Reflections on Goethe’s Faust: A Musical Dialogue between Classical and Improvisation
Jazz
Literature
Szervezés:
Reflections on Goethe’s Faust: A Musical Dialogue between Classical and Improvisation
This programme is held in Hungarian.
Jr. Elemér Balázs, pianist and composer, in his work titled Reflections on Goethe’s Faust, seeks answers to the timeless questions of the Faust theme, invoking the philosophical depths of Goethe’s dramatic poem: the eternal human striving toward the fullness of knowledge, power, and understanding, as well as the resulting moral and spiritual crisis. The special feature of the piece is that a jazz trio (Elemér Balázs – drums, József Balázs – piano, Krisztián Lakatos Pecek – double bass) reflects on classical musical structures, placing the mood and layers of meaning of each movement in a new light as an improvisational commentary. This dialogue between the composed and the spontaneous musical worlds likewise embodies, in audible form, the struggle and quest of the Faustian spirit. The performance of the work also features clarinetist Dániel Ali Lugosi, while the literary dimension of the evening is further strengthened by actor András Sütő, who will perform excerpts from Goethe’s original masterpiece, which served as a source of inspiration for the composer.
Elemér Balázs’s musical language can be paralleled with Goethe’s universe of thought: the sounds and motifs reflect the ideological tensions articulated in the text. The composer does not approach Goethe’s work in a narrative way, but examines the conflict between soul and reason through sonic symbols. The structure of the composition is meditative and ritualistic; light gradually emerges from the darker tones, alluding to the possibility of the purification of the human spirit. Thus the work is a reflection not only in a musical but also in a literary sense: it gives voice to the tragic greatness of the Faustian human being and to his longing for redemption.
Rock Troubadours (US, 70s): CSNY, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Van Morrison, Roy Harper
