About the work
Montag aus Licht (Monday from Light) is the third-composed of the seven operas in Karlheinz Stockhausen's cycle Licht – The Seven Days of the Week, written in 1984–1988 and premiered on 7 May 1988 at La Scala in Milan. Monday is Eve's day – the female archetype, represented by soprano and basset horn. Within the cycle, Monday stands for birth, motherhood and the creation of humankind; it forms the beginning of the week and thus of the eternal cycle.
Plot
In a greeting, three acts and a farewell, the opera unfolds the theme of birth and rebirth. "Eve's First Birth" depicts in mythic images the birth of humankind from Eve, accompanied by giant female figures and children's choirs. In "Eve's Second Birth", Michael's attempt to educate humankind fails, so that a second, spiritual birth becomes necessary. "Eve's Magic" finally celebrates Eve's creative, life-giving power; a flautist (Lucifer's son) lures with seductive playing, and an aviary full of boys sings of fertility. Three children's choirs underline Eve's role as the creator of life.
Cultural significance
Montag aus Licht is the most "feminine" opera of the cycle and the richest in colour in its imagery. It celebrates the principle of birth and motherhood and places Eve's life-giving power at its centre. Individual parts such as "Eve's Song" or the basset-horn playing have circulated as independent concert works. Like all the Licht operas, Monday combines song, instrumental playing, dance, electronics and precisely fixed gesture into a total work of art whose musical substance derives entirely from Stockhausen's three-layered superformula.