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COMPLETE COLLECTIONS
andrewad9:
1. CHORDS OF SCALES, literature and arts, Warwick, NY.
ARTS & CRAFTS
The Pottery of the Woodlands of Őrség
As one of the last students of the Herder Awarded Professor Béla Gunda, the author had, for years, conducted serious ethnographic research. But his studies are not addressed strictly to the close-knit group of experts, instead, they unveil to the large circle of readers something more than specific, scientific details: “Weltunshauug” odd routines and strange way of thinking of people of micro-civilizations. This essay is just simply a translation from a book of the author titled „Arpeggio” under the same title.
CONTEMPORARY POETRY
Poem-miniatures of the world literature
Many people consider the one-world poems and miniatures created from rhythmic markings, conventional signs, and world fragments that are in vogue among the leading American and European poets, to be inartistic and unpoetic. This may not be entirely justified. Most of these miniatures make just as much use of the traditional elements of poetry as, say, the Italian sonnets. They, too, contain composition, imagery, emotional and rational content, atmosphere, invention, expressivity, rhythm, and sense of play. Perhaps it is only the conceptual message that disappears to be replaced by the mysterious, the ineffable, and the enigmatic. This transformation happens fairly often even in the 20th century and can scarcely be considered unpoetic as justified here. This study is just simply a translation from a book of the author titled „Microcosmos” under a similar title.
DOCUMENTARY MOVIE
A Generation Gone
Zoltan Deme has directed more than a half dozen movies, as one of the last student of the Academy Award winner professor István Szabó (Mephisto movie). However, this sample presents only one small example from his extensive work as a filmdirector. It demonstrates his active role in, and deep social commitment for the plight of the wretched, oppressed and helpless millions of his times. The movie shows the fate of the peasants of an East European nation of several million people. Although they had not all become victims of the much publicized, inhuman terror of Stalinist persecution, most of them still perished in similarly tragic way after having lived their lives in squalor and total exploitation, deprived of every opportunity. Yet, these unfortunate people have left a valuable heritage behind: in the course of their unspeakable suffering they had developed a sterling moral attitude of work that enabled them to survive. This morality that worked in the dictatorial regimes in the past, might serve as an example for the present and, if necessary, for the future. This script is just simply a translation from a book of the author titled „Microcosmos” under a similar title.
LIFESTYLE & BEHAVIOR
Sindbad, the Sailor of the Dreams
As known, in the first decades of the past century, Gyula Krudy, resurrected Sindbad, the hero of the One Thousand and One Nights. He did this in an extraordinary way. This Sindbad became a Hungarian middle class country man. His lifestyle condensed real and aspired attitudes existed on a country-wide scale in the cities and villages of the „fin de siecle” Hungary. (His daily behavior had many real variants also). However, the behavior of Sindbad and his contemporaries contains some enigmatic elements. How did they transform the Death, the Passage of Time, the destructive corrosion of old age into serene, gentle phenomena? How did they transform the Life itself into poesy? Through the description of Sindbad's behavior this Zoltan Deme's lyrical short essay unfolds some secrets of a curious generation. This essay is just simply a translation from a book of the author titled „Arpeggio” under a similar title.
PAINTING & SCULPTURING
Piet Mondrian. As known, Mondrian, one of the most distinguished Dutch painters of the 20th century, has created paintings, for decades, that featured exclusively blue, yellow, and red squares framed by prominent straight black lines. In his essay Zoltan Deme takes a closer look at these works, and, by utilizing his own knowledge of cultural history, filmdirectorial and other artistic inventions, tries to discover the painter's real intentions. By this method, the hitherto baffling mysteries of the artist and his oeuvre are being unravelled before the reader's eyes rendering a clear explanation understandable for anyone. Viewing modern artistic creations, or listening to the latest musical compositions, a great many people are often of the opinion that they too could have painted such pictures, or composed similar tunes, and so forth. The Zoltan Deme's essay reveals however, that despite appearances, this is not the case at all. He proves this by presenting the phenomena that constitute the dividing lines between the drawings of a child or an ordinary person, and a true masterpiece of a genuine artist. This study is just simply a translation from a book of the author titled „Arpeggio” under a similar title.
PICARESQUE STORIES
Hitchhiking across America.This travel diary is more than a mere account of an extraordinary travel experience. It is a remarkable continuation of the by now classic literature of the beatnik and the hippie generation led by Kerouac, Ginsberg, and Corso, with new insights and unique colors. This diary is just simply a translation of a Hungarian book of the author under the same title.
PHILOSOPHY
Struggling against the Absurdities of the Human Existence. There are poems, novels, and plays in modern world literature, describing human life as an absurd, ridiculous, and superfluous phenomenon. In our day a number of people consider these works demoralizing, destructive, and refuse to accept this kind of approach. However, one can not be certain at all that it is one's right indeed to refuse the representation of this ancient cycle of experiences if we take the fact into account that humans have been so often hit upon the consciousness and experiences of the futility, insignificance, and superfluity of their lives. In spite of the all difficulties, one should rather face these problems, that is, to examine the factors inducing the absurdity of the world and the human life, to seek for methods to cease them, to find ways to reduce their influence, or to diminish their pressure on human thinking. This is what Zoltan Demme is doing in his book that was translated and published in the major languages. This study is just simply a translation from a book of the author titled „Arpeggio” under a similar title.
DRAMMATIC SHOW
Roulette. Delightful and extravagant stages, dances, nice music, pantomimes, magic elements entertain the audience of this playof semi-serious tone. And the subject of this show is also extreme and exciting. The author takes a closer look to few theories of philosophers, scientists, writers, who are searching for adaptable methods of transformation of the human creature to a totally different living creature. This play is just simply a translation from a book of the author titled „Microcosmos” under the same title.
andrewad9:
2. PROGRAMME ONE, Write and Act movement, Pompton Lakes, NJ.
This book is a part of the WRITE AND ACT movement of the author. As exposed on the cover sheet of the book: „We know, that the influence of novels and poems are weakened in our century. Therefore, beside traditional ways of writing, it is reasonable to open an additional creative path to influence events around us. That is, the expressing the messages of our prospective creations by direct acting, by establishments, foundations, nonprofit groups of those types that present our ideas both structured and tinged ways and even crystallize them by their everyday acts.” As a consequence, probably first time in the history of literature, the day-by-day activities of nonprofit groups, introduced here, purpoted to have aesthetic values precisely by that way they work. Seeing the documents of all the nonprofit corporations of the author, my immediate impression is that they rather work similar way as the poems and novels organize themselves and as they work! As if they rather would be very active, interactive, and operating poems or novels with special aesthetic character and value! For example, in the daily activitiy of these nonprofit enterprises continously we can spot such regular and traditional aesthetic qualities as composition, imagery, atmosphere, invention, expressivity, rhythm, playfulness, emotional and rational content, varied structures, etc., like in any real poem or novel. Classic aesthetic characteristics such as the beautiful, the charming, the intimate, the sublime, the bizarre, the comic, the playful, the grotesque, the misshapen, the ugly are also present like in the poems and novels, and there are many other ways to continue this comparison. However, this book is not a place of micro-philological and micro-aesthetic interpretations, maybe others will write exhaustive analyses in an aesthetic journal, instead. Otherwise the book contents only the documentary materials of the above groups with no personal comments of the author. Collaborators were Norman Mailer, Valery Giscard d’Estaing, Willy Brandt, Edward Teller, Friedriech Dürrenmatt, Gorbacsev, Andrew Webber, and other internationally reputated personalities. This book is devided to three units such as Program, Activities, and Appendix. The chapter Activities also divided to varied subchapters such as Starvation, Exploitation, Terrorism, Mass Manipulations, etc.
andrewad9:
3. PROGRAMME TWO, Write and Act movement, Pompton Lakes, NJ.
This book is a parergon of the Programme One book, the previous one. It contents documentary materials only, with no personal comments of the author. Collaborators were Yehudi Menuhin, Václav Havel, Michelangelo Antonioni, Bohumir Hrabal, and other internationally reputated personalities. This book is devided to three units such as Program, Activities, and Appendix. The chapter Activities also divided to varied subchapters such as Artistry, Morality, Beauty, Erudition, Charity, Connection, and Memory. The day by day activities of the nonprofit groups that are present in this volume purpoted to have aesthetic values as part of the author’s Write and Act movement, and, here even the printing outlook and the printing resolutions of many details have aesthetic uniqeness also. let me cite the author’s sentences that tell us how this volume was born: „Programme One [the previous book] faced solely absurdities. When hardworking on, being tired to bone we gathered with colleagues each night in our watershore office. Outside the night was glamorous, with myriad of stars on the sky, on the water surface, with gentle grass everywhere on ground. In these mild evenings an idea emerged among us, a plan of initiating a new program, a supplemental one, and we meditated on as a relaxation.” This is the book Programme Two, that faces not the absurd but the humanized segments of the world and tries to crystallize many of our existing values. See always the extraordinary humane background of the activities of the author. FIRST, lots of things he sacrificed from the comforted and normal life for the results of these projects, e.g. as a young immigrant he worked hard as a sheetrock worker then as a buiding contractor to collect own funds for initiating his program. SECOND, he always accomponied his projects with humanitarian side activities. For instance, his organization, the Zoltan Foundation, gave 2,3,6 months long United States scholarships to university students of varied countries with full accomodations and meal. THIRD, as part of the WRITE AND ACT movement of the author that is always avoiding the individual merits, he extended the common work while projecting, and he found professional co-workers even in the very abstract fields of the philosophy and anthropology: co-workers, who, for instance, wrote valuable own articles as additons to the author’s studies. Let me cite the text of one of the book's movement, the program of THE INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF DIONYSIAS: "The Modern Olympic Games have renewed the ancient traditions of the antique Greek sport competitions, and now they are able to serve the ideal of the human excellence, the friendship of the nations and the peace of the entire world. The games of the Modern Dionysias wish to renew the ancient traditions of the antique Greek cultural competitions and celebrations and desire to serve exactly the same values. The International Committee of Dionysias has the bases to organize worldwide cultural competitions and celebrations. There were and are even today excellent cultural competitions on every continent, contests of performers such as singers, dancers, music soloists, conductors, choirs and ansembles, or contests of creators as designers, sculpturers, painters, composers as well. We are ready to integrate these events every four years between the Olympics following faithfully the traditions of the antique Dionysias. We hope that in mediterranean spring on the downhill of the Acropolis in Athens, many colourful small strips will rise up to the sky as in the very ancient past. After this the traditionally first competitors, the choirs can start to sing a gain, demonstrating the indestructibility of the evergreen ideas and eternal values of the Man." Let me note that the Dionysias project is under discussion with politicians of many nations at recent, and its practical local details is disputed with the Greek authorities, also at recent.
andrewad9:
4. PROMOTION ONE, Visualize and Act movement, Pompton Lakes, NJ.
This is the VISUALIZE AND ACT PROGRAM of the author: „Hollywood Movie today is present in all countries, cities, and villages of six continents. Hollywood Moviemakers for a Better World, Inc. [the author’s company] desires to turn this global presence into a movement, improving all segments of our world with everyday, practical, social, economic, and theoretical steps, parallel with the regular movie-making.” When compiling this book solely from the documents of the shooting his films (Promised Land, Cryptograms) the author was already over of his Programme One, Programme Two books, and of the philosophical problems detailed there (struggles with the absurdities of the human status, and struggles with the absurdities of the human being itself) : and he found no resolution on those issues. Thus, he made his next step by this book. The pages of this volume reveal first time the next essential problems of the author’s philosophy: Is it any chance to change the living and non-living world to quite new, not-an absurd-but-humanized-ones? Just see his program text at the beginning of the book! "Humanizing the living and non-living world means to modify them on behalf of the human beings, to force them to serve human purposes. However, from the ancient past to our recent days many critically important segments of the living and non-living world proved to be resistant to the humanization efforts, and stayed and forever will stay not humanized, as the sciences state.What to do then? Agreeing with many preeminent scientists and philosophers do we just simply accept the fact, that due to its features, characteristics and ways of existence, we will never be able to give humanized character to the world? Or, following other views, instead of the humanization and correction efforts that we make continuously on the living and non-living world, would it be much better to CHANGE THE WHOLE THING?!?" We have to turn against the evolutional processes and universal physical rules for our own rightful sake even now, as our author suggests in his movies. Let me cite: ’Few decades followed 2000 AD an essentially New World people create. Until that time they had to comply with all rules of the nature. But this time they develop closed artificial worlds in space by their own rules, independent of nature, independent of the Universe. If desired, the stone falls down at a slower or faster speed than before in these closed space colonies. If desired, we can create modified plants and animals in these artificial places. And at the end, we let the Universe circulate or move around itself, separate from us.’
andrewad9:
5. PROMOTION TWO, Visualize and Act movement, Pompton Lakes, NJ.
This book was born as a parergon of the volume Promotion One. Like that one, this is also devided to three units such as Program, Activities, and Appendix. Like that one, this book contents documentary materials only (the papers of the author’s composing activities, scores, sketches, etc.) with no personal comments. In the Preface the author tells us how this parergon volume was born: „While we were hardworking to finish those films [that are present in the Promotion One program] bone tired we stepped out from the editing room with collaborators almost each night, and we needed some relaxation. In those demanding days, for myself, the music provided the best recreation and rest. However, still being full with ideas and emotions, those nights I was not able to enjoy music passive way. I felt myself better when composing something instead of the passive pleasure. And, as the days, months, and years passed, as a parergon of the primal activity, operas and ballets were born in the calmness of the music room.” Instead of the future times Promotion Two focuses the present. [Since Promotion One did searching for the chances and ways to change the living and non-living word to better ones for the far future]. But for radical changes Promotion Two seeks also. For radical changes in our eastern and western societies and social life. For radical changes in our common activities. For radical turns towards those kind of lovely and matured values that could be valid even in an entirely changed living and non-living world.
andrewad9:
6. OTHER CHORDS OF SCALES, architecture and natural sciences, Warwick, NY.
HORTICULTURE
As an architect and landscaper Zoltan Deme has horticultural claims also (e.g., in New Jersey’s elite neighborhoods). From these, the revival of the ’flower and scent clocks’ of the baroque era the book presents here. Certain flowers bloom in different dayparts, giving off a scent that people can consider as a time signal: this type of plan he had worked out to the Indiana West Baden Spring Hotel’s gigantic hall. However, he was unsatisfied since, according to the plan, a given flower’s scent must be fully vacuumed from the gigantic hall to the time-section of the next flower-blooming. And the flower’s scent would unevenly cover the hall. Otherwise, Zoltan Deme thought of landscaping always with prehumanized-humanized-posthumanized terms. (Posthuman means future human or posthuman being). Mutatis mutandis: prehumanized flower clock means that flowers soak up non-optimized materials from the ground, are subjected to heat-cold, cause suffering to the bugs, etc. Humanized flower clock means that flowers soak up optimized materials, are protected from heat-cold, have fairly developed abilities to protect the sensitive bugs, etc. Posthumanized flower clock means the same, but with strong blocking then modifying the natural rules, the compressional and rheological ones. His plan of the suction-pump-free, scent-lability-free hall of the NYC Prudential Insurance Company he created the last way is a good exemple of these efforts.
LANDSCAPE DESIGN
Winter in landscaping is a constant problem, since it is flowerless and desolate. For his customers, Zoltan Deme selected trees, bushes and grasses that give off a refreshing scent and outlook even when they dry out. However, his landscape architecture means much more than clever creativeness; he always keeps handling his designs by the prehumanized-humanized-posthumanized principles while building them up on the legacy of past centuries, and while searching for the paths toward the future also. His plan for one of the private homes in Puerto Rico, among others, gives a significant example of his purposes. Here, the Asian flower market’s wild characteristics (prehumanized) and the methods of modern sitiology (humanized) are connected in a well-balanced way. And, as a sitiological innovation, he changes the plant’s original nutrition to more effective, not-used-before chemicals (making an almost posthumanized step). On top of these, he works out a landscape design novelty: he places the prime and essential environment of this private home in the air, instead of with the usual green-grass-ground resolution.
GENERAL BUILDING DESIGN
Zoltan Deme was a construction worker after arriving to the United States as a refugee. This is what his interest in private and office construction comes from. This, too, is the basis of his realisation that the parking houses’ usual square or oval shapes are not ideal, and that it is much better to use the hexagonal shapes of honeycombs instead. He studied dozens of bee constructions, then designed such parking houses that should be built up on honeycomb shapes, offering far more economic and lot-wise resolutions than others. But his main principle - the prehumanized–humanized-posthumanized scale of architecture - yet again was brought into reality by his honeycomb-structures. He equally worked out prehistoric-kind, then classical type spaces from the honeycombs (like the domes of the Middle Age churches, dome-fresco effects, etc.) and, among others, some mpdernized small service spaces where the million-years-old rules of mechanics and gravitation were blocked and replaced by new and more convenient rules.
URBAN ARCHITECTURE
Why do we have to place stadiums onto the ground? According to Zoltan Deme, this is not a must. Especially not in the crowded metropolises full of skyscrapers, where the airspace is more accommodating and economic for this goal and gives even more impressive experiences to the visitors and local people. Probably, this is the most interesting idea of him in the field of urban architecture. And the progression of technology would even allow the realisation of this idea today. However, the architect does not stop at this point. He tries to validate his basic principle too (going from the ’prehumanized’ legacy and moving to the ’posthumanized’ resolutions), that could yet again be brought into reality by accommodating the thousands of people who fill the stadium in such places where the rules of nature are partially blocked and substituted by human-created, new and more convenient rules (in cafes, fast food places, bathrooms, toilets, etc.)
COSMOGONY & COSMOLOGY
The Absurd Origin of the Universe
This voluminous study is a kind of synthesis of the author’s research in the varied fields of the natural sciences. At the time of writing this study, his thorough investigations of cytological, cytochemical, microphysical and other events and phenomena have already brought up many results (among others, the ’truth value equation’ or the ’x-modulus’ could be mentioned). Now, uniting all of the contemporary knowledge of the humanities and natural sciences, he tries, in this study, to find the answer to one of the biggest problems of the humankind: how was the Universe born. This study is just simply a translation from a book of the author titled „Mikrokozmosz” under a similar title.
MICROPHYSICS & MICROCHEMISTRY
Nonsense Attributes in the Subatomic World
The study is a result of the extended research activities of the author in the fields of the natural sciences. Being interested in the microcosmos of the material world, right after his researches in the fields of the natural sciences, he started to thoroughly investigate some strange events and phenomena in microphysics and physics. This reasearch work of him was fruitful, even with some amazing results. Especially this study (from the field of quantum mechanics) in which, for the first time, he expresses his doubts on the fluent, universal and uniform validity of the general rules of nature in the entirety of the Universe. This study is just simply a translation from a book of the author titled „Mikrokozmosz” under a similar title.
APPLIED METAPHYSICS
The State of the Humanization in Our Age
This essay is a consequence of the author’s almost thirty-year-long research activities (both in the area of the humanities and of the natural sciences) that are mostly related to the absurd events and phenomena of the human biological being, human life, and even of the Universe. However, this sample presents only one example from his extensive work in the field of applied metaphysics. It focuses on a very strange but, in our age, more and more actual problem: is there any chance to change the living and non-living world (that are full with absurdities) to a quite new and fully humanized one? If yes, what path do we ought to go on?This study is just simply a translation from a book of the author titled „Mikrokozmosz” under a similar title.
THNETOSOPHY
The Basic Postulates of the Thnetosophy
The word Thnetosophy derives from Greek roots meaning ’the knowledge of the world of the thnetos (the mortal human being)’. Greek roots: θνητός (mortal human being) σοφία (knowledge). The term thnetosophy separates mortal humans from future humans, who reach immortality in far futurity. Thnetosophy considers us, mortal humans, as progenitors of future humans. Otherwise the ancestor of Thnetosophy is Humanology (and, earlier, Life Philosophy or Philosophy of Human Life). However, this discipline of philosophy, Humanology, was not widely known among people, while the term ’humanology’ was too-widely used to label varied ideologies and even unscientific systems of views. Also, this discipline, Humanology, does not declare clearly and with necessary precision that its theses relate only to mortal humans, and not to post-human beings with eternal life. Thus, the author, in his latest works, stops using the term ’humanology’ and applies the term ’thnetosophy’ instead. The basic postulates of the thnetosophy that are detailed here fairly reflect the essence of this new discipline. This study is just simply a translation from a book of the author titled „Mikrokozmosz” under a similar title. The 6 basic postulates of the thnetosophy that are detailed here fairly reflect the essence of this new discipline: "......1. The existence of the God is not accepted by the natural science, God is an antiquated and obsolete idea in the progression of our civilization. 2. We are alone in the Universe, no other intelligent civilization exists, because the entity of the intelligent civilization is extremely specific. 3. The human being with rationality and emotion is more valuable than any non-rational and non-emotional elements of the Universe. Thus, the events in the Universe have no equal values: those that are connected to the fate of mankind have priority.4. The humanization, the reshaping activity of the world to serve the aims and the interests of the humankind, is the primary process in the Universe for us. 5. Philosophical oppositions (material vs. soul, can be known vs. cannot be known) are secondaries. Thnetosophical one (can be humanized vs. cannot be humanized) is primary. 6. What cannot be humanized in the Universe is under the human quality, and, per the aims of the mankind it makes no sense, it is preposterous, absurd......" I think this is a very realistic and rational view of the Universe and the place of the human species in it, in general. I don’t necessarily agree with the statement that there isn’t an intelligent civilization in the Universe, or a species that resembles intelligence closely to that of the current state of humanity. I don’t think intelligent civilization to be specific, it could be formed if the basic needs are given by nature. But I completely agree that the things in the Universe that don’t directly affect humanity have no inherent value to us, why should we care about it then, other than for fun and recreational activities, in the broad sense of humanity it holds no benefit. Existence of God is also misconception in my view, it should have absolutely no place in a modern civilized society, other than the in history books where people can learn and understand the ignorance of pre-science societies.
