Classical Music Mayhem!!

Hi.

I'm looking for a piece of music to study with a culture group I belong to. Our theme this month is 'Revenge' and we're looking at John Webster plays, The White Devil and Duchess of Malfi. We always like to have a piece of classical music to look at alongside the literature, but I don't know of anything with a specific revenge theme (excluding operas of course, which would be too much to take on along with the two plays).

So - can anyone give examples of instrumental music with a 'revenge' theme, please.

Much obliged, etc...

I can't think of anything instrumental off the top of my head. Maybe if opera is too long you may consider lieder instead. Brahms' 'Verrat' (Treachery) has something of the tabloid about it. Not really the right period though now I think about it...

Thanks Melmoth.

I'm not concerned about period - I meant classical music with a small 'c', and will consider anything orchestral, solo, vocal, chamber, etc.

ERASED

Hello,

Paul Wranitzky provided incidental music to the Vienna court theatre's 1795 production of the play 'Die Rache', a translation of Edward Young's 'Revenge' from 1721.
Most of the incidental music for this Revenge play also exists in the form of a Symphony in D minor 'La tempesta'. It is named so after its finale which depicts a storm with many thunder strikes on the grand timpani. This finale was used for the opening overture for the play - which opens with a wild storm. I have not been able to work out which version came first - the play or the symphony. Allready existing symphonic music was frequently used for theatre music at this time. It would also be possible that a symphony was created out of suitable movements from the theatre music.

You can find midi files and a freely downloadable score of this symphony at:

http://www.wranitzky.com/works_oo_symphony_tempesta.htm

Hopefully there will be a recording of this symphony sometime in the near future.

As a side note, Wranitzky also composed the music for a ballet named 'Die Rache der Diana' (Diana's revenge), which today is lost.

Best regards,
Daniel B