Freitag aus Licht

Freitag aus Licht (Friday from Light), the main body of which is also titled Freitag-Versuchung (Friday Temptation), is the fifth to be composed of the seven operas that comprise Licht (Light), by . It was the last of the operas to receive a staged production with the composer's involvement.

Freitag was commissioned by Udo Zimmermann of the Leipzig Opera, which gave the staged premiere on September 12, 1996. Three subsequent performances were given on September 13, 14, and 15. The musical direction and sound projection was done by the composer. The staging was done by Uwe Wand. Stage, costume, object and lighting designs were from Johannes Conen. Johannes Bönig did the choreography. In addition to the soloists, the choir of the Leipzig Opera, the children's choirs of the Leipzig Opera and Middle German Radio, and the children's orchestra of the Johann Sebastian Bach music school of Leipzig performed in the original production.

The production was filmed for a documentary by WDR. A four-disc audio recording of the opera is available from the Stockhausen Verlag (CD 50).

There are three layers of music in Freitag. The first layer is entirely abstract ambient electronic music, which plays underneath all of the staged action. The second layer consists of concrete music which is mimed by 12 couples of dancers. The third layer consists of traditional scenic action portrayed and sung by actors. In the synopsis below, the events of the third layer are described first, but they occur simultaneously with the events of the second layer, referred to as "sound scenes" by Stockhausen.

The plot is a retelling of the creation myth from the Book of Genesis. It employs elements from the Urantia Book. Adam's wife, Eve, is tempted to have an illicit union with Caino in order to accelerate the development of mankind. Because this advancement is not part of God's plan for humanity, Eve and Caino's affair has grievous consequences, namely, a brutal war between children of different races. The basic outline of Eve's sin and repentance is echoed in the action of the dancer couples. They begin as natural pairings, but as a result of swapping partners, they engender unnatural hybrids. In the opera's finale, these hybrids join into a towering candle flame and spiral upward.

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