"Jesus Christ is a superstar", a rock opera: a summary, a story

Rock opera "Jesus Christ - superstar", written in 1970, was the first work in this genre. Today it is considered a classic. Although since its inception 45 years have passed, and to this day disputes concerning its content have not ceased. And this is not surprising, since at all times the free interpretation of texts of sacred books of various religions caused a mixed reaction in society.

Relevance

"Jesus Christ is a superstar" is a rock opera, the brief content of which is a free paraphrase of the Bible. It raises important philosophical questions that have worried humanity for more than 2000 years, so it will remain relevant and interesting for viewers of different generations for a long time. In 2000, a new adaptation of this work was made, which did not become as popular as the first film shot in 1973, but forced young people to turn to the work of rock idols of the 70s.

Authors

Before disclose the summary of the opera "Jesus Christ", we should say a few words about its creators. The author of the music was the famous English composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, for whom she was the first successful work, and the libretto was written by his friend Tim Rice. The latter tried to follow the chronology of the famous events that preceded the death of Christ, which are described in the Gospel, but his characters in their arias express ideas that are far from the dogmas adopted in Christianity. This circumstance is the reason why in our age of religious tolerance of the production of the rock opera "Jesus Christ is a superstar", they are sometimes targeted for criticism from the church. And in some provincial cities of even quite civilized countries attempts are made to ban them as insulting the feelings of believers.

"Jesus Christ is a superstar", a rock opera: a brief summary of the first scene

The work begins with an overture entitled "The Birth of a Crowd". Then follows the aria of Judas, who is indignant that Jesus, in his opinion, is on the subject of the crowd and is ready to recognize himself as a deity.

On the scene appears Mary Magdalene, who renders homage to Christ. Judah reproaches the Savior for letting a fallen woman into his entourage, because he sees the danger in it. Then Jesus calls the sinless to throw a stone at Maria.

Anna and Caiaphas

The antagonists of Christ, as in the Bible, in the rock opera of Webber and Rice are the high priest of Judea and his son-in-law. They are plotting against the Savior, because they see it as a threat to their power. At the end of the duet, Anna and Caiaphas decide to report to the Sanhedrin, who was authorized to run the court, about a dangerous insurgent capable of shaking the foundations of the state.

In the next scene "Jesus Christ - superstar" (the content of the rock opera is described in detail by this article) Mary performs the washing of the feet of Christ. After this, Judas rebukes her for using the precious myrrh for nothing, instead of helping the poor. Jesus shames Judas and says that he will soon leave this world, and the poor can always be helped.

The Conspiracy and Glee of the People

Jesus enters Jerusalem and is greeted by crowds crying out: "Hosanna! Hosanna! "People's rejoicing casts the priests into horror, who decide in any way to get rid of Christ. They talk about it using the vocabulary that is used to describe the life and career of the show business stars.

Further on the scene comes Simon Zealot, nicknamed Peter, who calls on the Savior to march against Rome. In response, Jesus says that death can be trampled upon only by death, and that Jerusalem will never be able to understand the meaning of this phrase. With his aria, the singing monologue of Pilate echoes, in which he tells of a sad Jew he dreamed of, at which the crowd first poured out his anger, and then ascended, accusing his death of the Roman procurator.

Expulsion of merchants from the temple, the despair of the Savior and the aria of the enamored Mary

Further the plot of the rock opera "Jesus Christ is a superstar" is transferred to the temple, where the inhabitants of Jerusalem are having fun and selling all sorts of things. Suddenly Christ appears and rebukes the Jews in that they turned the House of the Lord into a brutal den. After expelling the merchants from the temple, Jesus performs an aria in which he tells of his despair and fatigue, since the last three years of his life seem to him longer than the 30 previous ones. In the next scene, viewers will learn from Mary Magdalene that she is in love with Christ, and hopes that he too is not indifferent to her.

Betrayal

Seeing that the people are inclined to rebel, but wanting to avoid bloodshed, Judas goes to Anna and Caiaphas and reports that Christ will be alone on Friday in the Garden of Gethsemane. He refuses the bribe for his denunciation, since he claims that he betrays Christ not because of self-interest, but in order to avoid more serious ills.

"Jesus Christ is a superstar": a brief summary of the second part

The opera is moving towards its climax. The second part begins with the scene of the secret supper. The apostles drink wine and sing about what they will write about in their memoirs. Christ is horrified, realizing that his disciples will not be touched by his death, that they do not understand the essence of what is happening. Then the Savior predicts to the apostles that among them there are those who will extradite him or renounce if they are in danger. Students are indignant, each of them says that he is not capable of this.

The quarrel between Judas and Jesus

Christ points to Peter and Iscariot and tells the apostles that the first of them will become an apostate, and the second will be a traitor. Judas splashes his anger at Christ, reproaching him that he rebelled the people, being an ordinary impostor. The Savior chases him away with the words that he may be late and fail to fulfill his mission.

Prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane

Do not forget that "Jesus Christ is a superstar" is a rock opera. The summary in this case can not convey the full impression of this work, since the main thing in it is still music. In particular, one of the climaxes of this work is the Savior's aria-prayer, which is one of the best creations of Andrew Lloyd Webber. In it, Christ complains about his fate and asks the Father whether his death will change anything. And he begs to take this cup away. At the end of the scene, Jesus says that he has reconciled himself to his destiny and asks the Lord to do as soon as possible what he has designed for him. The scene ends with the kiss of Judas.

The arrest and abdication of Peter

Soldiers arrest Christ. The apostles are trying to protect him. However, Jesus forbids them to resist. At the same time, the crowd, which before this praised the Savior, now rejoices that he is defeated and will be executed. When Christ is taken away, people ask Peter whether he is a comrade of an arrested rebel, and he says that he does not even know him.

Pilate, Jesus and Herod

The rock opera "Jesus Christ is a superstar", the summary of which is more or less familiar to everyone, is interesting for its fragments of the libretto, where the text is more like the conversations of people from the sphere of show business. For example, after questioning Pilate Christ is brought to Herod, who calls him "the highlight of the season" and suggests showing a couple of tricks.

Repentance of the traitor of Judas and Pilate's verdict

Seeing the torture of Christ, his former companion begins to suffer pangs of conscience. He comes to the high priests, who convince him that he did everything right. In the meantime, Jesus is again led to Pilate and asked to be ordered to crucify him. Pilate protests, but in the end gives consent. The opera ends with the cry of Christ, who asks the Father to forgive his executioners. He also passes his soul into the hands of God.

"Jesus Christ is a superstar" is a rock opera (the summary you already know), which continues to sound from many scenes of the world for more than 40 years. Beautiful music and text, full of humanistic ideas - these are the main components of its success and popularity.