COMPLETE COLLECTIONS (HUNGARIAN)
andrewad9:
ARPEGGIO
GASTRONOMY
Ancient medicinal wines, and ancient medical hard drink spirits
This is a compact and well-put-together essay detailing alcoholic beverages, which were used in the not-so-far past as medicines by the Austro-Hungarian people, and even as products of their pharmacies. The essay offers a short and straightforward account of the vines’ and hard drinks’ origins, uses, and even a historical background of a great variety of medicinal liquors. A scale of them was available in pharmacies, and the author went into great detail to list them. There are five main categories: Ancient pharmacy wines; Salted hard drink spirits and salt wines; Spiced peasant wines and spiced hard drink spirits; Medicinal wines and medicinal hard drinks made from wild fruits and from the liquid of tree barks; and Sweet medicinal liquors of the Hungarian Millennium. The names of the beverages induced a mild bit of fascination (and a desire to try many of them), but I found the listing of them, one after the other, a bit excessive at the start, though I did appreciate the uses for them and their historical backgrounds. Overall, I found it a nice read, containing unique information about the complex and delicious-sounding world of alcohol usage as medicine! LABELS: History of the everdays things. Innovation (first elaboration of the theme). Discoveries. Reconstructions. Building broad scales. Lyrical essay. Poetic language.
Old Sweet Pastries of the Hungarian Village Confectioners
Around the Hungarian Millennium, Hungarian pastry cooking (originating from French and German cities) saw a great rise in popularity and diversity. These pastries and confectioneries were first available in fancy pastry shops that put an emphasis on aesthetics, smell and the overall vibe of the establishment. Not long after that, after the Hungarian Millennium, homemade pastry cooking correlated with the blooming of Hungarian gastronomy. However, the stay-at-home-wives couldn't match the delicacy and fanciness of the sweets from the pastry shops that they tried to imitate. Instead, their pastries were more compact, filling and plentiful, at the cost of 28 elegance and vibe. Pastry cooking also made its way to the Hungarian Plain land, where the local pastry cooks in a village made the sweets. Thus, the desires and expectations of the locals altered the sweets; they were made to be larger and taller, and the ingredients were in abundance. They made statue-like formations out of sweets, creating its own art form. The last part of the essay goes into detail on the sweets of an eastern region and city of Hungary, Debrecen. There, the locals opted for their own versions of sweets; the ingredients were entirely different ones, such as fat, hot oil and cheese. The names of the pastries were rather contradictory and dull, and clearly distinguishable from the delicate and sophisticated pastries of the aforementioned origins. This essay was appealing to me as it was compact, easy to comprehend, interesting and must have required a big amount of research. It's the first essay that was written about this Hungarian topic. LABELS: History of the everdays things. Innovation (first elaboration of the theme). Building broad scales. Reconstructions. Lyrical essay. Poetic language.
HANDICRAFT
The Pottery of the Woodlands of Őrség The first section of this interesting essay details the colour of the handmade earthenware of Őrség (An Austro-Hungarian region). First, the author draws the vivid countryside environment of the Őrség, then presents how the colours are synergistic with the Őrség pottery. The second section is about the materials of the Őrség earthenware. Unlike the pottery that can be seen in gift and souvenir shops and strive for flawlessness and decorative painting, the pottery earthenware of Őrség are quite the opposite. They are rougher, flawed and hold earthly characteristics in their appearance and, moreover, in their smell. The third section refers to the making of the earthenware. They are completely handmade and each of them is unique; the subtle signs of the process in making them is visibly apparent. They are rough, raw and rustic. Unlike modern civilization's expectations, where everything has to be seemingly perfect and made to be seemingly as aesthetic as possible, the 29 pottery of Őrség is very much the opposite. In my opinion the essay was compact, and the comparison between the intentional imperfection and false flawlessness was especially unique. LABELS: History of the everdays things. Lyrical essay. Poetic language.
Ancient Wooden Puppets and Dolls in the Békés Cemetery
The essay firstly portrays the oldest cemeteries in Hungary. Just like the deceased who are buried in them, the cemeteries also are decaying. Being overtaken by the forest, groves and vegetation, the tombs are slowly degrading. Then the essay portrays the unique cemetery of Békés. There are many wooden dolls and puppets in that cemetery, representing families, kids, old men and war veterans. The dolls stem from a carving practice that has Turkish origins, because once, in the past, the land was inhabited by Turkish people. The craftsmen who made these dolls put emphasis on detail and carefully molded the materials of the dolls. Each doll has a unique personality portrayed on it. In the cemetery, one can feel the presence of souls and the deep oneness between nature and humanity, unlike most cemeteries where the tombs are dull, boring, uniform and almost the same. The essay was only one page; however, in my opinion it was extremely atmospheric and emotional. By describing the cemetery and its environment, the author showcased the great potential of the Hungarian language with very specific and complex choices of words. LABELS: History of the everdays things. Innovation (first elaboration of the theme). Discovery of the hidden world of many ancient cemeteries. Reconstructions. Lyrical essay. Poetic language.
HISTORY OF BEHAVIOR
The Attitude of the Classicist Poets and Writers
The attitude of the so-called aesthetical living, and aesthetical death, was probably not practiced better by anyone than the citizens of the Ancime 30 Regime. The always-strict human soul continuously paid attention to itself, and relentlessly protected the quality of its thoughts, mood and peace of mind. Many victims and martyrs of the French revolution continued their elegant, so-called salon lives in the death houses, and when standing before the guillotine, they were thinking of refining their last words in aesthetic ways.“Le style c’est l’homme” (the style is the person itself) was their motto. This essay is about the Hungarian classicist poets and writers of the Ancime Regime, whose behavioural attitudes were the same. They created poetry that targeted perfection, and now this essay presents in what ways they applied themselves to reach this purpose. Moreover, the essay points out which traditions and traditional processes everyday persons can apply to better and almost perfect their own lives in their everyday behaviour. Here, the author again showcased the great potential of the Hungarian language with very specific and complex choices of words, while presenting a ’the-style-is-the person-itself’ attitude.
History of the everyday human behavior
An experiment to innovate the lyrical essay. Inside the Paraselene of Sindbad This essay holds multiple points of significance. First, the colourful language of Gyula Krúdy, the famous Hungarian writer, has completely disappeared from the Hungarian literature, and this essay now upgrades and expands it within its full, colourful style. Second, Sindbad is the main protagonist in Gyula Krúdy’s work (who he portrayed as a noble, middle-class gentleman); however, his behaviour and the motivation for his actions in the similarly titled movie (Sindbad, directed by Zoltán Huszárik) - and in the many opuses of the history of literature - are not explained in a proper way. Many of his secrets have also remained unrevealed. This essay now reveals all of these. And finally, in the aspects of philosophy, this essay also brings new results. The writer showcases that the lifestyle of Sindbad, and his attitude, offer a 31 unique resolution to the least-solved problems of human life (death, passage of time, etc.) Thus, the internationally well-known movie, and this lyrical essay, unitedly give an explaination to a strange but evergreen human attitude that was not understood before at all. LABELS: History of the everyday human behavior. An experiment to innovate the lyrical essay. Solving mysteries. Philosophical, psychological, and sociological relevance.
PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE
Mondrian’s Pictures and His Philosophy of Life
Over twenty years, Mondrian made only one type of painting. In all of them, straight black lines are visible and always meet each other through a vertical angle. The squares and rectangles that result from that are filled with the colours blue, yellow and red in the purest form that is available by the theses on chromatics (a discipline of physics). Besides the colours listed above, only the colour grey makes an appearance in the squares. Mondrian could draw especially well; he was considered one of the most exceptional classic and traditional painters of his era. Regardless of this, he avoided the traditional way of painting and instead painted these colourful squares only. Why did he do this when he earned no revenue - zero money - from these paintings? The author searched for the answer to this question in his essay. Very few understand Mondrian’s path that led to this, which the author of this essay now clearly presents and verifies from the painter’s life and from data in Mondrian’s theoretical writings. The painter strived to develop a purified and fully clear form of painting, a style of painting where the aspects of sculpturing, architecture and other branches of art are excluded. First, Mondrian ceased to include plasticity, and then tectonics; afterwards, he excluded reflecting and presenting any subjects, and then the suggestion of any meaning in his artwork. Each of his steps led to a new view of life and a new special feeling of life; these are explored, sequence by sequence, in the essay. Also, the author makes it clear why these paintings cannot be created by anyone, neither by an ordinary person nor a playing child. LABELS: Discoveries. Reconstructions. Solving mysteries. Philosophical, psychological, and sociological relevance. Pedagogical significance.
Struggling against the Absurdities of the Human Existence
In this study, which has also been published in multiple languages as a book, the author examines the factors that cause the absurdity of the world and the human life. He searches for the methods to cease or weaken their power and lessen their weight on human consciousness. To do this, he calls forth the works of the most prominent authors of science, literature and art from the Greek ancient times to contemporary times. To humanize the world means to shape and organize it in a way that benefits and serves the goals of humanity. However, the changing of many details of the world into something that serves the human race faces many serious and heavy challenges. According to the author, the world as a whole has, firstly, humanized elements; secondly, till-this-time not-humanized ones; and, lastly, ones that are impossible or seem to be inherently impossible to be humanized. Civilization and the human being face the biggest problem in these last cases. This study doesn’t include the detailing of the (1) humanized elements of the world or, moreover, those ones that (2) can be humanized but until this time are not humanized;it rather concentrates on those elements that are inherently (3) impossible to humanize, because according to the greatest minds of civilization, these are the elements that make human life absurd. According to science, the reasonings that support that human life is absurd are lined up most plentifully by the authors of the so-called ’absurd drama’. From the line of reasonings, the author focuses on those that have not been contradicted even in the slightest way over thousands of years. He finds four such reasonings: death, the passage of time, the fact that the human being is trapped in its own body and soul, and, finally, that in the world and Universe, newer and newer unknown details and elements continuously and unstoppably appear. The study is about how the greatest minds of humanity made attempts, from the ancient past to modern times, to humanize - and therefore force under the 33 goals and interests of humanity - death, the passage of time, the strong bond to the body and soul, and the continually reborn unknowness of the world and the Universe. In this study, the author recalls and details more and more interesting procedures of the mastermind. However, there is a sad, final result. Let us quote the closing thought of the study: It cannot be doubted that humanizing the main powers of the absurdity of the world and of human life began by some of the best authors of civilization; however, the victory and the convincing and useful results are far away. LABELS: Innovation: turning basic oppositions of philosophy (matter vs. spirit, materialism vs. idealism, possibility of knowledge vs. impossibility of knowledge, and so on) to one ultimate opposition (possibility of humanization of the world vs. impossibility of humanization of the world). Reconstructions. Philosophical, psychological, sociological and pedagogocal relevance.
HISTORY OF LITERATURE
Emotion and Knowledge in’The Tragedy of Man’ by Madách
As it’s known, the work of Madách (the Hungarian author of the 19th century) goes through the history of mankind, searching for the right meaning of the human life and the trustful and verifiable goals of it. The author of this essay places himself into the thought processes and psychological world of Madách, and searches for even the smallest reasons behind Madách’s pessimism. He showcases in detail how and why the author of The Tragedy of Man ended up at one of his main thoughts of his work: that neither everyday human knowledge, nor the sciences that are based on well-proven theses, nor even philosophical erudition, can solve the final questions of the fate of mankind, leading it to the wide harmony of life and the lasting experience of happiness. After losing his hope in the power of knowledge, Madách finds compensation in the emotional world of mankind. Why? And in what way? This is also detailed by the analysis. The interpreter’s job is the first, which makes clear order among those chaotic approaches that the Hungarian high schools and Central-European universities apply in relation to the thought processes and 34 psychological world of Madách. Plus, the author shines clear light on many unrevealed reasons for this way of thinking. LABELS: Discoveries. Reconstructions. Solving mysteries. Philosophical, psychological, and sociological relevance. Pedagogical significance.
The Layers of the Historical and Cultural Traditions behind the Modern Epos of Ferenc Juhász titled „The Prodigal Country”
Just like in his other works, the author of this study likes to delve deep into those artistic and poetical works that are deemed not understandable and even undecodable. This is what he does again in examining the modern epos of the contemporary Hungarian poet Ferenc Juhász. Juhász’s epos is about the events in the peasant riots led by György Dózsa in 1514, in Hungary. The riot happened due to the intolerable living conditions of the peasants. The end result of the fight for freedom was that ten-thousand peasants were impaled and broken on the wheel, and Dózsa was burnt alive on a fiery throne, wearing a flaming corona. All of this is reincarnated in the epos by Ferenc Juhász in a very impulsive and extremely immersive way. As a consequence, the very heavy and passionate way of the immersion, and the also passionate commiseration with the emotions and thoughts of the characters, makes it almost impossible to understand the surprising connections between the many motives of the poet’s work, together with the flood of unexpected grammatical resolutions, and the precise following of the nonstop waving of the emotional and theoretical world of the epos. The author of the study helps one understand and enjoy the epos. He reveals, one by one, those elements of ancient Hungarian literature that are echoing in the epos and give the basis of its structure. He verifies that many Middle-Age jeremiads, psalms, litanies, hymns, love-lays, etc. were Ferenc Juhász’s sources when he was writing the epos. The at-first confusing and incomprehensible epos becomes clear this way and, moreover, gives now a vivid impression for the reader. LABELS: Discoveries. Reconstructions. Solving mysteries. Pedagogical significance.
PHILOLOGY
The Modern Adaptations of the Ancient Hungarian Maria – Jeremiad, and, of the First Know Ancient Hungarian Obituary. Are the nearly one-thousand-year-old language records really obsolete to today’s people, who are truly not saying anything relevant? The author of the study showcases eight-thousand-year-old Hungarian texts (the first Hungarian language records) in his work. The ancient Hungarian Maria jeremiad portrays the emotions of the virgin mother appearing at Jesus’ wooden crucifix. The ancient Hungarian obituary quotes the text of a sermon that was said by a priest from the Middle Ages, at a deceased man’s grave. Both texts have been rewritten by multiple authors through the centuries, including by modern poets. The author of the study examined, through all of this, the following: when compared to the original language records, are the more recent ones better, superior or more valuable? The author proves in his detailed and meticulous aesthetical examination that the original texts are better and are of higher quality than the famed poet’s works, which were based on the language records. It’s not justifiable to deem the people who lived many centuries ago as primitive compared to modern humans. Their emotional world has been shown sometimes to be deeper and more colourful, and their thought processes more ambiguous and precise than lots of the leading authors in today’s times. LABELS: Aesthetical relevance. Pedagogical significance.
About the biographical background of the “Mátyás Rikóti”
The ’Mátyás Rikóti’ is a comical epos by Ferenc Verseghy, the famed poet of the Enlightenment in Central Europe. The characters are full of life and 36 vivacious; however, we have not questioned through the centuries why they are so realistic. However, historians of literature suspect that the author modeled them after real people. The author of this study examines the characters one by one. He searches in handwritten letter archives, and in the document collections of those times, and continues to investigate until his suspicions become clear and can be verified regarding who the characters of the comical epos were modeled after. In terms of the psychological study of the arts, this work is also an innovation that clearly shows how the psyche of the author of the comical epos operated while he wrote his work. LABELS: Psychological relevance. Source to study the Enlightenment era.
PROSODY
Verseghy and the Dual Jambic Rhythm
In the Hungarian language, every word’s first syllable is accentual, resulting in giving Hungarian poems a sort of rhythmic pulsation. However, when someone writes a poem in the Hungarian language, they must account for the fact that the alternation of short and long syllables also results in a rhythmic pulsation. Of most languages, be they as antique as Greek, Latin, etc., or as modern as English, French, etc., only the latter create the rhythm of a poem. In the Hungarian language, however, the accentuation on the first part of a word also creates a rhythm that means a great plus; therefore, poems written in Hungarian have the so-called dual rhythm. This has caused a lot of problems for Hungarian poets through the centuries. How can those two types of rhythms be coordinated while writing a poem? One of the revolutionaries of quality coordination in poems was Ferenc Verseghy, who also developed a theory of harmonizing. His theory, however, is false according to the modern rhythm investigations and studies, though the harmonization of those two types of rhythms has been successful in his 37 poems. The author of this study solves that riddle with a serious prosodic preparation on why Verseghy succeeded in creating high-quality harmonization in his poems despite of his false theory. LABELS: Discoveries. Solving mysteries. Source to study the Hungarian prosody.
Dual Rhythm in Petőfi’s Firstlings on Jambic and Trochaic Base
The dual rhythm - the centuries long problem of Hungarian poets - proves to be the main problem in this work as well as the previous one. In the age of Sándor Petőfi, there have been exceptionally furious and seemingly endless arguments about the reconciliation of the two differing types of rhythms. However, the young teenaged poet could care less about these. In his poems, though, he coordinated the two different types of rhythms in a far better manner than his peers did. The author of this study thoroughly examines Petőfi’s trochee- and iamb based firstlings, and finds at the end the explanation and resolution of the issue. Moreover, his study shines a light on the micro-workings of the all time poet; thus, his work is of far superior value than a regular rhythmic examination. LABELS: Discoveries. Solving mysteries. Psychological relevance. Pedagogical significance. Source to study the Hungarian prosody.
HISTORY OF MUSIC
Musical Etiquette of the Tables in the Late Renaissance Feasts In my opinion, this essay is suppletory even on an European level, beacause the author collects the necessary data from a large number of writings, personal letters, etc. from the Renaissance times in order to draw a picture of the table etiquette of late Renaissance feasts. The result is impressive, showcasing the life of noble people of those times. 38 Musicians in celebratory feasts in Cyprus, Venice, Genova, Milano, and Verona (and many other Mediterranean gardens and cities) played based on a predetermined set of etiquette rules. They welcomed guests arriving to the tapestry room via the sounds of pipes, drums and trumpets. They then walked to the huge table in the dining room, which could host hundreds of people. Golden plates, golden cups and silverware were lined up on the flower decorated table, while the servants served every guest with rose water intended for cleansing. In the midst of the lighthearted melodies of the pipes and trumpets, the servants brought, first and foremost, tropical fruits to the table - cedar apple, lemon, malvazia and other Mediterranean gourmandises that were covered in sugar. Soon, harps could be heard, while on silver plates, golden pine nuts and delicious sponge-cakes arrived. During the lighthearted harp melodies the guests also received elderflower compotes, along with sugared water and rose water. The first set of dishes of soup only arrived after this. With the arrival of the dishes, fortissimos of trumpet solos filled the room. In huge soup plates, gilded heads of goatlings floated, accompanied by the flags and crests of the local nobles. Cembalo, harp and viola melodies sounded during the consumption of the fried pigeons and chickens, which were made with cherry. The medium-fried dishes were brought in next, accompanied by pipe music. First and foremost, these were pheasants and peacocks with a sweet, golden-coloured, ginger gravy. Their own feathers decorated their tails, and their necks and breasts were gilded. They were served alongside San Severino wines. Intense fiery Castilian melodies could be heard thereafter by the orchestra. Joyful clowns jumped out of nowhere and sang, in an improvised manner, the arrival of the heavier fried dishes. Roasted calf, roasted goat and roasted capon covered the tables, along with tasty cinnamon gravy and fresh peas. Sweet Corsican wine flowed in the finely crafted chalices. Fast clarion music welcomed the arrival of the roasted calf and goat, which were accompanied by lemon gravy and green gravy on golden plates. Soon thereafter, accompanied by violas and harps, the pig-meat, ham, tongues and rabbit roast arrived... Gradually, everyone seemed to become tired. During an increasingly quiet session of harp music, sweets were served, including gilded seeds of watermelon, pine nuts, caraway seeds and sugared almonds. Then rose water was given again, intended for cleansing. By this time the 39 gallant army of guests began to quietly prepare to leave. Deep bass music from violas was played right up until the very last guest left the palace. LABELS: History of the everdays things. Innovation (first elaboration of the theme). Discoveries. Reconstructions. Building broad scales. Lyrical essay. Poetic language.
