About the work
Philippe Boesmans composed the chamber opera "Julie" after August Strindberg's tragedy "Miss Julie" (1888); the German-language libretto was written by Luc Bondy and Marie-Louise Bischofberger. It premiered on 8 March 2005 at the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels and was presented the same year at the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence.
Plot
The plot transposes Strindberg's chamber play to a midsummer night in a Swedish count's kitchen: the aristocratic Julie seduces the servant Jean, causing the two to reverse their social roles. While Jean dreams of rising in society, Julie's prospects darken and end in tragedy.
Cultural significance
The twelve-part score is arranged symmetrically around a thunderstorm interlude and deals with class pride and the era's double standard of sexual morality. Boesmans wrote the work as composer-in-residence at La Monnaie, where his earlier opera "Reigen" had also premiered.