Representations of Metaphysical Temporality in the Libretto of Einojuhani Rautavaara's Vincent with a Corresponding Resemblance to Alban Berg's Wozzeck

Abstract

In his early serialist composition style, Einojuhani Rautavaara expressed indebtedness to the flexible usage of the twelve-tone system that was adapted by Alban Berg. The trace of Berg's influence becomes dramaturgically reminiscent when investigating the philosophical impact that Berg's opera Wozzeck had on Rautavaara's opera Vincent. This study aims to analyse the symbolic content of the Vincent libretto, with a secondary depiction of parallel attributes found in the libretto of Wozzeck. This examination demonstrates how the operas share a philosophical foundation that is based on an expression of metaphysical temporality inherent within the plots of both operas, which juxtapose the duality of the two temporal planes of empirical reality and metaphysical illusion. The outcome of such a comparison illustrates how Rautavaara's opera can be interpreted in a new framework of understanding that is based on the Finnish composer's mirroring of Berg's operatic and dramatic style as seen in Wozzeck.