Unique Musical Instruments of the Late Rococo Castles
Violino, viola da gamba, viola da bordone, viola da spalla, violetta marina, viola pomposa, violino piccolo: this family of violas was already in a disappearing status during the times of the Baroque style of musical life. The contemporary and subsequent concert artists of brilliant techniques - Corelli, Veracini, Vivaldi, Locatelli, Tartini, Torelli, Campagnoli, Rolla, Viotti, Ola Bull, Niccolo Paganini, Rappoldi and Wieniawski - preferred the perfected types, the violin and viola, and popularized those instead. But what happened to the other members of the viola family? The suppletory work of the author of this essay draws their path in a comprehensive and sensitive way, investigating the plentiful sources of those times. It is found out from the essay that the classicization of the musical instrument merely took mercy upon the smaller members of the viola family for a few generations before they disappeared. This way, it lived through its late blooming during the period of Rococo as the tanzmestergeige, the pochette d’amour, the pochette and the violino di ferro (the ’dance master’ violin, the small ’love’ violin, the ’pocket’ violin and the ’nail’ violin). All of these are of special purpose and unique, not fitting for solo and orchestra performances at all. The resonance of the small ’love’ violin is trembling, touching, and worrying; this is where it most likely got its name from. Its unique sound world can be attributed to its dual strings. It was the familiar musical instrument in the French castles, and was the dance master’s helper in teaching the minuet, the carmagnole, the passepied, and the quadrille, as it provided the melody and signaled the tempo... However, a true ’dance master’ violin was considered to be the pochette in those times. It was a tiny instrument with sometimes three or more strings. It 40 fit into the pockets of the dance masters comfortably. (The duality of its naming, ’dance master’ violin and ’pocket’ violin, most likely originates from this.) A mostly decorated, expensive and unique exterior accompanied the quiet, faint, brittle sound world. The carvings were made of elephant bone, the inlays of tortoiseshell and pearl intarsia. The vast majority of pocket violins were handcrafted masterpieces, jewels of the Rococo castles and the bourgeois saloons... The violino di ferro, or ’nail’ violin, was a musical instrument box in the shape of a half moon, and had three legs. Following the curvature of the half moon, it was made with nails that decreased in height and became slimmer and slimmer each time. These were played by a strong, waxed-string, musical bow. In order to prevent the musical bow from slipping down, a metal railing was placed above the nails. Its sound world is delicate, brittle, faint, ethereal, volatile and etheric... The atmospheric but, at the same time, scientifically validated descriptions in this work are completed by phonic and musical comparisons.Thus, in my opinion, this work is a rarity among the sources of the science of the Rococo era. LABELS: History of the everdays things. Innovation (first elaboration of the theme). Discoveries. Reconstructions. Building broad scales. Lyrical essay. Poetic language.
andrewad9:
MICROCOSMOS
POEM VOLUMES MINIATURIZED
It is a strange but lovely experiment to miniaturize poems using sometimes only words or even less (signs, marks, etc.), to move the poesy toward other genres of art such as pencil graphics, aquarelles, textiles, ironworks and so on. Both efforts are present in these mini volumes. Chamber Exhibition This volume starts off with Medallions, a collection of very short poems. Each of them is highly descriptive, painting an immediately imposing picture of the subject of the poem, as well as a picture of mysteriousness and deep emotion. Each of the poems provokes a different kind of emotional response, and conveys a different yet unanimously mellow yet exciting theme. The poems are compact and as well-rounded as the real medallions used in everyday life. ’Pastel pictures’ is a sensitive and highly emotional poem about deeply connecting to another human being through romantic love and almost becoming one unit with them. It is very touching and somewhat tragic, even. The poem reveals some important parts about human nature, too, especially in the part that says ’You see, It is not bad if others come to your mind sometimes’. To me, this is about greatly caring for another person, placing our most-loved one before ourselves. This part of the miniaturized poem volume has ’pastel’ feelings and colours. ’Leaden sheets’ starts off with 'Memory’, which immediately brings shock value due to the aspects of the Soviet retorsion of the 1956 Hungarian revolution, which affected everyday life and buildings. The poem continues on with a melancholic, hopeless portrayal of life in those times. Afterwards, there is a depressing but beautiful poem about suicide, highlighting some details about the method of suicide and the things preceding going through with it. The title is ’One hundred thousands’, and it is no doubt that these people were the victims of the Hungarian so-called Kádár era. ’Voiceless’ is about the ’resurrection’ of the dead from the cemeteries - all those who died a 46 horrible death during the different decades of 20th century Hungary, and who now stand in the moonlight without uttering a word. In my opinion, this poem represents the injustices of their unnecessary deaths, and symbolizes the fate of the millions of Hungarian victims of those decades. The last poem, ’Sometimes’, portrays the struggles and everyday life of the youth being complacent to the things they are subjected to and finding, even if through a simple smile, companionship in each other before they leave their home country - as many Hungarian immigrants did during this century. This part of the miniaturized poem volume contains contents and feelings that are hard and heavy, like lead. In the Hungarian language, the order of short and long syllables makes a sentence have rhythm. This is portrayed in ’Aquarelles’ via two characters, a straight vertical line and a U-shaped one. These have always been strictly written in a template; however, in this case, the rigidity is blown away by a creative and highly provocative portrayal of these two characters (especially in those times when it was written). Each of them is pictured based on the title or the theme of the poem. The first one is 'Spring’, and both of the horizontal lines and the U characters are arranged in a shape of a blooming flower. In the next one, ’Escapees’, two U characters are drawn away from the rest, clearly implying that the two characters have 'escaped’ from the mass... In my opinion, all of these strange poems are very well done, and the idea is unique and imposing, breaking away from norms and traditions in an artistic way and applying the character of the aquarelle paintings. The next section is Rugs, a series of writings whereby words are arranged in such a way that they make the shape of a decorated rug. 'Tiny Ornaments’ conveys complex and deep emotions via descriptive and romantic, intriguing sounding words. 'Viola Family’ is a listing of the members of the viola instrument family as they are arranged in order. When read, they resonate with each other rather similarly to the smooth 'flow’ of the Italian language. Elegance and creativity ooze out of each of the 'Rococo salon’ clock poems, which refer to the decorations of the wealthy salons during the Rococo era. 'Smell clocks’, for example, refers to the people of those times who measured the time of day by the smells the flowers gave out in the garden at certain times of the day. I find this very interesting, and reading this in particular 47 provided a classy insight into the material aspects of that particular era, as well as into its class of rich individuals and even into their emotional world. 'Duty Free Shop’, a listing of the luxury items in Hungary after 1956, expresses the strange desire of the Hungarian people; presumably, only the richest part of the contemporary society could afford these items, though some simple brands were included such as 'Pall Mall’, which is rather common nowadays. 'Carte Millennium’ gives a gastronomic explanation of the foods and wines of the Millennium in Hungary. They all sound absolutely delicious, unique and full of creativity in their names; the arranged order by the author compliments this excellently, and yet again the smooth and lyrical flow of the verses come together in a poem-like synergy. 'Forest fringe’ showcases the beautiful-sounding flower and grass names of the forests, bringing out the complexity of the Hungarian language in its high potential to express and tell the difference between small things through the same subject. In Child medallions, the first poem, 'Grove’, is a two-word verse presenting how much content could be present even in one word compared to two. 'September Scenery’ is a poem about the scenery in the month of September, describing the aesthetic aspects of such an environment through the wings of a bug, the mirror-like aesthetic of a lake, and so on. 'October Forest’ continues on with the time of year and environment synergy, describing the aspects of that environment and painting a complex picture of a mellow and fragile forest - which became especially clear to me with the last line’s mention of 'Broken pine needles’. 'November Garden’ is a vivid description of the late autumn and early winter environment. 'December blooming of flowers’ is somewhat contradictory in its theme and meaning, because spring would be the time of year that is associated with 'blooming’. Yet in December, one of the coldest and 'lifeless’ months of the year, the flowers that thrive in such a winter environment are described in a short, emotionally engaging poem. In 'January’, the flowers are frozen; this time around, there is no blooming at all. I feel a very harsh yet fragile, mellow vibe when reading this poem. These poems are again as compact and well-rounded as the real medallions and this medallion-like nature frames the entire volume. 48 Under the Burden of Lithoprints Talk and write honest, authentic and right way always! Can you imagine how difficult is it? First, let’s cite the text of the so-called 'blurb’ of this volume in translation: Man [who tries to talk and write honest, authentic and right way always] can arrive at the point where he feels like he cannot overview his own personality properly, or every aspect and detail of the inner workings of his soul. His own control of his personality slips out from his hands, and it becomes harder to understand himself and understand the outside world. The world and soul become hazy and unable to be controlled this way. Parallel to this, almost everything that was deemed controllable and owned by him becomes unusable eventually. Language and thought become unreliable, and observations become problematic, since he cannot represent himself properly with thoughts, sentences or words. No matter what he says, he feels even that to be problematic, because he has a lesser overview of himself regarding his self-control,and cannot convey with accuracy what he thinks when he speaks. From this state, the opinion comes that those sentence formulas and words have none of the danger of non-authenticity, and are meaningless. Connective words, incomprehensible interjection words and scraps of words: the word artists of such things - many in the ranks of poets - live these experiences, and there are those who acknowledge the loss. They accept the meaningless words as the ingredients of their poems. And man can arrive at the understanding that through and with well-done aesthetical studies, he can fight effectively for that understanding, and that all those types of thinking can be justified. Instead of poetic writing, he uses touchable objects as the base material for a poem. That [poetrical] material could be linen, paint, rock, graphical pictures, music and noise, or human movement, gesture and action, used so entirely differently than the word that has been ruling so far... And man can arrive at the point where he is able to live through the results of that thinking, whereby the goal of an artistic work is not to form a meaning, but takes itself as a goal and a meaning that is in the base material itself. Melody is not the theme but the instrument; this he shapes and forms. He isn’t interested in the colours but in the canvas textile. Painting material in 49 tubes, or in a palette, he forms and works. Instead of the content of the film, vibe, or artistic suggestion, the celluloid tape catches his attention; he works this tape with the scissors, paint and other things. In this way a poem, for example, leaves him cold regarding its meaning - the meaning of a sentence or word. Most importantly, he concentrates mostly on the text’s sounding features or graphical characteristics, organizing them into aesthetical value, and yet again going far from the word as a base material. There could be an abundance of more examples, but perhaps it's more important to note that no matter how a person looks at it, there are ways leading to the formation of such poetry where, though no words are present, poetic vibes and deep feelings are conveyed through the human microcosmos! This chance seems calming and reassuring to those who’ve spent much of their lives analyzing words, sentences and their meanings, making themselves even sick sometimes while validating exact truths for valid statements and correct expressions. [Meanwhile] many times the indivdual gets the feeling that he cheats himself when he works with words, because in reality he might not be too familiar with them. At the same time - and after writings that were polished a hundred times until even their papers became junk - he could feel that there could be a right to leave out the alarmingly resistant world of sentences, words, and remainders and scraps of words that resemble words, in order to create a poetical world. Merely from the letters of the ABC, and from writing signs, conventionally printed symbols and other typographical tiny motives, something could be made that is poem-like, taking on the intellectual and emotional movement in the unpromising and silent world of this minimalistically humble scrap material. The result is that these pieces are similar to the poems of Dezső Tandori, the Hungarian poet who, for the first time in Europe, created the so-called 'Elementary Poesy’. However, in his work, Zoltan Demme does not follow Tandori’s so-called put-aside-the-personality, put-aside-the-sentence, put aside-the-word, work-with-syllables poesy. Instead, he goes further to say Put-aside-the-syllabes even; this could be his motto when renewing the above avantgarde tradition. The above 'blurb’ text is a provocative and highly intriguing piece where spaces are completely thrown out between the sentences and words in the original print. The sizes of the letters are random; 50 however, if read correctly they absolutely are coherent. Some of the letters are distorted, giving the piece a surreal and abstract aesthetic that I very much appreciate personally. The piece titled ’3’ is yet again abstract in nature, or at least seemingly so. This time, characters such as '!’ or '%’ and numbers are showcased and aesthetically arranged so that they are strangely pleasing to look at and observe. The next piece, 'QM’, consists of letters only; the left side is only small print and the right side is large print, giving the piece a sort of 'barcode’ kind of feel. 'IV’ returns with the '-’ and U characters of rhythm in Hungarian poetry examined previously. 'M’ is the same; however, a U is placed on the bottom of the page. The next piece is very abstract to me, with the same characters as the previous two, making a sort of surreal, mysterious and water-esque landscape. 'VII’ is a collection of letters and characters thrown together in a seemingly chaotic manner that is rather provoking but strangely relaxing too. It’s an interesting balance to strike so smoothly. Anyhow, from '3’ to 'VII’ a kind of disruption goes on, radiating that poetical character that is present in many classic poems. However, to show in this way the feelings connected to disruption is quite new, interesting and complex. 'LX’ is about musical notes; however, some key components are missing, making it look creepy, eerie and rotten even in its aesthetic, at least. Next is a typewriter and its buttons; however, there are no key prints visible. 'H’ consists of a lot of characters thrown together to resemble the shape of a mountain or perhaps even a hat. The characters blend together in some areas and are spaced out in other areas, giving a yet again chaotic look. '74’ is about some letters in order. 'MRÁÁ’ - I have no clue what this means, but the font looks pleasing to look at. 'W’ is a crossword puzzle in black and white, reminding me of a chess board - but there are no questions or any text anywhere. 'I’ is about parentheses, but the insides of the parentheses are empty, making me feel like the author is mocking the many attitudes in which parentheses are used. 'II’ simply contains empty musical note templates; yet again, it has a mocking theme. Next is simply the repetition of 'r’ and 'á’ characters; the beginning of it even looks to be cut out or out of frame, reminding me immediately of a crazy person shouting in a mental hospital. Either way, it is intriguing. This is an end point of the psychical happenings presented here from 'LX’ to this piece. 51 Then, 'á’ is a musical note template with a note in it. However, it has roots and looks like a tree in its basic shape - an interesting breakaway from the norms and traditions. 'bé’ is an oval-shaped object with two outlines with musical notes in it. It sort of looks like a mirror, or like the note is looking at itself in the mirror. 'cé’ is the same except there are multiple musical notes; each of their shapes lines up with that of a mirror’s reflection, so I’m fairly certain it is indeed a mirror. 'dé’ contains musical notes, but the twist is that they all look like a mother duck leading its ducklings, which is very adorable and a creative and lighthearted way to bring a kind of 'life’ to the bland and rigid characters in music composition and performance. 'e’ consists of 'ta’ and ’ti’ in an order and mix that forms rhyming and rhythm. 'Eff’ is a spiderweb’s shape with black 'blocks’ being filled in, similar to a chess board. 'Gé’ looks like dough being stretched out on a table, but it’s also falling off the table and has holes inside. 'Há’ consists of musical notes on a growing plant, implying that the flower blooms musical notes (or maybe this is a vine-plant with bunches of grapes). I like this one especially since it is complex and even comedic. 'í’ I don't fully understand; some sort of shape is made up of characters, though there is a distinguishable B-C shape left out. The poet probably commences regaining the letter basis for his poetry - but is he doing so with their emptiness? By the looks of it, the rhyming poem 'jé’ is very simplistic, sort of mocking and childish, and perhaps something a mentally challenged person would humm to themselves. 'ká’ is highly similar to the one before, where characters are making up a shape - but this time the alphabet’s letters can be sharply recognized, and not necessarily in the correct order. 'ell’ is yet again the same, except there are more letters of the alphabet now. 'emm’ consists of typewriter buttons but text is visible on them now. The number '1’ seems to be missing, and I’m not sure if this is intended. The process from 'á’ to 'emm’ means regaining - though with essential hiatuses - all of those elements that were lost in the previous unit. The author does not allow us to know more; he just induces our ambition to think and feel while we curious readers go and go again through the miniature volume, as he said above: taking on the intellectual and emotional movement in the unpromising and silent world of this minimalistically humble scrap material. 52 LABELS: Innovation of genres. Innovation in the poetic language. Innovation of the minimal art poetry. Elaboration of new types of calligrams. Scale based creation.
NOVEL VOLUMES MINIATURIZED
Based on the world of minimal art, this time the author yet again builds on the minimized basic elements. As it is mentioned, 'We are trying, with the help of material scraps and trash, to tell connecting events via broken and missing human expressions, to showcase complex and well-put-together human emotions and thoughts.’ At the same time, staying faithful to the goals of the author in his Microcosmos, the collections of miniature novellas are also moving toward the other art genres and nonartistic directions. Thus, this is the way to the fields of TV drama and drama segments, as well as to fine art genres like collages and montages. All the while, nonartistic base elements are being used, oftentimes just as everyday trash items. Trash Novellas Six mini stories can be read here (’Pages in the pulping machine’,’Save our souls’, ’Dead labels and bullet casings’, ’Twenty billion pengo’, ’On the way home from Bulgaria’, and ’Short visit in our volume’s museum’). They show the human fate to be the most dark and sad and, in another way, completely absurd. To Beckett’s Man and his Wife who lives in a trash bin reminds us this; however, the end results in the case of Zoltan Demme’s analysis are completely different. He does not find the human fate to be laughable in many aspects, but the unstoppable absurdity itself – first of all those absurd things and events that aren't caused by mankind (but, e.g., God, evolution, anything). The absurdity’s constant work in the world is not necessarily sad, according to the writings; rather, it is something that makes one smile, though not once completely entertaining. All this could even lead to joy in life, to growing to love life. According to our view, the mini collection has this accurate summary, which very few people reach in world literature. Fragmented novellas In an even stranger way, the five miniature writings (‘The afternoon snack’, ‘The two photographs’, ‘The request’, ‘The package’, and ‘The fully written 53 book’) contain the miniature collection’s most prominent impulse. These writings convey nothing less about the world wars, famines and genocides that have worn down modern humans too many times, that unlike the animal world, the human being cannot be separated from goodness - which, whether we like it or not, completely goes through us as an indestructible virus. It goes from one person to the other, and from time to time offers a more hopeful and livable future, and it can even lead to joy in life. LABELS: Innovation of genres. Innovation of the minimal art prose. Scale based creation.
TRAVELOGUE VOLUMES MINIATURIZED
Is it possible to write lengthy, adventurous and exciting stories in just one page? What kind of compression possibilities are there for a writer? The author (on a path from well-based research, as clearly felt) finds a possible tool for this from the workings of the soul, the psychological approach of the human world, and also the examination of lyre and of poetic essay use. Through the travelouge, the events of one’s travels are replaced entirely by a compression consisting of unique events of the soul, which has natural and environmental processes, characters and actions of itself. These compressed writings provide an exciting reading experience, especially during our time where there is typically a disdain for a long reading experience. Thus, these writings set a goal for a very new direction that is also capable to preserve quality content and values. Spring adventures As a young poet and Paulite Friar, Eugenius Versegi had many travel adventures with his mates during the era of Enlightenment. These dramatic, erotic and psychological events of his journeys are condensed in this one page travelogue. 54 Nights in the forest Presented here are the early travels of Sándor Petőfi, the great Hungarian national poet. The piece is similar to the one-page travelouge above, and is mixed with erotic and dramatic psychic events. LABELS: Innovation of genres. Innovation of the minimal art prose. Poetic language.
DRAMA VOLUMES MINIATURIZED
The human being’s basic and defining characteristic is his insufficient power against the evilness; this thought is shown by the writings in the miniature drama volume. The struggle to find, through miniaturization, different basic elements than the usual ones in literature - and form a brand new prosaic world through those new basic elements - is not achieved by the author this time. His drama volumes are only miniaturized in terms of form. In content, however, the expression of problems is as usual, and familiar proceedings are present in them. Eastern-European TV dramas On industrial television screens - on graphically drawn monitors sitting right next to each other - can be read the text that shows the characteristic stories during Eastern-European socialism: a searcher office’s everyday life. Modern Hungarian narrator Lajos Maróti’s novel is processed by the miniature drama that, however, goes far from this. The search’s results are skeletons ridden of nerves, muscle and blood. Western-European TV dramas On the screens of shop-showcase quartz wristwatches - on the graphically drawn monitors sitting right next to each other - could be read the text that 55 shows stories from the Western well-off countries: a writer who became a media star, and his immeasurable evilness in pursuing his increasing popularity with and deceit of the masses. Friedrich Dürenmatt’s radio play is processed by this miniature drama. However, it goes far beyond this; behind the media star’s mass deceit, human corps and skeletons are present in the background in an unrevealed, unpunishable manner. LABELS: Innovation of genres. New typographic resolutions. Sociological relevance.
