Hopkins, James F.

Commissioned by the Far West Regional Convention of the American Guild of Organists, Metopes was composed in the summer of 1990 and first performed by Cherry Rhodes in June, 1991. The work consists of two extended movements, Arachne's Web and The Gift of Nessus. These are connected by the brief Interlude, for pedals alone, which serves to unite the two by motivic transformation. The title Metopes is the architectural term which refers to the sculptured marble slabs between the triglyphs of a frieze. These spaces were frequently decorated in low relief with depictions of scenes from classical Greek mythology. 

Arachne's Web refers to the story of the maiden Arachne, a mortal who was exceedingly skilled in the art of weaving. She unwisely challenged the goddess Minerva to a contest. Minerva was greatly displeased by Arachne's obviously greater skill at weaving. To punish Arachne for her impudence, Minerva transfigured Arachne into a spider who hangs by its own thread. Musically, an almost constant stream of descending thirds depicts the weaving while above it an ever more ornate melody is spun out. An angry outburst terminates the melodic elaboration, and the movement ends quietly with the opening material. The Gift of Nessus relates to the story of the centaur Nessus who attempted to run away with Dejanira, the wife of Hercules. Hercules heard her cries and shot the centaur in the heart. The dying Centaur told Dejanira to take a portion of his blood and keep it to be used later as a charm to preserve the love of her husband. Dejanira did so and before long had occasion to use it. In one of his conquests Hercules had taken prisoner a fair maiden, named Iole, of whom Dejanira became jealous. When Hercules was about to offer sacrifices to the gods in honor of his victory, he sent to his wife for a white robe to use on the occasion. Dejanira, thinking it a good opportunity to try her love-spell, steeped the garment in the blood of Nessus. As soon as the garment became warm on the body of Hercules, the poison penetrated into all his limbs and caused him the most intense agony. The garment stuck to his flesh and as he wrenched it off, he tore away whole pieces of his body. This movement begins in a low register as a slow dance with menacing sounds. As the music gradually moves higher, the dance becomes more complex and animated. A quiet middle portion that develops the material heard thus far provides a foil to the dramatic and agonized final dance episode.