based on my experiences in Llíria. It was premiered on July 6, 2024 for the Impressions of Llíria festival.

This was one of ten works I composed based on my experiences in Llíria. It was premiered on July 6, 2024 for the Impressions of Llíria festival.

Five compositions comprised the evening's final concert reflected upon important
archeological sites that date back to Iberian, Arabian, and Roman times. While each work hints at musical forms, rhythms, harmonies, and traditional folk melodies of Llíria, each composition also includes musical concepts from other cultures outside the province of Valencia, integrating the UNESCO concept of recognizing a small group of cities from around the world that have distinguished themselves as Cities of Music where music is historically interwoven and currently into the fabric of the community's culture.

An archeological dig commenced when bits of a mosaic-tiled floor made of tiny stones was uncovered at a construction site in Llíria in 1917. The mosaic depicting the twelve mythological labors of Hercules is over 18 feet long by almost 15 feet wide. It is exhibited in Madrid at the National Archaeological Museum of Spain. A replica of the mosaic may be viewed in Llíria. The tiles consist of varying sizes of stone. This monumental discovery became the inspiration and impetus for this composition.

Wagnerian scholar Hans von Wolzogen coined the term Leitmotiv (Leitmotif), an easily recognized musical theme, either melodic, harmonic, or rhythmic. While previous composers utilized thematic materials, Richard Wagner’s Leitmotifs provide grounded symbolic structural meaning to his operatic “Ring Cycle”. In this work, I have employed Leitmotifs for Hercules, King Eurystheus, and Queen Hera. The programmatic music portrays the trials, travails, and tribulations that the heroic Hercules faces during his redemptive journey.