MINIATURIZED VOLUMES OF TRANSLATED POEMS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD
The challenging drama volumes – with not enough successful results, in our opinion - are followed by these items in which the author now reaches his original goals (I mean he tries to build on different basic elements of literature than that which was known through civilization, as I stated above). Contrary to popular thinking that does not want to go on in this revolutionary way, the belief that the opposite will is right is proven by one of the best minimal art poets in world literature quite clearly. The author translates some of these works not for self-validation, but rather for sharing of information. His introductions to his translations attest to this by his deep and edifying essays. (How the author moves toward fine art and non-art areas through miniature verses, about that I will write about when commenting on the mini volumes below, which can otherwise stand as a proper and well-selected collection of texts that showcases the world literature of minimal art). German, French, English American poem-statuettes Statuettes and mobile statues - toward these genres the author moves now the poetical genres. Statuette-poems, mobile-poems, keyboard-poems - these genres are present (along with the essays about them) in this miniature volume. From modern poetry’s masters of excellence, the works of Morgenstern, Cummings, Cendrars, Jandl and Morgan are translated by the 56 author. Here again shines that the rubble, the scraps, the trash, the elements that are smaller than the word are capable of giving back a lot, and compared to these, even the word itself is something poor. . German, French, English American, Japanese poem-graphics Graphics, frottages, placards - toward these genres the author moves now the poetical genres. Graphic poems, frottage poems and placard poems are present (along with the essays about them) in the miniature volume. From among modern poetry’s masters of excellence Tanabu, Kamimura, Morgenstern, Morgan and Kostelanetz appear here, their works translated by the author. We should build up our expressions in a different way as we do this now, as well as build the forming of our thoughts and even our information exchanges: this mini volume gives several shocking examples on how to do this exactly. LABELS: Innovation of genres. Innovation in the poetic language. Innovation of the minimal art poetry. New typographic resolutions. Elaboration of new types of calligrams. Scale based creation.
MINIATURIZED VOLUMES OF DOCUMENTS
A differently built world is what interests the author here as well.. After the modernity in the previous chapters, now he searches for building blocks among the human traditions and senses first and foremost ethical and aesthetical elements that prove to be promising to a different, more authentic world basis than the current one. (Toward the genres of the lyrical film, the documentary movie and toward the style of the handcraft the author moves his emotional and thought-world in this section.) 57 Environmentalist film series Scripts in film series don't fit into four or five pages. With a scientific environmentalist mentality, this is even less so. The compression is helped by moral and aesthetic tradition’s focus on the environment here. And there is something else that allows the author to speak in a short way – the writer’s experience living in dictatorships and enduring the everyday fate of censorship in those dictatorships. Graphics of torn-out pages showcase, in the mini volume, how much content could be displayed that had no way to be printed. On an environmental topic this is even more so; the concern to the environment was not symphathetic for the leaders of East-European socialism, who pushed for industrialization. Historical film series The scripts in historical film series don't fit into few pages either. Even less so with documentarist thinking. Focusing on moral emphases, plus the author’s language use and compression methods, largely helps the messages’ emotional, thoughtful and powerful summaries. The short expression is also helped by the existence of the censorship’s continuation, with which the author lived for decades in East-European socialism. Graphics of torn-out pages, in the mini volume, point to how much content could be displayed that had no option to be printed out in those times. LABELS: New typographic resolutions. Scale based creation. Ethical relevance.
MINIATURIZED VOLUMES OF PARABLES
Closed, compact and disciplined was the handling of material by the author so far; however, from this point the author visibly lets the compressed content be free. Intentionally lengthy, dramatic writings are in this parabola volume. The background of this is the author’s thoughtful and emotional defeat - all the failures of his goals in building a new and valid world from the existing micro world. Admittedly, there is a case for double defeat. The first parabola volume speaks on the first defeat; the second defeat is taken 58 care of by the second parabola volume. Only the form and editing principles remain. The author moves these writings in the direction of parallel arts and nonart genres; as a result, the colourfulness of the libretto, the script and the doll play’s genres, among others, are shown in the writings. Carlsbad, Opium The first impulses of these two one-act dramas are that the state of humankind, human existence and the things connected to many peoples’ fates produce an unstoppable absurdity. We can start off from the knowledge everyday people have; we can also start off from a human higher knowledge, or from transcendent or outright unreachable circles: the absurdity taints our efforts one way or the other, and even questions all of them. No human being without absurdity. The above fate would also await the efforts of the author in avoiding the current everyday-life material and building from many new micro elements a new world. Because of this, the author gives up his efforts. (Ideas from the dramas by Mihály Babits and Géza Csáth - two excellent 20th century Hungarian writers - are started, but they go far from there to the previously stated summary.) Roulette, Morphium It’s apparent that the author attempts to solve the previous problems in the first drama (Roulette). He thoroughly examines the possibilities of transformation of the absurd-fated human to a being that is free of absurd fate and features - to an entirely new living being. He creates a rich stage for this: the Austro-Hungarian monarchy’s millionaire leisure centers are the environment of the story, where biological research is continued to form a new human being that is free from absurdity (one-hundred years ago this was a real, well-funded and abundantly financed attempt). However, it doesn't matter how visual, grand and circus-like the showcases are in the stage; though rich symphonic music and nice pictures of scenes are shown, his work’s end result is saddening. The goal’s realistic outcome is impossible for 59 us. (The Morphium-titled drama follows Roulette, and after the catharsis, the sad calmness is signaled very briefly). LABELS: Efforts of struggling against the absurdities of the human being. Ethical relevance. Sociological relevance. Innovation of genres.
MINIATURIZED MEMOIRS
These miniature memoir volumes are very surprising. The printed text is completely blown out, since the sentence groups and word groups are scattered on the pages. Something entirely disintegrates and falls apart to its components here; when commenting on each miniature volume, we signal what exactly this something is. Untwined Archipelagos This work of art is really an autobiography, a look back at the past decades. A colourful and exciting recall of life events. However, from this the main moving force of the film director’s scientific and calligraphist career is revealed. As this memoir shows, the authentic and right leading of life, the authentic behaving, thinking and wording was the author’s motivation, however, to reach these, it was not helpful to cling to traditions; or to the unimportance of self; or to the colourful, casual, intoxicating experiences of the hobo world; or to a life that was created as an artwork (many examples of each 'life-leading island’ are in the writing), since the author ran, again and again, into the problem of the absurdity of human life. Through decades of work, the author examined history’s most prominent thinkers and how they tried to solve those problems, then he added to their work his own thoughts - but real help didn’t come from this either. Since the author’s work in the humanities were motivated first of all by the problem of the absurdity and its problem circles, he now has no reason to stay in this field. However, at the same time, he can’t take the elements of human absurdity and the things that come with it and brush them to the side. The fight, with theories, ends here, and in the coming years it turns into the 60 practical application. The author faces many small absurd elements of the everyday life in the coming decade, for example by the daily work of many nonprofit organizations(Programme One, Programme Two, see later on). Parallel, he tries to lead his personal fate in the direction he wanted to go to in since he was a child: to approach the human problems through the natural science. Mouldering Panoptics The author’s carefully planned and element-by-element-assembled microcosmos against the general absurdity, finaly did not prove to be able to get built. Only memories remain from this attempt, like fading, mouldering panoptics. From this reason the author turned away, later on, from the humanities, and went to an engineering university, sitting at a school desk at fifty years of age and planning new directions for his creative work. LABELS: New typographic resolutions. Scale based creation. Innovation of genres.
SELECTIONS (HUNGARIAN)
andrewad9:
HERITAGE OF THE CLASSIC AUTHORS
Authentic, deep knowledge is always based on previous knowledges, on learning the historical development of an idea or thought: this is the thesis of the author. The validation of this is present throughout his works. Hence it is self-explanatory that the creation of the above book goes by the heritage of the classic authors of varied ages. Otherwise the author is also considered to be one of the best representatives of modern Hungarian essays. In his home country, he is evaluated especially regarding his lyric essays. These essays have a strong Hungarian root. The author was a student of the last seminar by the famed scientist-aesthete János Barta in Debrecen. He was also a representative of the local literature history school there, even while a student. When he went to the capital city of Budapest, he connected first and foremost to the significant traditional and Hungarian culture-centre journal, Nyugat, more precisely, to its third generation, to Endre Illés and, moreover, to György Rónay’s journal, Vigíla. In order to further the classical Hungarian essay, the author works in the above book with the essayist tradition of Gábor Halász, Antal Szerb and Mihály Babits, and continues it. But because this type of essay needs unusually detailed knowledge and a strong writing art standard, it is a rather challenging attempt that he complies with. However, in this book, in the elaboration of topics, the elements and values of the Mediterrenian, Anglo Saxon and American civilizations also appear. (Content: ’Poem-miniatures’; ’The Attitude of the Classicist Poets and Writers’; ’Inside the Paraselene of Sindbad’; ’Mondrian’s Pictures and His Philosophy of Life’; ’Struggling against the Absurdities of the Human Existence’; ’The Layers of the Historical and Cultural Traditions behind the Modern Epos of Ferenc Juhász titled ”The Prodigal Country”’; and ’The Modern Adaptations of the Ancient Hungarian Maria-Jeremiad and of the First Known Ancient Hungarian Obituary’. See our comments above.) LABELS: History of the everyday human behavior. Experiments to innovate the lyrical essay. Aesthetical relevance. Discoveries. Rarities. Reconstructions. Solving mysteries. Philosophical, psychological, pedagogical relevance.
andrewad9:
A DEBRECEN’S WORKSHOP
As we mentioned, Debrecen is the basis of the varied works by the author. The students in the schools of Debrecen awaited the example of school life and classic student behavior of many famous Hungarians of Debrecen of the past, like Csokonai, Kölcsey, Mihály Fazekas, Ádám Horváth Palóczy and László Szabó Szentjóbi. On the walls of Lajos Kossuth University’s buildings, gilded memorial tablets were placed about those exceptional, city raised people of Hungary. To strengthen the ambition of the students who arrived there, some tablets stood empty, without text. For many university people of Debrecen, this standard ideal of the classic Debrecen student stood in the past and continues to up to this day. Characteristically, it was a classic student of Debrecen who authored the type of works that are present in this volume. He interpreted the traditions of Debrecen as a moral question. He also insisted on his looks; he went to university in a black suit and a white shirt for many years. He spent almost all his time there from morning to night. He considered it his duty that he should be the classic student in every aspect: he emphasised studying the classics, collected data for his professors, and explained the more complicated courses to those who did not understand them quite well. Connecting himself with the accomplishments of the students who preceded him, he thought it his duty to learn scientific research also. He chose philology as the field of research, convinced that a university student’s knowledge is, first and foremost, enough to reach accomplishments that don’t lapse only in this raw basis stage. Thus, literature-history and culture-history themed dissertations of his were exclusively from the mandatory assignments in his seminar classes holding back his fantasies of braver and higher works because he wanted to stay true to the person sitting at the school desk. He controlled his work with his professors in a fiery manner; he reworked them over and over based on their advice, not resting until he came up with work that was worthy of publication. But he only gave his work to scientific journals after the given topic’s leading experts of his entire country of Hungary had examined, corrected and prepared them for printing. A higher control does not exist in a Hungarian-themed circle of problems; thus, he’d let go the work to the public by this time. 151 All the dissertations found in this volume are works by the former classic student of Debrecen, composed during his time at his alma mater. Today, they are considered to be a leading achievement in Hungarian philology. This is, partially, why the city of Debrecen publicized the works of its former, faithful student. (Content: ’The Layers of the Historical and Cultural Traditions behind the Modern Epos of Ferenc Juhász titled ”The Prodigal Country”’; ’Verseghy and the Dual Jambic Rhythm, Maria-Jeremiad and of the First Known Ancient Hungarian Obituary’; ’About the biographical background of the “Mátyás Rikóti”’; and ’Emotion and Knowledge in ”The Tragedy of Man” by Madách’. See our comments above.) LABELS: History of the everyday human behavior. Discoveries. Rarities. Reconstructions. Solving mysteries. Philological, psychological, sociological relevance. Pedagogical significance.
andrewad9:
FIVE CHRISTMAS ESSAYS
Lyric short essays are contained in this volume with fine typography, and are decorated with many pictures. In the world of foreign civilizations, Zoltan Demme too is familiar (one part of these writings was made during his travel around the world and his immigration to America); thus, foreign cultures, far away societies and scientific fields beyond the ocean appear in Hungary’s scientific circles through this book. Here, among other books, we find a struggle for the domestication of the discipline ‘History of everyday things’ in the author’s native country.(Content: ’Ancient medicinal wines, and ancient medical hard drink spirits’; ’Old Sweet Pastries of the Hungarian Village Confectioners’; ’Ancient Wooden Puppets and Dolls in the Békés Cemetery’; ’The Pottery of the Woodlands of Őrség’; and ’Music of old castles’. See our comments above.) LABELS: History of the everyday things. Discoveries. Describing rarities. Reconstructions. Solving mysteries. Historical and sociological relevance. Pedagogical significance.
andrewad9:
FOUR DRAMAS
The closet-play, or theatre play that was designed not to be showcased, is a disappearing tradition. However, the author is signing up to renew the tradition’s values through his above works: we can see dramas and dialogues that are free from the stage - from Plato and Aristotle’s age, through Torquato Tasso, Fontelle and Fenelon’s activities, to the modern age. In most of the dramas, philosophical and ethical problem worlds are present. Zoltan Demme also showcases this genre with his philosophical world views, which have been refined in detail through the decades, but he does this in the field in a slightly braver way than his great classic predecessors, since he abundantly uses the elements of sensuality. With musicality, atmosphere and vibe in the language, taste, smells and colours recalled in the text, he uses thought and sensuality in generating the uniqueness of these plays. (Content: Carlsbad, Opium, Roulette, and Morphium. See our comments above.) LABELS: Renewal of the Classic Closet-play Tradition. Aesthetical relevance. Discoveries. Rarities. Reconstructions. Philosophical and psychological relevance.
ELECTRIC PUBLICATIONS
Movies (DVDs)
andrewad9:
PROMISED LAND
Feature film. Story follows a couple motives of a Sophocles: Oedipus in Colonus. CHARACTERS: Oedipus the old, Oedipus the young, Creon, others. LOCATION: Ancient Greece. Written and directed by Zoltan Demme. More about: www.zoltandemmeworks.net/page4temp4.html. Due to royalties, pics are not available. Annotation: This movie is an interesting and at some parts engaging, sort of “experimental” film whereby multiple stories are told in sequence in a strange theme as if it is being played on a computer (even showing new artistic possibilities for future movies: viewers can make here choices to listen the scenes in romantic, lyric, horror, and many other versions.) Firstly it can appear confusing but the story is told with a pace that is easily understandable and the message through each segment and section is clear. The main message of the movie is a deep philosophical one, even futuristic in its grandiosity. „OEDIPUS TO THESEUS: It is intolerable that the evolution process can make anything with people, animals and plants! Intolerable that it produces again and again millions of monstrous creatures tearing to pieces and gobbling up each other! The Entire Living World is spoiled!.. However, the famous Canaan Carpets, the carpets from the Promised Land diclose something relevant Theseus!! They disclose that what kind of living world and land the God promised to us! …You know what the Canaan Carpets present? Snails climbing trees undergrowth instead! Pears, apples, raspberries ripening in snowfall! And dangerous fishes we see! No hunting with the mouth! Rather hide the young! Nestling we see that feed their own mother! Shocking! Horrible! Neither a single animal nor a single plant is appearing on the carpets as usual! Is this Canaan? Is this the Promised Land? Yes, Theseus! It is! The Living World that doesn't follow the million years old rules of nature! Evolution, that has been deflected!..."
andrewad9:
CRYPTOGRAMS (New World).
Story follows the motives of Shakespeare: The Tempest. CHARACTERS: Prospero, Ariel, others. LOCATION: Mediterraneans around 800 AD. Music by Wagner, Liszt, others. Written and directed by Zoltan Demme. More about: www.zoltandemmeworks.net/page4temp4.html. Due to royalties, pics are not available. „ Annotation: How to build up a New World? The movie presents two ways. 1. ENCRYPTED HANDWRITING ON THE ROCKS: Prospero is creating a New World. For doing this, first he studied the works of masterminds of mankind. Second, he looked for descriptions of Paradise, Religious Worlds, Dreamlands that differed from our world on earth. Third, he tried to recognize what visible nature advises for creation. Fourth, he tried to recognize what audible nature suggests for creating. And fifth he also examined thesuggestions and proposals inherited among everyday people, from grandfather to father, from centuries to centuries! PROSPERO: Compare these thoughts, then select the identical proposals from each area! The final truths of human knowledge these identical proposals are! The most trustful truths for humans these identical proposals mean! Let them work when creating a quite new world! ....” This is one way to build up a New World in the movie. And this is the other way: 2. MOOR SCIENTISTS: "Our mission is the ceasing the dependency of us of the rules of nature. We develop here on earth, in space, on planets, some artificial worlds, working by our own rules, that are independent of the rules of nature, independent of the rules of the Universe. We place our people in these artificial worlds. And let the Universe circulate or move around itself, separated of us! PROSPERO: But Sirs! Neither nature nor the Universe is yours! Not leaders, emperors, superior people and rich people got it as their own possession, but each single person on earth! Do not dare to touch the rules of nature without agreeing of each person, even maimed, starved, or the crippled creeping on the ground!! And how come, that you don’t consider the ideas of those five areas on issue?!” Thus, Cryptograms is a provocative critique of the human species which delves into well elaborated futuristic ideas, too.
andrewad9:
THE BEYOND (Subtitle: Trancendency TV Channel).
Feature film. What is the essence of the world? A tv channel program makes searches on this issue while presents many movies connected to the issue. Written & directed by Zoltan Demme. More about: www.zoltandemmeworks.net/page4temp4.html. Due to royalties, pics are not available. Annotation: It is a very intresting structure to build up a movie as a broadcasting channel. The other interesting and unique feature of this Trancendency Channel movie is the using the melodies of classic ballets strongly connected to the philosophical problems, and this method works great way. But let see the main issue of the movie: “SCIENTISTS: The final essence of the Universe is unknown for the humans. Maybe this essence is favourable for us, it verifies our aims and our everyday activities. However it is also possible that the essence is unfavourable for us. It is possible that our normal and regular activities such as going to school, taking care of children are abnormal and ridiculous acts. Until we know nothing about the essence we have no verification of any act of us” This issue, and the point of the movie (to find the final essence of our world and the entire Universe) is an eternal problem of the human civilization, and, probably, in no film we have seen the analysation of this problem such precise and well-founded way as in this Beyond (Transcendeny Channel) movie.
andrewad9:
PROMETHEUS
Story follows a couple of motives of Beethoven: Creatures of Prometheus. CHARACTERS: Prometheus, Inquisitors, others. LOCATION: Dover Dungeon, England, 1121. Music by Beethoven. Written & directed by Zoltan Demme. More about: www.zoltandemmeworks.net/page4temp4.html. Due to royalties, pics are not available. Zoltan Deme in his fully fictious movie presents then unfolds the secrets of a 12th century master painter noted as N.W., and introduces the also fictious character of Prometheus Crystallus, the nineteen years old young phenomenon in mathematics and astrology who was sentenced to freeze to death by the Inquisition. His heretic discoveries, as he states them in front of the Inquisition Court, include the following: "The grass, in the reality, is not grass! The tree is rather not a tree, but something else! We see something else, we examine something other than the real existence of things. We see what our eyes show, we examine what our mind reaches! But the true face, the real appearance of the world, we never spot or sense! Up there, the stars in the reality are not stars. Even they don't have light. Up there, the sun, in the reality, is not sun. It doesn’t even shine. But then what are the stars? And what is the sun in the reality? Something that we cannot perceive, because we do not have senses or instruments for perception! Its light, its warmth we perceive! But they're hundredth-rate, thousandth-rate characteristics of the sun. As Greeks tell, the sun consists of small components, called atoms. But they too are hundredth-rate characteristics of the sun. Same thing with the mountains, trees, grasses! We sense only very, very insignificant elements of them! Color! Smell! Vital functions, and some other nullity! These very insignificant elements we regard as the world! But the true face of the world is fully different from what we sense!"...The entire movie is a journey to the real world that is unavailable for the regular senses and instruments of the human beings. Finally, the Inquisition Court put Prometheus to a winter cemetery and let him freeze to death among the crowd of people who are against his discoveries; and he dies without withdrawing a word of his above-the-human experiences, mathematical and astrological conslusions.
andrewad9:
GISELLE
Story follows a couple of motives of an Adolph Adam ballet, Giselle. CHARACTERS: Young Teacher, Giselle, others. LOCATION: White Night areas of Finland, 1930 AD. Music by Adolph Adam. Written & directed by Zoltan Demme. Starring: Lucille Bliss, Jennifer Darling, Robert Williams, and others. More about: www.zoltandemmeworks.net/page4temp4.html. Due to royalties, pics are not available. The main issue of the movie: " How the brain, the mind of an intelligent unearth creature works, if any. What kind of thoughts an alien could possess, if existing? How to conclude such ones? We may have fantasies of their appearance, of instruments, of society, and probably of no more. Anyhow, to know the thinking of an unearthly creature, it is rather exciting. What thoughts he has? What opinions?” This is what the movie tries to present while it warns the dangers of alien's thinking, if such being exists.
andrewad9:
NUTCRACKER
Story follows the motives of the Pyotr Tchaikovsky ballet. CHARACTERS: Nutcracker, Mermaids, etc. LOCATION: Transcendent territories, galaxies, underseas, etc. Music by Pyotr Tchaikovsky. Written & directed by Zoltan Demme. More about: www.zoltandemmeworks.net/page4temp4.html. Due to royalties, pics are not available. The issue of the movie, among others: "Nutcracker is a hero of the tales of many nations. He is a prince in a palace that contains some strange chambers underneath. There are many nuts in each chamber among the cobwebs. And there is one important secret inside each singe nut. Secrets, that we so much desire to unfold and understand." The movie is enjoyable and exciting journey into the realm of the secrets of our world, none of the scene is boring or repetitive, all the characters acted nicely. The scenes are either deathly or vivid, most of the aspects of the movie are rather “extremist” in a way. TOWARDS A NEW WORLD series as all other movies above.
Theatre (DVDs)
andrewad9:
TYRANNY
Dark Comedy in 2 acts. CHARACTERS: Her Grace Majesty Evolution as an ostrich, Bobby Big Bang lieutenant general, Tobias Death general, and others. LOCATION: Ruined Church, Italy, Europe. Around 1810 A.D. Age of the Napoleon wars. Running time approximately 1 hour 40 minutes, plus, one intermission. In this dark comedy, two tyrants and their two panders dictate the laws of nature and decide the fate of the living beings. These individuals include Johnny Bing Bang, lieutenant general; Her Majesty The Evolution (appearing as an ostrich); His Excellence Tobias Death, the general; and Her Excellence Amalie The Devastating, the eternal queen of sicknesses. The story occurs in a ruined church building where, day after day, embodied tyrants have banquets with rich meals consisting of varied living beings and properly cooked human beings. Again and again, their banquets are interrupted by Basilius the alchemist. Basilius has considerable knowledge about the evolutional and genetic views of Lamarck and Augustinus. With his colleagues, he works for an entirely new world that is planned to be independent of the recent natural rules of the living and non-living world. He 287 represents humanity and the scientists who want to fight against the dictators of nature and the Universe. The sarcastic conflict between Basilius and the tyrants takes the stage most of the time. Basilius shows the tyrants the models of the new world, in which people will be able to free themselves from tyranny. The tyrants look down on him, laughing and stating that the models won’t work. Then arrives the older-than-old, doting Quintus Leopoldus - the Cardinal and State Representative who is the first person of Leopoldia State. He misunderstands everything: he believes that Basilius has befriended the devil tyrants, and that he has turned against humanity and human interests. Thus, in the name of the Holy Mother Church and the State Authorities, Leopoldus kills the scientist with the help of his corrupt and hypocritical friar servants. The play is shocking; however, the audience can still laugh many times as they follow the story.
andrewad9:
SUPREME GOD (Subtitle: JUAN!...JUAAAAAN!!!)
Dark Comedy, 2 acts. CHARACTERS: Qal, the Supreme God himself. Juan, poor mortal. Running time 1 hour 40 minutes, plus, one intermission. ACT 1: Russia. Seventeenth century. Church with bulbous domes in the backstage, right side. Piggery in the downstage, left side. From the piggery just a small segment is visible. The piggery is an old, ruined, miserly place. A pig-pail stands ahead of it. From the backstage, Qal, the Supreme God is bound here. Qal is taller than the humans. Golem his outlook recalls. Qal's disgusting body covered with many ugly warts and with red and green, shiny cavities. Qal as stupid as no one in our world. He has a bass voice and continually grunts and murmurs. ACT 2 : We are in the Caucasus Mountain in the 20th century. Evening time. Snow covered peak in the backstage, right side. Sheepcote in the downstage, left side. From the sheepcote just a segment is visible. It is an old and miserly place. It has a waist-high roof covered with dirty sheep skin and shit. In the stage few little lambs and six sheeps we see. Actually the six sheeps are six men who wear sheep wool-coats and sleep on the ground. The lambs sometimes move to and fro. In front of the sheepcote round shape white cheese and swiss cheese pieces are visible covered with shit. A wood pail stands ahead of them with fresh cottage cheese inside. From the backstage, Qal is bound here......This play is an extremely provocative and potentially highly offensive (to certain viewers, particularly religious ones). It is an interaction between Juan - a highly intelligent person living in terrible conditions - and the Supreme God himself, who is treated rather harshly by the writer and showcased as an unintelligent, annoying, morally corrupt and narcissistically evil entity. Every interaction between the two is interesting. Juan’s disrespects God, who created everything fully unintelligent and erroneous way.
andrewad9:
SQUALOR (Subtitle: sfgahjkkklg qtkjfdkjj)
Dark Comedy, 2 acts. LOCATION: A small South-American tropical town in squalor, nowadays. Running time 2 hours 10 minutes, plus, one intermission. Kid gangs sit in a courtroom. No father, no mother, no relatives small kids, because of the civil war in the country. Sole help for the kids to eat and stay alive the shoplifting is, from this reason they are in the courtroom now. The judges of them are real but first of all symbolic persons. Oliviere da Silva, the leader of the city soldiers, symbolizes Communism. Don Pepe, the leader of the local mine owners, symbolizes Capitalism, while Reverend Buchelar, the vicar of the town, symbolizes Religion. Brian, the young English man acts as defence attorney in the play, stating: Defendants, you said? Who are they?? These miserable parentless children?? They did the wars?? They killed their fathers and mothers??!... No!! You did this, Papa Commander; you, Pharisaic Vicar; you, Kitish Financer, who act now as judges! You have to be the defendants!! Because of you these children must shoplift!!’…… During the court trial Brian lists the crimes that Communism, Capitalism and Religions have committed during history and in the present time. Finally, he throws these persons of the courtroom with loud agreement from the people. But there is no hope, as this sarcastic dark comedy presents. Oliviere da Silva, Don Pepe and Reverend Buchelar will come back soon, and they will again rule the courtroom and the life of the people outside. The play is extremely provocative, very creatively written, and equally full of deep thought and many chances to laugh.
andrewad9:
EGO
One man show, 2 acts.PRINCIPAL CHARACTER: Ego. Running time 1 hour 30 minutes. LOCATION: Golgotha, Jerusalem. On the Calvary Hill a Memorial Park we see. It is under construction at recent. In the middle, a GIGANTIC MONUMENT OF EGO is built up, but it is covered, and will be covered during the play with dark protection canvas. Other monuments all around, also covered and will be covered with dark protection canvases. EGO arrives. EGO is a giant monster. He is higher than the humans and looks like a puppet. A large fancy-dress he wears. Large fancy-dress like a big helmet fully covers his face, his head, his back, his chest, and it ends at his stomach. Giant, helmet-like fancy-dress has a solid structure, with an actor inside, who carries the structure on his shoulders. On the top of the fancy-dress the Giant Head of EGO we see. Like Gods, the head of EGO has only one eye. It too has an opened mouth, with vampire teeth to suck blood, with shark teeth to destroy living beings, and with rounded pig teeth for gobbling. Chest and back of the fancy-dress with dragon flakes are covered. EGO has a bass voice and grunts sometimes like a hog. The EGO PUPPET two different persons embodies and unites in this play. EGO 1, the fancy-dressed monster acts as principal character. But he has a closed window on his chest, and he pulls off and on the window cover sometimes. A human face becomes visible each occasion when window cover pulled off. This is the face of the actor, who carries the fancy-dress structure on his shoulders. This is the face of EGO 2, the second character. EGO 2 hates the fancy-dressed hog. He is intelligent, educated, and smart…… This monodrama is a provocative and potentially offensive comedic critique and showcase of the worst parts of the nature of humanity, the human mind, and also past and current societies. The two characters (in one), and their interactions, are many times hilarious, and the play has heavy sarcasm and irony. TOWARDS A NEW WORLD series as all other plays above.
Opera (DVDs)
andrewad9:
TORQUEMADA
Opera in 3 acts. Story by Victor Hugo. Music and libretto by Zoltan Demme. CHARACTERS: Torquemada (Bass), Isabel (Soprano), King Ferdinand (Baritone), Gil de Fuentel (Baritone), Rosita (Soprano), Sancho (Tenor), Gucho (Tenor), Aragon de Salinas (Baritone), Ali Ahmed Hasszan (Baritone), Carmencita de Sevajo (Mezzo-soprano), Mozes Ben-Habib (Bass), Francesco de Paola (Bass), Burgos Bishop (Baritone), Pope VI. Alexander (Tenor). PERFORMER IN PROSE: Keeper of Sevilla Outdoor Museum. LOCATION: Spain and Italy around 1490 AD. Due to royalty rules, music is not available here. The operas of the author are always based on classic authors. They are always focusing historical turn-points. Always exposing essential questions of the human existence. Always trying to give answers to some of the acut problems of the civilization... Two of the principles of Zoltan Demme when making stage music compositions are as follows: 1. Always show, as part of the story, an explanation of what reason people are singing on the stage with no prosaic sentences in contrast with the everyday life. 2. Always give a special genre to the pieces, such as Halloween Opera, Noh Opera, and so on. This is a Halloween Opera. It is connected to the HMM (Have the Majority from the Minorities) program of the composer, that is a part of the VISUALIZE AND ACT movement of him, as the text of one of the arias shows: BURGOS BISHOP Rose is A-rab flower! But it makes you de-light, Much Jewish tales you liked, When you were small child! Gyp-sy me-lo-dies, You croon some-times or sing! And Spa-nish le-gends, You read when you rest! Though you born as Spa-nish, Don't for-get that your soul, Formed by Gip-sy, Je-wish, And A-rab de-lights! You eat A-rab fruits, You like the Je-wish pies, You keep Spa-nish vines, In Gip-sy wood-cask! Though you born as Spa-nish, Eve-ry-day life of you, Made of Gip-sy, Je-wish, A-ra-bi-an things! This DVD is published as part of the TOWARDS A NEW WORLD series. 01-1-1 Ghastly, calm from the beginning, gets exciting, gradual building up of anticipation and high rising tensions. Showcase of the frescos well represented. Interesting dynamic of the repetitive background sounds, which sound like a broken record player almost. 01-2-1 Lighthearted, calm and peaceful theme of the Cemetery environment. Mysterious and adventurous soundtrack. Some arabian and also spanish “vibes”. The abandoned feeling of the ruins audibly represented. Epic sounding theme continuing on with some light comedic elements. 01-2-2 The elegance of the gold uniformed Soldiers marching is elevated, high class and even pretentious in the sound world, an accurate portrayal to the scene. 01-2-3 Comedic from the beginning, some suggestions through the sound world to certain things in the scene such as “gratefulness” and conversation between the characters. Seemingly random melody which also gets comical 196 at times but unique and satisfying enough and also memorable. 01-2-4 Peaceful and calm, “lulling” melody which fits the scene and its characters rather well. Increase in tensions which escalates into a high dramatic segment which is refreshing, colourful and sort of unexpected, would compare it to a “drop” in modern electronic music, personally. This continues on with a slightly higher intensity, some modern electronic music elements, even a “drill” sound which seemed slightly out of place in my opinion. 01-2-5 Silly and goofy music, sort of lighthearted and a “romanticized” vibe of the medieval times in my view through the sound world. Strange transitions, rather abrupt which did not flow smoothly. 01-2-6 Reminiscent of “boss fight” or “boss level” music from old video games. Increase in intensity and dramatic character which continues on gradually, a bit “mocking” vibes I could feel through certain elements of the sound world. Definite conflict through the scene and its characters which is portrayed through the entire soundtrack. Similar “drill” sound as heard previously before, unexpected but refreshing and welcome as a nice addition, in my opinion. 01-3-1 A rhythmic melody, fantasy-like theme, yet again some comedic style to it. Happy and lighthearted as it progresses forwards. The mocking lyrics of the scene is very accurately represented in the sound world of the music, I personally found it rather funny. Gets rather abused and a bit chaotic which in the context is a definite plus. 01-3-2 An uplifting and attention provoking, catchy soundtrack with a clear increase in mockery and dramatic expression. Comedic yet serious at the same time. 01-3-3 Creepy theme but keeping the comedic nature of the previous scenes and music, it is not scary due to that fact. First time that the Halloween theme is being clearly portrayed here through the sound world. 197 01-3-4 Even more Halloween-esque but very similar to the previous one. 01-3-5 Increase in dramaticness and intensity, deathliness and “sacrifice” comes to mind listening to it with a slight touch of “glory” and self righteousness. An egotistical prayer to Jesus Christ by Torquemada, highlighting his personality rather well. Creepy and borderline scary near the end, which is achieved by high pitched and frequent, monotonous sound(s). Great, smooth ending transition. A colourful and complex soundtrack overall. 01-3-6 A bit lullaby-esque music, reminiscent of some snowy areas in old video games. 01-4-1 Very much sounding like old video games original soundtrack with the theme of abandoned ruins. A sense of adventure and slight bit of danger is implied through the sound world. I especially liked the ending of this part, refreshingly different from the previous ones heard before. 01-4-2 Church-like music, the priest characters are accurately portrayed in the musical elements, conversation between the Bishop and Torquemada also. Portrayal of Torquemada as a monster in the candle light, dramatic and intense, also satisfying and fitting to the scene. 01-4-3 Similar church-esque theme, which is slightly overdone and repeated in my opinion. However different enough in some aspects to the previous one that it is not necessarily too repetitive just yet. Such aspects include changes in the sound world which make it more calm, mysterious, intense etc. As it progresses on, some arabic and east Asian vibes come which are refreshing. Highly melodic near the end with a touch of lullaby, a smooth and satisfying ending transition. 01-4-4 Showcase of glory and “holiness” is felt through the sound world, then some semi-serious conversation is portrayed which is accurate to the scene itself. Some elements and transitions make it comedic, somewhat making it difficult to take the events and things being said seriously. Found myself internally laughing at times. 198 01-4-5 Halloween-esque theme at the graveyard environment in the scene. Some “spooky”, comedic elements as heard for example in 80’s horror movies. 01-5-1 The singing of Torquemada pleading to the Lord for an easy death, some sense of entitlement and selfishness is implied. Not too dramatic or intense enough though in my opinion. 01-5-2 Ghostly, cemetery theme. The environment is accurately represented in the music. Calming, lulling and overall relaxing music, could even compare it to some “calm music” songs that people use to fall asleep. Gets dynamic and colourful as it progresses on, the ghost choir is refreshing and an excellent transition from the previous theme to “wake up” the viewers or listeners. 01-5-3 Some comedy sense yet again in the sound world, even though the scene shows and portrays serious events such as the detection of someone being buried alive. The finding of the old monk character is very accurately represented in the sound elements. 01-5-4 A very intense and dramatic “stormy” and “fiery” even hellish or evil themed soundtrack. Highly epic scene of Torquemada here, some sort of redemption in the context of the plot, a plea to God. Very satisfying and colourful part, however too abrupt of an ending in my opinion.
andrewad9:
MALAQI BUDDHA
Opera in 3 acts. Story follows Rudyard Kipling's novels. Music and libretto by Zoltan Demme. CHARACTERS: Xong (Bass), Zinazaga, magician (Alto), Ghuthandali, the ruler of Quantarogan Island (Bass), Thamariki, Son of Ghuthandali , Malaqi Buddha later (Tenor), Xipanate, his wife (Mezzo-soprano), Qaloderiqqe, the leader of the Crown Counsel (Bass), Agaberenata, the leader of the Crown Treasury (Baritone), Thakinerati, Quantarogan young man (Tenor) Xuloshinate, Quantarogan lady (Soprano) Aratavasi, Qimerina, Thabilake, Quantarogan ladies (Soprano) Naxonipan, a pariah girl (Soprano). Khau, tropical tree (Soprano). LOCATION: Indochina Sea. Due to royalties, music is not available here. The operas of the author are always based on classic authors. They are always focusing historical turn-points. Always exposing essential questions of the human existence. Always trying to give answers to some of the acut problems of the civilization... Two of the principles of Zoltan Demme when making stage music compositions are as follows: 1. Always show, as part of the story, an explanation of what reason people are singing on the stage with no prosaic sentences in contrast with the everyday life. 2. Always give a special genre to the pieces, such as Halloween Opera, Noh Opera, and so on.This is a Noh Opera. It is connected to the RFA (Right to the Food and Accomodation) program of the composer, that is a part of the VISUALIZE AND ACT movement of him, as the last scene of the opera shows: Quantarogan main plaza. Inauguration of the New Church of Xong, the Supreme God, made of skulls of pariah people. Huge crowd of Quantarogan rich men and women who now aim supreme power with claiming superiority on the scene. Xong appears. He turns Quantarogan into a ruin within a glance. Sentences in the downstage stones that were visible in the previous acts remain untouched: Right of freedom. Right of religion. Right of assembly. Right of free speech. But Xong places armed guards in the stage with a mark on uniforms: R.F.A. Right to Food and Accommodation. This DVD is published as part of the TOWARDS A NEW WORLD series. 1-1-1 Calming, exciting soundtrack, natural sounding elements. Mysterious vibes in the sound world, the rainforest environment in the Indochina scene accurately represented. 1-2-1 Yet again calming, but more spiritual and buddhist-like theme. 1-3-1 Sounds similar to “market” soundtracks in some video games. 1-3-2 Similar to previous one. 1-3-3 A “farewell” sounding soundtrack, portraying the scene itself accurately. Soothing melody. 1-3-4 Menacing from the beginning which turns into a choir prayer as the scene suggests. In my opinion the soundworld and “vibe” of the music here is too “common folk”-esque and does not convey extremely rich people. 1-4-1 A balanced soundtrack between lightheartedness and excitement, is complexly put together with sudden transitions which make it refreshing from the previous one which was highly monotonous and repetitive. Some “hatred” could be heard in the sound world then a switch to yet again, a lighthearted melody. As it progresses on, perhaps due to the repetitiveness some playfulness is heard. Very “opera-like” and a slight bit generic in that regard, in my opinion. 200 2-1-1 A mythical, mysterious sounding music with a steady buildup of tension, the constant choir-esque singing in the background makes it even creepy as it is combined with the horror-like sound(s) that are being played frequently over it. The monotony in this case is a definite plus. Also fitting to the scene. 3-1-1 East asian feeling of the soundtrack, however the main element of it sounds similar to some old cellphone’s ringing and vibrating which made it odd to me. 3-1-2 Intense buildup of excitement from the start of this part, the characters being “Busy bees” are excellently represented. 3-1-3 Seriousness, elevated high class yet child-like playfulness is felt through this soundtrack, making it a colourful and relatively refreshing one. 3-2-1 Horror-like and thriller-esque sound world, fast paced and intense representing the “ugly girl” and her approach as she closes in to her love. Tragedy is also conveyed, the abrupt pauses near the end were especially satisfying to hear. 3-3-1 An exciting soundtrack with many subtle elements that make it colourful and differing from the previous ones, definite “busy bees” vibe however as the scene suggests the “panic” is not necessarily represented to the fullest extent, would have been better if more intense in my opinion. 3-4-1 A tense buildup which results in a thunderous lightning event, somewhat machine gun sounding elements to convey that. adventurous vibes and also fitting to the scene in every aspect in my opinion. 4-1-1 Lulling, moonlit and fantasy-like theme filled with adventurous mood and childlike wonder. 4-1-2 Keeping on with the adventure and fantasy theme, which is similar to certain “Final Fantasy” soundtracks. A fun but still serious music that 201 connects the adorable nature of the character in the scene. Also a rather catchy melody. I found it somewhat repetitive and too lengthy as it progressed on. 5-1-1 Smooth and calm but a monotonous buildup to upcoming scenes, introduction of environment. 5-1-2 Intense soundtrack which highlights the state of the unconscious character in the scene and the nurses. 5-2-1 A collection of bells being played synergistically, showcase of the town wall and the monks. 5-2-2 A serious and somewhat relaxing yet tense at its core, the sound world connects the scene and music together excellently. Mysterious and “ancient” theme through this entire part. 5-2-3 The signal of the prayer being over, people leaving, nothing extraordinary but fits its purpose. 5-3-1 The sun being out, a new day is introduced which is immediately apparent from the sound world of the music. Highly adventurous and also elegant at the same time, anticipation and rising tensions could be heard at an increasing intensity. Conflict is portrayed through the frequent drum sounds in the background and high pitched choir-esque singing, smooth transitions and overall great synergy with the scene and plot itself. 6-1-1 Tropical theme, the showcase of the castle in the scene, luxurious and high class from the get go, starlit sky. 6-1-2 Appearance of Naxonipan, her beauty is awe inspiring and it’s entirely portrayed through the sound world through colourful and sudden elements. 6-2-1 A calming yet serious theme which is playful and child-like, a lighthearted and romantic conversation between Thamariki and Naxonipan. 202 The foreign nurses in the scene and their introduction is colourful and even portraying their different ethnicities rather accurately. 6-2-2 Fun and catchy melody, refreshing elements somewhat sculpture-esque theme as the scene suggests. 7-1-1 Lavish and wealthy could be felt through the sound world. 7-1-2 The call for Zinazaga sounds highly spiritual with Indian “vibes”. 7-2-1 Zinazaga’s appearance is intense at the beginning and transitions into “glory” and elegance, however the intensity is brought back again with another transition to elegance, some strange elements that sound like a water hose for example, seemed out of place in my opinion. 8-1-1 A creepy lullaby, somewhat reminiscent of “fairy forest” environment soundtracks from fantasy video games. The vivid life of the scene is definitely present in the sound world of the music. 8-1-2 Arrival of Naxonipan brings excitement and anticipation through the sound world of the music, curiosity and wonder of nature is conveyed. Some high pitched elongated elements in the music are a refreshing and excellent addition, in my opinion. 8-1-3 Similar to previous one, except even more excitement and buildup of anticipation and tension, “Choir of old people” as the scene suggests, is dramatic and fitting to the lyrics of the choir. 8-1-4 Same as previous one. 8-1-5 The opening of the caps of the lotus flowers, a beautiful and elegant sound world is synergistic to the scene itself. The choir of the lotus flowers is creepily adorable which gives an excellent and interesting dynamic to the soundtrack. 9-1-1 Very strange and “unique” in terms of the previous music, the constant 203 switches between left and right “mono” is an interesting addition. 9-1-2 A fast paced showcase of the Pariah workers and supervisors, accompanying their struggles in the scene by frequent high pitched sounds which would be synergistic with “breaking the rocks”. 9-1-3 Yet again the praying of old people, highly similar to the previous one however this time more fast paced and even aggressive in some aspects. 9-1-4 The spotting of stonebreaking groups of pariahs and supervisors by Naxonipan is conveying high class and the character’s expectation towards the groups, some anger and disappointment and such negative emotions are clearly being represented in the sound world by quick and high pitched elements with a steady background music which also serves to keep the soundtrack tense. 9-1-5 A shocking scene, confusion is clear. Disappearance of Naxonipan in the scene is accurately represented by the ending transition of the music. 10-1-1 A “Main Plaza” scene and the music reflects just that environment, a wedding event with all its complexity such as decorations. 10-1-2 Naxonipan and the new groups gathering at the scene brings excitement and “busy bees” feeling to the scene and the sound world is synergistic with that. 10-1-3 Arrival of Thamariki and Xipante, elegant and attention provoking. 10-1-4 Arrival of Indochina islands deputies, lighthearted and fantasy-esque sounding of the music, even the “simple dresses” of the deputies and servants is represented in the sound world via an eloquent yet modest melody. 10-1-4 Nothing to add, very short and simple. 10-2-1 Build-up to the competition is fair. 204 10-2-2 A very high class, soothing and elegant melody to further build up the singing scene which will follow. 10-2-3 Qimerina’s singing on the podium. Starts off stylish, however self absorbed and lacking of confidence as the sound world conveys in my opinion. 10-2-4 Exact same as previous one, except slightly child-esque. 10-3-1 Naxonipan’s singing on the podium. A highly elevated and as it progresses on, deeply sad melody which is emotion provoking yet awe inspiring and admiration worthy of the character itself. 10-3-2 Deep bows, very highly admired in that moment by the other characters which is reflected accurately by the music. 10-3-3 The reveal of Naxonipan’s rags underneath the decorative cape, a horror-like and thriller-esque reveal in terms of the sound world with “shocking” elements. 10-3-4 Leaves the podium leaving the environment in dreadful shock, the soundtrack has great “justice” vibes to it, very satisfying and a super smooth ending transition. NOTE: Also available both of the librettos of his newly composed operas: Mona Lisa (an Opera Buffa Profana) and Romeo and Juliet (a Teen Opera).
Ballet (DVDS)
andrewad9:
BARABBAS OF BIBLE
Ballet in 2 acts. Stories by Ghelderode. Music and libretto by Zoltan Demme. CHARACTERS: Jesus, Barabbas. DANCERS: Apostle Judas, Apostle Peter, Pontius Pilate, Herod the Great, Caiaphas, Humpbacked Trader, Innkeeper. GROUP DANCERS: Ruffians, Hitmen, Theives, Prostitutes, Soldiers, Guards, Jerusalem People. LOCATION : Where Jesus died, Jerusalem and surroundings. Due to royalty rules, music is not available here. The ballets of the author are always based on classic authors. They are always focusing historical turn-points. Always exposing essential questions of the human existence. Always trying to give answers to some of the acut problems of the civilization... Two of the principles of Zoltan Demme when making stage music compositions are as follows: 1. Always show, as part of the story, an explanation of what reason people are dancing on the stage with no prosaic speech in contrast with the everyday life. 2. Always give a special genre to the pieces, such Caricature Ballet, White Ballet, and so on. This is a Caricature Ballet. The essence of the story is presented by the choir of women in the stage. CHOIR OF ROMAN LADIES: "Oh Jesus Christ! Are you cra-zy?! To die for us?! For the hu-mans??! You know no-thing, you know no-thing a-bo ut our so-ci-e-ties! A-mong hu-mans, The Sa-vi-or so ma-ny times be-comes sym bol for vil-la-nies, for ge-no-cides! You don't un-der-stand these things! Climb down! Off the cru-ci-fix! A-mong humans the ruf-fi-an so ma-ny times be-comes lea-der for free-dom-fight, be-comes lea-der for good moral! You don't un-der-stand these things! Climb down! Off the cru-ci-fix! Off! Off! CHOIR OF MOTHERS WITH BABIES IN THEIR ARMS: Oh Je-sus Christ whe have o-ther prob-lem than your hea-ven and hell! Oh Je-sus Christ whe have o-ther prob-lem than your hea-ven and hell! The know-ledge what we mo-thers have to bring up kids, not e-nough, not e-nough, means no thing!We are ve-ry su-per-fi-cial, eve-ry-thing we mis-un-der-stand! The know-ledge what we mo-thers have to bring up kids, not e-nough, not e-nough, means no-thing! Po-or know-ledge we peo-ple have a-bo-ut o-ur selves, a-bo-ut o-ur soul, a-bo-ut dai-ly life! No ex-pertise we peo-ple have to un-der-stand e-vents of life! Let us to un-der-stand life e-vents, hu-man soul, pro-per-ly! Send ex-perts to teach us! Who un-der-stand life!Send ex-perts of the life! Not your a-post-les! Send ex-perts of the life! Not these a-post-les!" This DVD is published as part of the TOWARDS A NEW WORLD series.
BARABBAS OF BIBLE (Detailled description) Act 1 Scene 01-01 LIBRETTO: Jerusalem. Night. Dungeon on a hill side with sharp rocks underneath. Dungeon looks like rusted poultry coop. Candles here and there, poor illumination. However, the dungeon is full with Jesus Christ portraits. Inimicus (Enemy) this latin word is written on each ones. Few Jerusalem Clerics with ragged servants step in and place on walls such portaits even at recent. Drum sounds somewhere under the shining stars. COMMENT: Dramatic, slow and serious, slightly dark tone. Sometimes gets more intense then shortly quiets down. Great balance and synergy with the scene. Act 1 Scene 01-02 LIBRETTO: Ruffians, thieves, poor people climb up on rocks. All are physical and psychical wretches. All behave like busy bees, and, sometimes, swarming vermin. All are caricatures. COMMENT: Slightly abstract sounding music, showcasing the wretches”and portraying them accurately, fitting to the caricature theme. Act 1 Scene 01-03 LIBRETTO: Drum sounds. More wretches climb up. But the dungeon they never reach. COMMENT: Highly intense and chaotic, fits to struggle of the wretches. 216 Act 1 Scene 01-04 LIBRETTO: Wretches triumph Barabbas again and again. CHOIR OF WRETCHES, TEXT AND SYLLABES: Ba-rab-bas! You robber! Ba-rab-bas! You killer! Ba-rab-bas! Ba-rab-bas! Tho-ugh you are in dun-geon, All Ro-mans are dread of you! Though cru-ci-fix waits for you, All Cle-rics have fear of you! All Ro-mans are dread of you! All Sol-diers are dread of you! All Cle-rics have fear of you! All Temp-lars are dread of you! Guards of the dungeon march somewhere among the cells. Not Romans but Jerusalem people they are. All of them are dirty and ragged. All of them are busy bees, LIKE ANYONE DURING THE ENTIRE PLAY, except Jesus and Barabbas. Seeing the guards wretches escape. COMMENT: Mysterious, attention provoking “dungeon crawler”-like music similar to that of old video game soundtracks. Act 1 Scene 01-05 LIBRETTO: Barabbas. Muscles. Strong body. Fur. Like a wild animal. NO DANCE BY HIM DURING THE ENTIRE PLAY. Shaking the bars of his cell. Struggling heavily. Hoping freedom, few coward and piteous jail people jump and jump excitedly in the neigbor cells. Seeing them, Barabbas spits and stops. COMMENT: Strange soundtrack, somewhat “trippy” such as the portrayal of psycho active drugs. Act 1 Scene 01-06 LIBRETTO: Ruffians, thieves, poor people, other wretches return and climb up on the rocks again. Barabbas turns against the cell grid again. With the thickest bars he struggles. Some of them he tears out. COMMENT: Very short soundtrack, mostly fitting to the scene, some elements were not dark enough though. Act 1 Scene 01-07 LIBRETTO: CHOIR OF WRETCHES, TEXT AND SYLLABES: Ba-rab-bas! You robber! Ba rab-bas! You killer! Ba-rab-bas! Ba-rab-bas!We will sho-ut your great name!...We kill, we rob, we in-flame!...We will sho-ut your great name!...We kill, we rob, we in-flame!...Romans, Clerics, 217 all the same!Them we kill, rob, and in-flame!And we sho-ut your great name!...And we sho-ut your great name!...Ba-rab-bas! Ba-rab-bas! Ba-rab-bas! COMMENT: Very menacing and organ-like sounds with a catchy melody. Interesting choir. Act 1 Scene 01-08 LIBRETTO: Trumpets. Guards of the dungeon in rags again with poor candle-lights. Some of them are drunk. Some has red vine in amphoras. Wretches disappear outside within a glance. COMMENT: A bit of high class vibes of the music, somewhat fitting to the guards in the scene. Act 1 Scene 01-09 LIBRETTO: Guards in rags. Marching to Barabbas for checking the cell grids. Fear of him when he slowly and manacingly goes ahead. Guards stop and escape. Few amphoras filled with red vine remain on the stage. COMMENT: Definitely fitting to the “marching” in the scene by the guards. Some comedic elements in the music. Interesting ending. Act 1 Scene 01-10 LIBRETTO: Wretches return outside and climb up on the rocks again. Barabbas pulls an amphora into the cell. Drinking. Flowing red vine on neck, chest, and ragged clothes. COMMENT: Over exaggerated and chaotic but nicely balanced caricature music, the high pitched ending was a bit annoying. Act 1 Scene 01-11 218 LIBRETTO: CHOIR OF WRETCHES, TEXT AND SYLLABES:Drink! Drink more! Drink the red vine!Drink! Be drunk! Barf the Ro-mans,barf, barf them from the cru-ci-fix!Spit red drool to the Cle-rics!Spit red gob to the Cle-rics,barf, barf them from the cru-ci-fix! Barf! Barf! Spit red drool to all these crooks!Spit red gob to all these crooks,barf, barf them from the cru-ci-fix COMMENT: Evil theme with some church music undertones. Act 1 Scene 01-12 LIBRETTO: Fanfare. Lights. Roman soldiers! Shiny shields and pikes. Early morning march and ceremony. Busy bees. Seeing the Romans Barabbas spits. COMMENT: Sounds like something from an “adventure” soundtrack from an old video game. The drum-like sounds are pleasing and refreshing. Act 1 Scene 01-13 LIBRETTO: Wretches hide themselves among the rocks outside. Romans finish the ceremony and march out. COMMENT: Very short, not much to say aside from that it is fitting to the scene. Act 1 Scene 01-14 LIBRETTO: Silence. Few heads and faces of wretches appear outside among the rocks. Strange drum sounds. COMMENT: Appearance of the wretches, yet again fitting to the scene and their characters. Smooth ending. Act 1 Scene 01-15 LIBRETTO: Somebody stands up inside of a cell. He folds his hands and prays. He has dirty rags also. Jesus he is. NO DANCE BY HIM DURING THE ENTIRE PLAY. While Jesus prays, very strange and mysterious music sounds. Confusion and fear everywhere in the other cells. 219 COMMENT: A steady and smooth buildup, quiet and calm yet with an underlying tone of excitement and rising of tensions. The reveal of Jesus in the scene is very well done and synergistic in the soundtrack. Act 1 Scene 01-16 LIBRETTO: Confusion and fear outside among the wretches also. All of them escape. Jesus finishes his pray. He lays back to the floor. Darkness covers him again. Mysterious music ends. COMMENT: Very comedic goofy and funny elements that sound like old cartoon sounds. Act 1 Scene 01-17 LIBRETTO: Apostle Judas. Drunk, dirty, ragged. Tottering. Counting his thirty silver coins. With Romans Judas arrives. Prostitutes he wants. Romans light into the cell of prostitute girls. COMMENT: Yet again comedic, sort of “stupid” and portraying the drunk and ragged Judas accurately in the scene, highlighting how much of a mess he is. Gets monotonous but its offset by the comedic nature of the music. Act 1 Scene 01-18 LIBRETTO: Excited, dancing prostitutes. Too fat, too thin, terribly ugly women everywhere. All of them are wretches. To the Romans Judas gives some coins. Romans open an empty cell, put candles in, then leave. COMMENT: Not fitting to the scene in my opinion,and thou it is a caricature not pleasing to the ear either in my opinion. Act 1 Scene 01-19 LIBRETTO: Prostitutes become furious that they have the dirty Judas as client instead of Roman soldiers. Catching the drunk Apostle through the grid. Beating his head and body. Tearing his 220 rags. Judas becomes free of their hands only after struggling. COMMENT: Confrontation in the soundtrack is clear and definitely can be heard, relating to the scene and what is happening in it. Very smooth ending transition. The length of the music was also just about right in my opinion. Act 1 Scene 01-20 LIBRETTO: Silver coins on the ground. Drunk Judas on the ground collecting silver coins. Judas spots somebody. He spot Jesus praying in a nearby cell. With heavy fear the Apostle tries to run away. Stopping at the corner. Looking back to the cell. Waiting for something. Now Barabbas appears. Realizing the silver coins. Realizing that the Apostle had sold someone. Moving towards the Apostle like wild animal. Judas leaves the scene. COMMENT: Highly monotonous simple sounds into a burst of exciting east asian-like music. The switch was both refreshing and somewhat unexpected. Many things are happening in the scene which is reflected in the soundtrack. The leaving of Judas from the scene is also obvious by the soundtrack. Act 1 Scene 01-21 LIBRETTO: Fanfare. Romans with shiny arms appear. With Jerusalem guards in rags they are accompanied. Towards Barabbas they march. Being busy with the noisy steel grid, Barabbas hears nothing. COMMENT: Appearance of the Romans. Not much to be said except it is rather short but sort of fitting to the scene. Act 1 Scene 01-22 LIBRETTO: Barabbas at work. Romans with Jerusalem guards come closer and closer. Appearance, disappearance in the darkness while marching and approaching the cell. Barabbas spots something. He turns. Closed to his face and body a dozen of lances holds him up within a glance. COMMENT: Interesting and colourful soundtrack, exposing the appearance and disappearance in the darkness is definitely portrayed accurately. 221 Act 1 Scene 01-23 LIBRETTO: After invading all cells, after checking all people, and after quenching all candle lights, armed Romans line-up in the downstage hiding the dungeon's inner part. Above them, shining stars are on the sky. Drum sounds somewhere under the stars. COMMENT: Invasion of the cells, the movement and presence of the Roman guards are an interesting dynamic to the environment and the soundtrack. Act 1 Scene 02-01 LIBRETTO: Sun is rising. Above the dungeon, the building of Jerusalem Court becomes visible gradually. But the BACK OF THE COURT-BUILDING appears on the stage. It is age-worn, demaged, looks like a ruin. Among the stones grass and weed. Old wood-beams everywhere to support the walls. Here and there broken stairs. However, the top of the building, the barriers there, the decorations there, all are glittering and shiny of gold. Romans, Clerics, Templars know how to mislead people. From the other side of the building, from the Main Plaza, for the Jerusalem crowd, solely this gorgeous part is visible……Along the top barrier made of gold, a long line of Roman guards stands in clothes made of gold also. Guards are frightening, grim, and immobile. Instead of legs, however, they have thin bars only. All are just puppets. Adding the line, servants carry new and new puppets up. Different groups of people arrive onto the stage. Fanfare people. Drum people. Church leaders with church people. Templars with drunk Jerusalem people. Drovers with slaves who carry vine amphoras. People behave like busy bees, and, sometimes, swarming vermin. All are caricatures……Rehearsal begins on the stage. Church leaders, handling long and decorated bars, direct the choir of church people. Templars, handling long and decorated bars too, direct the choir of Jerusalem people. Portrait of Jesus Christ everywhere. Inimicus (Enemy) - this tag is written on. CHOIR OF CHURCH PEOPLE, TEXT AND SYLLABES: Save! Save Ba-rab-bas!Ba-rab-bas! Ba-rab-bas! Ba-rab-bas! Ba-rab-bas!... Long live Pilate! Long live Pilate! Long live Barabbas! Long live Barabbas!CHOIR OF JERUSALEM PEOPLE, TEXT AND SYLLABES: Je-sus! No grace for him! Je-sus! No grace for him! No grace! Cru-ci-fy him! No grace! Cru-ci-fy him! COMMENT: Colourful and pleasing elements in the soundtrack, although some get monotonous. Fitting to the scene. Act 1 Scene 02-02 LIBRETTO: Coin distribution and rehearsal continues. More and more vine offered. CHOIR OF CHURCH PEOPLE, TEXT AND SYLLABES:Cru-ci-fy Je-sus! Cru-ci-fy Je-sus! Cru-ci-fy Je sus!CHOIR OF JERUSALEM PEOPLE, TEXT AND SYLLABES:Ba-rab-bas!Pi-la-te! Ba-rab- 222 bas!Pi-la-te! Ba-rab-bas!Pi-la-te! Ba-rab-bas!CHOIR OF CHURCH PEOPLE, TEXT AND SYLLABES:Save! Save Bara... Save! Save Barabbas!CHOIR OF JERUSALEM PEOPLE, TEXT AND SYLLABES:Save! Save Barabbas! Save! Save! Save! Save!CHOIR OF CHURCH PEOPLE, TEXT AND SYLLABES:Long live Pilate! Long live!... Long, long live!CHOIR OF JERUSALEM PEOPLE, TEXT AND SYLLABES:Je-sus! Down with him! Down with him! Down with him!CHOIR OF CHURCH PEOPLE, TEXT AND SYLLABES:Cru-ci-fy Je-sus! Cru-ci-fy Je-sus! Cru-ci-fy Je-sus!...Ba-rab-bas!Pi-la-te! Ba-rab-bas!Pi-la-te! Ba-rab-bas!Ba-rab-bas! Ba-rab-bas!Long live Bara-bbas! COMMENT: Sounds like shots from an assault rifle. Some high pitched sounds which are a bit annoying and sounds like a broken record player. This gets smoother and more balanced through the middle. By then it is also slightly comedic. Sounds like the repetitive high pitched sounds are being drilled into the ears of the listener. Act 1 Scene 02-03 LIBRETTO: Council of Wise Old Men arrives and checks the groups. Thin, short, very old people. Busy bees also. Sometimes they behave like kids. COMMENT: Very much like “Busy bees” as the scene suggests, the kid-like behaviour is definitely present in the soundtrack. Very colorful and well put together piece. Some interesting and creative choreographies could be made of this. Act 1 Scene 02-04 LIBRETTO: Red cape red mask people arrive. By them life size puppets placed on the stage. Suddenly, from under their long dresses, red cape red mask children run out with sharp knives. Two or three children per adults. Children jump up to the back of the life size puppets. Imitation of killing with the knives. Jumping down holding the knives. Runnig back and escaping under the red capes of adults. Council of the Wise Old Men applauds and applauds. Group disappears. COMMENT: Soundtrack with a steady rhythm that increases in volume, strange elements though but they are pleasing to the ear. Act 1 Scene 02-05 223 LIBRETTO: Church leaders arrive. Church leaders with prostitute girls are accompanied. One of the leaders, Caiaphas, is homosexual. Around him teen boys walk in church uniforms with openings at arses. Fondling the boys sometimes. Fingering the butt of the boys with almost no stop. COMMENT: Very perverted and “deviant” as the scene suggests. Highlighting the ridiculousness of the scene and the false moral high ground of the church leaders and Caiphas, definitely a memorable caricature. Act 1 Scene 02-06 LIBRETTO: Babykiller Herod, the Great arrives. Herod with babies and their mothers are accompanied. He babbles to the babies with almost no stop. COMMENT: Another fun caricature, again perverted vibes. Over exaggeration is highly apparent. The music could have been kept more simple though, would have fit the scene better in my opinion. Act 1 Scene 02-07 LIBRETTO: Romans lead Jesus and Barabbas onto the stage. Jesus is outside of the stage events in mind. Barabbas is dumbfounded. He looks at the building ruins, the drunk people with no understanding. COMMENT: Short and intense, fitting to the scene. Act 1 Scene 02-08 LIBRETTO: Fanfare. Pilate. Very thin, extremly short man. Coming to Jesus. Watching him with interest and sympathy. Coming to Barabbas under protection of many guards. Spitting the face of Barabbas under protection of guards. Then Pilate walks upward surrounded with guards. Herod the Great, Caiaphas, and all others walk upwards also. Jerusalem people and Church people do the same. But these two groups climb down on the other side of the building, to the Main Plaza, where the Jerusalem crowd is gathering, to influence people…… Romans lead Jesus and Barabbas upwards also. Barabbas walks very slowly. Stopping at Herod the Great who is surrounded with babies. Stopping at Caiaphas who is surrounded by boy prostitutes. Stopping when he discovers the top of the building covered with gold. Stopping when he discovers the puppet soldiers. Guards force him to walk. Barabbas understands more and more. He listens to the honest Jesus too, and he feels symphaty……Closed to the top, Pilate dresses himself having 224 the help of his guards. Golden boot, gold poker, gold color cape. Boot has a two feet thick cork sole. Cape hides the cork sole. COMMENT: Child-like interest and excitement from Pilate, even his extreme short height is represented clearly in the music. His approach being comical, mischievous and potentially dangerous is also represented. Slightly chaotic but I wouldn’t say that is negative. Act 1 Scene 02-09 LIBRETTO: Pilate on the top. Ovation from the Main Plaza. Choirs of Jerusalem people and church people who previously made exercises on the stage. CHOIR OF JERUSALEM PEOPLE, TEXT AND SYLLABES: Pi-la-te!Pi-la-te!Pi-la-te!Pi-la-te!... Romans lead Barabbas up. Ovation. CHOIR OF JERUSALEM PEOPLE, TEXT AND SYLLABES:Pi-la-te!Pi-la-te!Ba-ra-bbas! Ba ra-bbas! COMMENT: Very high pitched sounds then an abrupt transition, ending too early and generally lacking any balance. I must admit it is fitting though to the scene. Act 1 Scene 02-10 LIBRETTO: Fanfare. Romans lead Jesus up. COMMENT: Same as previous one, however much shorter in length. Act 1 Scene 02-11 LIBRETTO: Shouting crowd. Anger. Hate. Choirs of people who previously made exercises on the stage. CHOIR OF CHURCH PEOPLE, TEXT AND SYLLABES: Do-own! Down with him! Down with him! Down with him! CHOIR OF JERUSALEM PEOPLE, TEXT AND SYLLABES: Do-own! Down with him! Down with him! Down with him! COMMENT: The angry crowd is very apparent and realistically portrayed in the sound world of the track. Act 1 Scene 02-12 225 LIBRETTO: Order of Pilate to lash Jesus Christ. Fanfare. Romans with lashes appear. Surrounding Jesus they fully hide him. Groups of Herod, Caiaphas and other people also step closer and make upcoming events unvisible. COMMENT: Hatred and contempt filled sounds, very fitting to the scene. Act 1 Scene 02-13 LIBRETTO: Lashing Jesus Christ. Ovation of the crowd. Happiness. Shocked and furious Barabbas by arms witheld. CHOIR OF CHURCH PEOPLE, TEXT AND SYLLABES: Beat!... Beat!... Beat!...Lash!... Lash!... Lash!... Great!... Great!... Great!...CHOIR OF JERUSALEM PEOPLE, TEXT AND SYLLABES: Beat!... Beat!... Beat!...Lash!... Lash!... Lash!...Great!... Great!... Great!... COMMENT: Very happy and comical music, sounds like Jesus’s lashing is being made fun of. A very intense scene and even sounds like it came out of the mind of a deranged musician, a definite plus considering the context. Act 1 Scene 02-14 LIBRETTO: Fanfare. Jesus. Crown of thorn he has. Blood everywhere. Shocked and furious Barabbas by arms witheld. COMMENT: The blood covered Jesus is accurately represented in the sounds. Act 1 Scene 02-15 LIBRETTO: Pilate turns the bleeding Jesus towards the crowd. No solidarity. No regret at all. What they learned on rehearsal people continually sing and sing. CHOIR OF CHURCH PEOPLE, TEXT AND SYLLABES: No grace! Cru-ci-fy!Cru-ci-fy!Cru-ci-fy! CHOIR OF JERUSALEM PEOPLE, TEXT AND SYLLABES: No grace! Cru-ci-fy COMMENT: The showcase of the punished Jesus to the crowd is yet again well portrayed. 226 Act 1 Scene 02-16 LIBRETTO: Long fanfare. Pilate directs Romans to lead Jesus out. He too directs them to free Barabbas of handcuffs and chain. Ovation. Happiness everywhere. COMMENT: Same as previous one. Act 1 Scene 02-17 LIBRETTO: ALL CHOIRS, TEXT AND SYLLABES:Ba-rab-bas! Ba-rab-bas!Ba-rab-bas! Ba rab-bas!Ba-rab-bas! Ba-rab-bas!Let us sho-ut your great name!...Let us sho-ut your free name!...Let us sho-ut your great name!...Let us sho-ut your free name!...Let us sho-ut your great name!...Let us sho-ut your free name!...Let us sho-ut your great name!...Let us sho-ut your free name!...Ba-rab-bas! Ba-rab-bas!Ba-rab-bas! While choirs and choirs sound, Pilate, the Council of Old Men, Herod the Great, Caiaphas and others discuss something with surrounding guards. COMMENT: Somewhat the same as most previous choirs in the play, getting repetitive quickly and the intensity does not help that either. Act 1 Scene 02-18 LIBRETTO: Fanfare. New Roman guards arrive. COMMENT: Arrival of the roman guards, music fits to the scene. Act 1 Scene 02-19 LIBRETTO: For Barabbas not even a small step is allowed. To his body peaky arms pushed in every second. Into his hands Roman lance and Roman sheild are placed. To the top of his head a Roman helmet is put on. Guards lift him up to a golden platform. Guards light him up from below. His new image results happier ovation than anytime earlier. ALL CHOIRS, TEXT AND SYLLABES: Ba-rab-bas! Oh you great!Ba-rab-bas! Oh you free! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Ba rab-bas! Oh you great!Yes!Yes!Yes!Yes!Yes!Ba-rab-bas! Oh you free!Yes!Yes!Yes!Yes!Yes! Yeeeeeeeeeeeeees!...Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!Yes, yes, yes, yes!Yes, yes, yes, yes! Yes! Oh you he ro-ic! You he-ro-ic!You brave! You great! You Grace! Oh! Yeeeeeeeeeeeeees!... Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yeeeeeeeeeeeeees!... 227 COMMENT: Menacing and boss-fight-like soundtrack from the old video games. The praise of Barabbas sounds like the praise of a God or a holy man. Slight over exaggeration could be heard. Act 2 Scene 01-01 LIBRETTO: Jerusalem Court building, but this time THE FRONT SIDE OF IT. Walls, covered with gold. Balconies, with golden sunshades. Cruch leaders, Council of the Old Men, Roman leaders, Romans sit there. Talking. Watching the Calvary events. Calvary is located very down somewhere, on a smaller hill, outside of the stage. People turn their heads downwards always when watching crucifying events……To the Main Plaza of Jerusalem the Court building opens. The Main Plaza has lots of people. Diner in the downstage. The hall of the diner looks like the hall of The Last Supper of Leonardo da Vinci fresco. Breakfast preparation goes on, innkeeper and servants are running. Under the diner cells and cellars. Vine and vegetables inside……Closed to the diner a Bazaar is visible. Paintings of Jesus, Barabbas, Pilate, Caiaphas, and others. Painted, decorated, human sized crucifixes and crucifixes everywhere. Thorn Crowns and other relics on sale. Humpbacked Trader and servants at work. Humpbacked Trader is thin, short, jumping and jumping always. He is surrounded with working craftsmen, artisans, painters, and with many costumers……Two towers above the diner and bazaar. Both full with Jerusalem people in rags. Choirs too there sit and watch crucifying events. People are excited. LIKE BUSY BEES, SOMETIMES LIKE SWARMING VERMIN THEY BEHAVE DURING THE ENTIRE ACT. Towards the Calvary different groups are running down. They disappear one after the other one. COMMENT: The introduction of the second act and its environment, adventure-like melody which transfers smoothly into exciting buildup for the events coming along. The entire sound world is very classy and adventurous at the same time. Some East-Asian elements which are synergistic to the soundtrack. Act 2 Scene 01-02 LIBRETTO: Red cape red mask people. Searching someone. Checking the faces of people. Disappearing. COMMENT: Strange sounds, I especially liked the rapid switching in the volume, “waving” effect. 228 Act 2 Scene 01-03 LIBRETTO: Towards the Calvary different groups are running again. They disappear one after the other one. To the diner, to have breakfast, five Apostles arrive. Apostles are poor and ragged as many other native people. Sitting down to the diner's table. Waiting for breakfast at the diner's table. Arrangement of the Apostles to the Leonardo da Vinci fresco reminds. COMMENT: The rushing of the apostles is very apparent in the soundtrack, the other parts of the scene not so much. Act 2 Scene 01-04 LIBRETTO: Apostle Peter. On a trolley he brings killed cocks. Anger. Sadness. Crying. Other Apostles too bring dead cocks. Throwing the dead cocks onto the ground. Sitting down to the diner's table. Arrangement at the table to the Leonardo da Vinci fresco reminds more and more. COMMENT: Switches from happiness and anger and sadness are refreshing and brings a colourful soundtrack which compliments the scene perfectly. Act 2 Scene 01-05 LIBRETTO: New, fellow Apostles. They too helped Apostle Peter to kill cooks and now place corpses onto the stage. Sitting down to the diner's table also. Arrangement at the table looks like the Leonardo da Vinci fresco but the prime place is still empty. COMMENT: Sort of the same as previous one. Act 2 Scene 01-06 LIBRETTO: Humpbacked Trader runs in. Onto his head a Thorn Crown he puts. Place of Jesus he occupies at the table. Later he runs out. Position of Jesus he imitates at a crucifix. COMMENT: Interesting sounding melody like “snake charmers” music. A bit of indian vibes. Act 2 Scene 01-07 229 LIBRETTO: Apostle Judas arrives. Stepping into the diner. Sitting down at the corner of the table. Confusion. Reluctance to talk to him. Later Apostle Peter and few others come closer. Gradually Judas will be accepted. COMMENT: Sounds similar to quiet step sounds in a comedic tone from an old cartoon. Goofy, comedic but slightly serious and due to its monotonicity after a while gets creepy even. Act 2 Scene 01-08 LIBRETTO: Towards the Calvary different groups are running. Into the two towers more and more people climb up. COMMENT: Another running scene, though this one is more intense than the previous one. Not too representative of the environment though. Act 2 Scene 01-09 LIBRETTO: Solo dance of the Humpbacked Trader for his costumers, using relics COMMENT: Definite street performer vibes, fitting to the scene and the character. Act 2 Scene 01-10 LIBRETTO: Trumpeters of the Humpbacked Trader. He offers more and more relics for buyers. COMMENT: Sounds like a drill at a construction site, not too accurate to the scene. Act 2 Scene 01-11 LIBRETTO: Into the diner Humpbacked Trader sends painters and artisans. He too steps in. Jesus he imitates. Apostles also make posing. Smarmy painters at work. 230 COMMENT: An interesting and elegant portrayal of the diner in the scene. A bit reminds me of the dance of a puppet. Funny and ironical elements, dynamic melody. Smooth ending also. Act 2 Scene 02-01 LIBRETTO: Storm starts. Lightning. Everybody turns towards the Calvary. Jesus crucifix is raised up, as people show and explain to each other noisily. Thunder. Lightning. COMMENT: Buildup to the crucifixion, menacing storm arrives. Tensions are rising high. The ending is not fitting whatsoever, very goofy and off putting in my opinion. Act 2 Scene 02-02 LIBRETTO: CHOIRS, TEXT AND SYLLABES:Ouch!Ouch!Woe is him!Woe is him!Woe is him!Woe is him!Woe is him!Woe is him!Woe is him!Woe is him!Woe is him there! People like busy bees. Wanting to see more. Scrumbling and rushing. Fanfare from the balconies. CHOIRS, TEXT AND SYLLABES:See! Cru-ci-fix there!See! Cru-ci-fix there! See! Cru-ci-fix there! Ouch!Ouch!Woe is him!Woe is him!Woe is him!Woe is him! Woe is him!Woe is him!Woe is him! Woe is him!Woe is him there! COMMENT: Over exaggerated and caricature-esque. Busy bees are apparent in the soundtrack. Act 2 Scene 02-03 LIBRETTO: People like busy bees. Wanting to see more. Scrumbling and rushing. Whistles towards the Calvary. Spittles towards the Calvary. Orisons, too, towards the Calvary ..…Humpbacked Trader at work. To the Bazaar a drum solo invites costumers. COMMENT: Similar as previous one, except higher intensity that is rising dynamically. Catchy rhythm. Act 2 Scene 02-04 231 LIBRETTO: Storm. Wind. Lightning. Excitement. Higher and higher Jesus crucifix goes up, as people show and explain to each other noisily. COMMENT: A switch to the crucifixion, not too strong and dramatic though in my opinion. Act 2 Scene 02-05 LIBRETTO: Trumpeters of the Humpbacked Trader. Relics on sale. COMMENT: Nothing much to add, somewhat fitting to the scene. Act 2 Scene 02-06 LIBRETTO: Semi-darkness because of the storm. Crowd in the Bazaar. Deals, more and more costumer. Apostle Peter and other apostles sell cock corpses to the Innkeeper. In the diner drunk and drunk people. Roasted beef smell everywhere: inn, plaza, entire stage, auditorium. COMMENT: Messy and chaotic, accurate to the scene. Act 2 Scene 02-07 LIBRETTO: Semi-darkness. Humpbacked Trader leads dancing girls out. Dancing. Crowd. Sale of relics. COMMENT: Goofy, comedic and funny but in my opinion rather annoying soundtrack, the repetitiveness of the high pitched sounds especially. Act 2 Scene 02-08 LIBRETTO: Semi-darkness. Storm. Wind. Lightning. Excitement. Higher and higher Jesus crucifix goes up, as people show and explain to each other noisily. COMMENT: Again, the switch to the crucifixion is not too strong and dramatic. 232 Act 2 Scene 02-09 LIBRETTO: New group on scene. Jerusalem mothers. Black clothes. Small babies in arms. CHOIR OF MOTHERS, TEXT AND SYLLABES:Oh Je-sus Christ whe have o-ther prob-lem than your hea-ven and hell!Oh Je-sus Christ whe have o-ther prob-lem than your hea-ven and hell! The know-ledge what we mo-thers have to bring up kids, not e-nough, not e-nough, means no thing!We are ve-ry su-per-fi-cial, eve-ry-thing we mis-un-der-stand! The know-ledge what we mo-thers have to bring up kids, not e-nough, not e-nough, means no-thing! Po-or know-ledge we peo-ple have a-bo-ut o-ur selves, a-bo-ut o-ur soul, a-bo-ut dai-ly life! Many people follow the mothers. Almost the entire crowd sings. ALL FEMALE AND MALE CHOIRS, TEXT AND SYLLABES:No ex-pertise we peo-ple have to un-der-stand e-vents of life! Let us to un-der-stand life e-vents, hu-man soul, pro-per-ly!...When peo-ple un-der-stand the-ir life then ar-rives the New World! Send ex-perts to teach us! Who un-der-stand life!Send ex-perts of the life! Not your a-post-les! Send ex-perts of the life! Not these a-post-les! Ouch, ouch, ouch! Ouch, ouch! COMMENT: Very funny caricature. Would be highly provocative to an audience, the soundtrack highlights it very well. Act 2 Scene 02-10 LIBRETTO: Many people follow the mothers. Almost the entire crowd yammers and yammers. Humbacked Trader giggles. Mothers leave towards the Calvary. ALL FEMALE AND MALE CHOIRS, TEXT AND SYLLABES: Ouch!... COMMENT: Strange and hypnothical even, not smooth whatsoever in the sound world, not fitting to the scene either in my opinion. Act 2 Scene 02-11 LIBRETTO: New group on scene. Roman ladies. Elegant, fancy clothes. Ladies are furious. Shouting to Christ.CHOIR OF ROMAN LADIES, TEXT AND SYLLABES:Oh!...Are you cra-zy?! To die for us?! To die for us?! For the hu-mans??! You know no-thing, you know no-thing a-bo ut our so-ci-e-ties!A-mong hu-mans, The Sa-vi-or, The Sa-vi-or so ma-ny times Be-comes sym bol, be-comes sym-bol for vil-la-nies, for ge-no-cides! You don't un-der-stand these things! Climb down! Off the cru-ci-fix! Climb down! Off the cru-ci-fix! A-mong humans the ruf-fi-an, the ruf-fi-an so ma-ny times Be-comes lea-der for free-dom-fight, be-comes lea-der for good mo ral! You don't un-der-stand these things! Climb down! Off the cru-ci-fix! Climb down! Off the cru-ci-fix!Down! Down! Down!Oh!... Humbacked Trader giggles. Furious Roman ladies leave towards the Calvary. 233 COMMENT: Fanciness and elegance is apparent in the music. The furiousness of the ladies are also very well portrayed. Yet again comedic and overly dramatic elements could be heard. Again some old video game-like soundtrack especially near the end. Act 2 Scene 02-12 LIBRETTO: Semi-darkness. Storm. Wind. Lightning. Excitement. A Roman Soldier in the downstage. Selling his sheild, arms, soldier clothes to the Innkeeper. Sitting down and ordering meal and vine. Barabbas he is. Eating. Drinking. Flowing red vine on neck, chest, and ragged clothes. Like in his cell in the previous scene. Ruffians appear. Barabbas talks to them and directs them. A ruffian revolution is under preparation now.Thunder. Lightening. COMMENT: All of the scene is very well represented, near the middle it gets too high pitched and a bit hurtful to the ear. Act 2 Scene 02-13 LIBRETTO: Semi-darkness. Storm. Fanfare from the balconies. Towards the Calvary new and new groups run. Barabbas stops eating. Standing up he takes a look around. CHOIR OF JERUSALEM WOMEN, TEXT AND SYLLABES: Oh Je-sus die! Don't suf-fer! Die!Die!Die!Die! Don't suf-fer! Don't tor-ture us who feel with you! Don't tor-ture us!Die, please die! Die!Die!Die!Die! Die, please die!Don't tor-ture us! Don't tor-ture us! Crowd yammers and yammers. COMMENT: Holy-like vibes of the soundtrack at the beginning, which is offset by an intense burst of short sounds which did not fit at all in my opinion. Act 2 Scene 02-14 LIBRETTO: Semi-darkness. Storm. Jesus crucifix goes up and up. In the Bazaar the Humpbacked Trader imitates crucifying action. COMMENT: Malicious and dark soundtrack, mocking in nature too. The bazaar’s environment in the scene is very apparent, the crucifying action also 234 via the hammering of the nail sound imitation. Act 2 Scene 02-15 LIBRETTO: Semi-darkness. Storm. Fanfare from the balconies. Barabbas listens to the Humpbacked Trader's action. Stepping to him he lifts the Humpbacked Trader up. Then he throws the thin and short guy into a stall. CHOIR OF JERUSALEM WOMEN, TEXT AND SYLLABES: Oh Je-sus die! Don't suf-fer! Die!Die!Die!Die! Don't suf-fer! Don't tor-ture us who feel with you! Red cape red mask people. Barabbas they search for. Success. But Barabbas turns towards them like a furious wild animal. They disappear within a glance. More and more apostles surround ruffian with wonder. CHOIR OF JERUSALEM WOMEN, TEXT AND SYLLABES: Don't tor-ture us!Die, please die! Die!Die!Die!Die! Die, please die! Don't tor-ture us! Don't tor-ture us! Crowd yammers and yammers. COMMENT: Again holy-like vibes of the soundtrack at the beginning, which is offset by an intense burst of short sounds which did not fit at all as I think. Act 2 Scene 02-16 LIBRETTO: Semi-darkness. Storm. Barabbas listens to the Calvary. Around Barabbas the Apostles kneel down and pray. Ruffians of Barabbas gather, more and more rebels on scene. CHOIR OF RUFFIANS, TEXT AND SYLLABES:Je-sus Christ! Live for-e-ver! Pro-tect po-or mis-lead peo-ple! Pro-tect the all mis-e-rab-les! Je-sus Christ! Live for-e-ver! COMMENT: Very intense and highly dramatic vibes, fitting to the scene. Abrupt ending. Act 2 Scene 02-17 LIBRETTO: CHOIR OF JERUSALEM WOMEN, TEXT AND SYLLABES:Die!Die!Die!Die! Die, Christ die! Don't tor-ture us! Stench he-re! Mos-qui-tos here! Fi-nish it! Die! Semi-darkness. Storm. Fanfare from the balconies. COMMENT: The wishing of death unto Jesus by the Jerusalem women is yet again an accurate portrayal. Act 2 Scene 02-18 235 LIBRETTO: Thunder. Horrible lightning. Dumbfounded people. No movement on stage. COMMENT: Many chords like machine gun sounds, some are too high pitched in my opinion. Act 2 Scene 02-19 LIBRETTO: Jesus is dead. Silence. People do not know what to do. NAIVE CHOIR OF OLD GRANDMOTHERS, TEXT AND SYLLABES: Oh Je-sus Christ now you dead. Oh, what a pain your bo-dy had. Suf-fe-ring from lash, nails, pikes, and al-so from mos-qui-to-bites. COMMENT: Very obvious confusion which escalated ever so slightly. Then a calming choir. Again sort of mocking in the nature of the soundtrack. Reminiscent of slight laughter. Act 2 Scene 02-20 LIBRETTO: Semi-darkness. Storm gradually ends. From the Calvary excited groups arrive. Talking about the events. People like busy bees again running and acting with no stop. COMMENT: Busy bees represented in the scene by the music, the end of the storm met with celebratory sounding elements. Excitement by the groups in the scene. Gets too dramatic near the middle, but that quickly calms down before goes back up again fair way. Act 2 Scene 02-21 LIBRETTO: Trumpeters of the Humpbacked Trader. Sale in the Bazaar. Humpbacked Trader climbs out of a stall and sells products also. More and more costumers on the stage. COMMENT: Sounds celebratory again and “busy bee”-like. Act 2 Scene 02-22 LIBRETTO: Everybody wants relics. Talk and talk, deal and deal in the Bazaar. Stage becomes darker and darker. 236 COMMENT: Sounds like the mocking of materialistic behaviour, very fitting to the scene and the characters. Act 2 Scene 02-23 LIBRETTO: Torches here and there. Chasing Romans and Church leaders, the Ruffian Troops appear. CHOIR OF RUFFIANS, TEXT AND SYLLABES: Je-sus lead! O-ur troops! For free dom! For free world!Je-sus lead! O-ur troops! For free-dom! For free world! COMMENT: The chasing scene is very well represented in the music. Act 2 Scene 02-24 LIBRETTO: Stampede of Romans, Church Leaders, church people. Even the balconies become empty. Darker and darker stage. Stars become visible. COMMENT: Great ending but not too memorable, sort of fitting to the scene. Act 2 Scene 02-25 LIBRETTO: Large groups of ruffians arrive to the stage from many direction. CHOIR OF RUFFIANS, TEXT AND SYLLABES: Jerusalem!... Up!... Jerusalem!... Up!... Panic on stage. From the Plaza the people are running and running out. COMMENT: Arrival of large groups from many directions is synergistic with the sound world. Exciting piano sounds come into play and also some strange ones which all work together nicely and are smoothly balanced together. Act 2 Scene 02-26 LIBRETTO: Red cape red mask people appear. Barabbas turns. He like a wild animal goes ahead. But at his back a new red cape red mask guy comes out! From under his long dress, red cape red mask children run out with sharp knives. Children jump up to the back of Barabbas and kill him with their knives. They turn back and escape under the red cape of the adult. Guffaw of 237 the Humpbacked Trader. Disappearence of red cape red mask people within a glance. Rebellion stops. Ruffians Barabbas surround now. Bleeding body. Tottering. Putting his back to a painted crucifix. Supporting his tottering body by the painted crucifix. Painful agony. He dies on the crucifix……Praying Apostles, ruffians, poor people surround him. COMMENT: Smooth and satisfying switches from funny, comedic to dark and buildup of tensions. The tragic and funny death of Barabas is heard accurately in the music. Act 2 Scene 02-27 LIBRETTO: Gradually the Main Plaza becomes entirely empty. Mess everywhere. Night time. Drum sounds somewhere under the shining stars. COMMENT: Calm and creepy soundtrack which increases in volume and intensity slowly. Lullaby-like undertones. A smooth ending to the play.
andrewad9:
MOTHER CARAVAGGINA
Ballet in 2 acts. Stories by Edgar Allen Poe. Music and libretto by Zoltan Demme. DANCERS: Ana, Diana, Liliana nayads, Carravaggina, their mother, Pest Plague King, a satyr, Mummy King, a satyr, Gnome King, a satyr, Sculptor of the Harem, a satyr, and, a Mother Flamingo. GROUP DANCERS: Flamingos, kidnappers, kid prostitutes, people in squalor, satyrs, nayads. Due to royalty rules, music is not available here. The ballets of the author are always based on classic authors. They are always focusing historical turn-points. Always exposing essential questions of the human existence. Always trying to give answers to some of the acut problems of the civilization. Always showing, as part of the story, an explanation of what reason people are dancing on the stage with no prosaic speech in contrast with the everyday life...The essence of the story is presented by the sole choir of the ballet. CHOIR OF THE MARSH SPIRITS: Chris-tian Church! Your i-de-as failed he-re! Budd-hist Church! Your i-de-as failed he-re! Un-cle Sam! Your i-de-as failed he-re! Com-mu-nists! Your i-de-as failed he-re! Here the kids were pros-ti-tutes in the past! Here the kids are pros-ti-tutes at pre-sent! You all failed to save them in the past! You all fail to save them at pre-sent! Oh! So worn so ob-so-lete all you are Just like an ar-cha-ic a-ni-mal! Like a di-no-saur, di-no-saur, di-no-saur! Monst-ro-us ar-cha-ic a-ni-mals! You are still pre-sent in hu-man life! In each state, each to-own, each ho-use of the Globe! But you are not ab-le one sing-le world prob-lem to re-solve! None of the ter-ro-rism, star-va-tion, ge-no-cide, ho-lo-caust! Monst-ro-us ar-cha-ic a-ni-mals! Do dis-ap-pe-ar from hu-man life, if you are not ab-le world prob-lems to re-solve and you stay not re-newed, not re-formed! This DVD is published as part of the TOWARDS A NEW WORLD series.
MOTHER CARAVAGGINA (Detailed description) Act 1 Scene 01-01 DEATH OF TWO FLAMINGOS LIBRETTO: Marsh. Two flamingos. Pink dresses. Short, pink skirts, red shoes. Shooting. Squirming flamingos. One flamingo dies. Second flamingo dies. COMMENT: Unknown figures, beauty, immediate death, dramatic force, atmosphere, music minimal art. All elements are all right. 238 Scene 02-01 FLAMINGO BAY NATIONAL PARK LIBRETTO: Marsh. Dilapidated letters of an old gate. Flamingo Bay National Park, Philippines. Remains of a brick wall. Old frescos on. Frescos show dancing flamingos. Living and dancing flamingos in the backstage, too. Stage turns. Another brick wall. Old fresco on. Caravaggina, the kidnapping nayad monster, maniac abductor of children. Caravaggina has frightening thorny flappers. Her face looks like the face of a monster. Explanation with dilapidated letters. Caravaggina became kidnapper due to loosing her three daughters Ana, Diana, Liliana, who are also seen in the picture. Into the backstage Mother Flamingo and her eight small young arrive. Dancing. LITTLE FLAMINGOS MUST BE DANCED BY PERFORMERS UNDER EIGHT YEARS OF AGE. Shooting. Mother Flamingo and her young escape. COMMENT: Not a real Marsh. Music paints a very idillic scenery, drug-like “ecstasy” world, overexaggerated, high pitch and frequency, instills an anticipation for something to go wrong. The kid flamingos were too elegant and mature sounding, however when heard together with the mother flamingo it was very authentic and synergistic. The shooting was dramatic and surprising to a listener who did not anticipate it at all. Even though it was dramatic and well done, it seemed a bit bcliché. Scene 03-01 CARAVAGGINA AND HER THREE DAUGHTERS LIBRETTO: Marsh. Tropical trees. Twilight. Groups of flamingos flying away. Nayads of Flamingo Bay revive. Their costumes differ of dresses of the flamingos. Some fish flakes in one arm. Long pink skirts, pink shoes, everything is ragged. Asian squalor in the stage. Nayads of ten, twelve, fifteen years of age, living in poverty, are on sale now. Satyr dealers and traders buy them to prostitute the all. Satyrs' dresses have a few animal fur on the legs. Otherwise satyrs wear normal costumes. This time fatigues and guard uniforms. More and more nayads sold. Treasure in the stage. Satyrs pay. Ana, Diana, Liliana arrive. Ana is benevolent, kind, naive, crummy. Diana is humped, thin, hectic, with beautiful face. Liliana is tall, bright, elegant, aristocratic. Most treasure she gets. Humped Diana just something symbolic. Caravaggina comes. Too late. Her daughters are already sold. Asking the daughters to stay. Refusal. Asking the satyrs. Refusal. Satyrs and nayads go away. Caravaggina stays alone. COMMENT. The marsh was authentic and atmospheric. The next scenes via music were dynamic and full of life, very exotic and mythological. The groups of birds that flew in twice added to the exoticness of the environment. The begging of Caravaggina is dramatic, however seemed to be not dark enough. The marching away at the end was again very authentic. 239 Scene 04-01 FLAMINGOS AND RUINS LIBRETTO: Marsh. Lots and lots of flamingos. Noise. Stage turns. Ruins of a Brahman Church, from the past centuries. Frescos. Naked, kid-like girls are on sale. Dilapidated letters. Fee helps to care church and people in poverty. Stage turns. Ruins of a Buddhist Church, from the past centuries. Frescos. Naked, kid-like girls are on sale. Monks assist selling. Dilapidated letters. Fee helps to care church, schools, and people in poverty. Stage turns. Ruins of a Spanish palace. Red lighted brothel in a mosaic wall. Colonizers, soldiers select among semi-nude small girls. High towers and steeples of ruined christian churches in the background. COMMENT: Back to the history by the ruins surrounded by hundreds of flamingos. Very historical vibe the flamingos milling and felt like a bee hive. A choreography has great potential and variety, though definitely would be a challenge to do so. The stage outlook is rather unique and definitely not bland or average. The start of the music had a far east Asian vibe, definitely felt authentic, this continued on for the rest of the music in this scene. That being said it was also a bit monotonous and lacking in melody. In the context of the background frescos, it wasn’t dark enough or at all. Scene 05-01 ANA AND THE PEST PLAGUE GUYS LIBRETTO: Marsh. Rocky islet. Cellar underneath. Stairs. Satyrs bring down Ana then leave. Covering exit with rock. Crummy, benevolent Ana looks around. Skulls. Bottles with skulls and crossbones. Black barrels with alcohol. Corpses of dead people. Funeral supplies everywhere. Bleeding pest plague guys appear. For them Ana was sold! Pest plague guys are also satyrs. Attacking Ana. Raping Ana, followed each other. COMMENT: The music from the start painted a very bleak picture, I could almost feel the smells of the environment. The hopeless environment was also present in the general vibe of the music. The switch to the raping scene had a smooth transition, the intensity was on point and the high pitched sounds actually sounded like muffled screams. Scene 05-02 PEST PLAGUE KING 240 LIBRETTO: Other pest plague guys come. Dressed as Emperors, Sultans, Czars, Caliphs, Princes. Led by the Pest Plague King, the ruler. Throne in the middle. Dancing. Raping Ana. COMMENT: The solo of the Pest Plague King was mysterious and provoking and imposing, chaotic in nature and filled with malevolence. The parts between the solos were too long and eventually got a bit dull and wasn’t as attention demanding as the solos themselves. Scene 06-01 FLAMINGO NESTS AT NIGHT LIBRETTO: Marsh. Hot tropical night. Ruins of the British era. Old, damaged building of a British brothel street among weed and plants. Remains of some mosaic walls. Colonizers, soldiers select among semi-nude small girls. Nests of flamingos everywhere. Mating, fighting flamingos sometimes. Stage turns. Ruins of Spanish brothel street. Remains of some mosaic walls. Colonizers, soldiers select among semi-nude small girls. Nests of flamingos everywhere. Mating, fighting flamingos. COMMENT: The music definitely portayed a hot tropical night. Certain elements were contradictory to the main melodical world but it gave complexity and variety. Also some sounds were not fitting to the animal world, instead sounded like they belonged in an entire different context, such as alienship sounds from an 80’s movie. Then other certain elements were refreshing. Scene 07-01 SUICIDE OF ANA LIBRETTO: Cellar in the left stage. A few days passed. Morning. Ana comes with marks of pest plagues on. Ana looks for poison. She finds a bottle with skull and crossbones on. She is frightened. Caravaggina's shelter appears in the right stage. Tropical twilight there with red sun. Caravaggina feels something. She is frightened. Ana drinks the poison. Dance Macabre, Dance of Death of Ana in the left stage. Tragic dance of Caravaggina in the right. Ana dies. COMMENT: The introduction of Ana to the scene was built up well. The entire music was very emotional and neurotic and tense. The music sounded like Ana wasn’t neccesarily fighting with the survival instinct, rather as someone who already decided to commit suicide, just struggling with it slightly. The ups and downs were missing, and lacking in contradictory tones. 241 The part after Ana drank the poison was monotonous and induced a mild bit of headache sensation, although it was fitting. The dance of Caravaggina was definitely tragic. Scene 08-01 WATER DROPS LIBRETTO: Marsh. Ruins of an Islamic Harem. Old, broken fountain, waterworks, stream. In the backstage crippled and ill nayads in pink clothes are working, washing veils, cleaning water, and so on. Satyrs in fatigues bring Diana. Washing, this is the duty here of the humped nayad. COMMENT: The music was fitting to the islamic-arabic theme, calming tones and smooth melody. Routine character from the part of the composer. Scene 08-02 SCULPTORS AND COURTESANS LIBRETTO: White dressed, elegant satyrs and nayad odalisque girls in erotic white veils appear. Dance. Satyrs are sculptors who work on erotic, even pornographic sculptures everywhere. They have a leader, a tall, elegant, aristocratic, young guy. Around him lots of odalisque girls move with no stop. Diana is curious, goes into the palace. Her beautiful face excites young sculptor. He brings the humped Diana to the other room where a sculpture stands with no head. He forms the head following Diana's features now. COMMENT: The music was elegant yet sexually promiscuous in nature. But it wasn’t complex and colourful enough to match the variety in the acts. Scene 08-03 THE MUMMY KING AND THE MUMMIES LIBRETTO: A group of very old satyrs appear. Rulers of the harem they are. Rich Mummy King is covered with jewels and gems almost everywhere. Mummies have similar outlook. Mummy King and mummies select girls now. Dancing then leaving with the girls. COMMENT: The entire music was very playful and child like from the very beginning even similar to old video game soundtracks. Although it was playful, it also had serious undertones captured the environment and the characters rather accurately. The skeleton like bodies of the mummies and the 242 wrinkly skin was well connected with certain instruments, with no strings and woods. Scene 08-04 DANCE OF DIANA AND SCULPTOR LIBRETTO: Sculptor thanks the help of the humped nayad. After dancing he bows her out of the palace. He forgets their common work within a glance. But Diana feels love. She dances and dreams about the young sculptor at the waterworks. COMMENT: The music seemed too happy and monotonous. Some elements were nicely done, the difference between the man and the woman was clearly audible which was a strong point in this case. The tragic nature of the love of Diana was not represented very well due to the monotonous jig-saw melody. Scene 09-01 DEATH OF THREE LITTLE FLAMINGOS LIBRETTO: Marsh. Mother Flamingo and eight young. Shooting. Three little flamingos become hurt. Dance of Mother Flamingo and her young around them. Little flamingos die. Mother Flamingo and five young escape. COMMENT: The music very well represented the calm and loving dynamic of the mother flamingo and the innocence of the little flamingos. Colourful melody. The change into the shooting was sudden and mildly shocking. The contrast between the jungle and the flamingos was proportional to the event. Scene 10-01 SCULPTOR AND COURTESANS SECOND ACTION LIBRETTO: Morning snack in the palace. Servants run with no stop. Mummies arrive. Mummies have the costumes of different Gods for the morning meeting and meal. Mummy King as Supreme God. Others as Buddha, Zeus, Jupiter, Jesus and so on. Stage turns a bit. Awaken Diana comes into the palace. Young sculptor arrives with semi-nude girls right after an erotic night. Farewell. Diana steps closer. Sculptor becomes angry. He bundles out the crippled nayad. Diana desires to go in again. Guards throw her out. COMMENT: The music was elegant which represented the environment in the scene and also the Mummy King and his company. The playfulness of 243 them being dressed as “Gods” was also apparent. The erotic vibe was too soft. The crippled nayad was not represented clearly enough. Scene 10-02 DEATH OF DIANA Stage turns a bit. A high rock appears among weeds and mud. Up to the high rock Diana runs to see more of the events going on in the ruined palace. Dance of Diana. Caravaggina's shelter appears in the right stage. Tropical twilight there with red sun. Caravaggina feels something. She is frightened. In the left, humped Diana dances on the top of the high rock. Glances to the palace again and again. Checking the depth. Plan of suicide. Fear. Dance Macabre, Totentanz, Dance of Death of Diana. Tragic dance of Caravaggina in the right. Diana falls into the depth. COMMENT: Started off as attention provoking and with colourful complexity- Representative of the upcoming events. Tragic undertones right after the beginning. The final dance of Diana did not seem tragic enough and was more so entertaining rather than sad. The falling of Diana was a bit ironical and comical such as a retro cartoons sound effects. Act 2 Scene 01-01 MORNING LIBRETTO: Dead tropical forest. Dead tropical water. Dying flamingos. Flamingo corpses. Groups of flamingos flying away. COMMENT: All of the environment was accurately represented, the dead forest and dying flamingos especially. The entire music was obviously eerie and somewhat creepy even. The sounds of the flamingos flying away was also very fitting. Scene 02-01 DANCE OF THE GNOMES LIBRETTO: Marsh. Tropical sunshine. Ruins of a Spanish palace. Weed everywhere. Broken, gothic windows with painted glass. Broken high dome. Giant, round shape chandelier with a giant radius. Chandelier has some strange stubs and snags on. Chain to letting down and pulling up chandelier is also visible. Gnomes appear. Palace of Gnome King revives. Gnomes have humps, long thin legs, and all are satyrs. Guards in fatigues bring for them the nayads. Proud 244 Liliana also steps in. She is bright, brilliant, the number one. Erotic dance. Gnomes finger, paw, paddle nayads. Selection for sex goes on. COMMENT: Very accurate portrayal of the scene both in the acts and the environment was spot on. As the gnomes arrive it became playful and positively childlike. Liliana’s entrance was grand and as of a royalty. The sexual nature of the scene was also highly apparent. Scene 02-02 GNOME KING LIBRETTO: Dance of the Gnome King. He is both noble and evil. He has hundreds of faces. COMMENT: The dance of the Gnome King was clearly that of a noble, proud yet malevolent and evil. The switches from intimidation and calmness were smooth and colourful, however after a while it got monotonous and easily expectable. That being said the ending was refreshing compared to the aforementioned points. Scene 03-01 MOTHER FLAMINGO DIES LIBRETTO: Marsh. Mother Flamingo and her five remained young. Shooting. Mother Flamingo becomes hurt. Squirming among young. Mother Flamingo dies. COMMENT: The music was mysterious and emotionally inviting since the beginning and continued on with pleasing monotonous melody which was a positive in this regard. Tragic yet beautiful with great choreography potential. Right when it started to become dull, the switch happened which was a pleasant surprise. Subtle ending which was also fitting. Scene 04-01 FLAMINGO WINGS LIBRETTO: Dead tropical forest. Dead tropical water. Bubbling, gurgling splash. Some steam. Flamingos sticking in splash and mud. A few flamingos fly away. Ruins in backstage. COMMENT: The environment was not truly accurate from the beginning because it was not deathly enough. The desperation of the flamingos trying to 245 fly away was very much apparent because of the striking elements in the music. Though, their situation was portrayed exactly as I would imagine it sound like. Scene 05-01 CREAM DANCE LIBRETTO: Marsh. Palace of the Gnome King. Giant dishes filled with cream. Strawberry, raspberry, cherry, peach cream everywhere. Color helmets on nayads imitating strawberry, raspberry, cherry, peach and so on. Entire bodies of the nayads gnomes slather with sweet cream. Dancing. Licking the bodies covered with cream. Some nudity. Dance of Gnome King and Liliana who is also covered with cream. Less and less cream on nayads. A bit more nudity. Leaving for sex. COMMENT: The palace of the Gnome King was represented with highly erotic undertones in the music, which escalated steadily thorough the smooth melody. Perversion also was present in the music which fit the scene and the acts in it. The dance of the gnome king and Liliana sounded nihilistic and sort of a build up to sexual acts. The ending transitions were smooth and pleasing. Scene 06-01 DEATH OF THE LAST LITTLE FLAMINGOS LIBRETTO:Marsh. Moonlight. Mild evening. Flamingo voices. Ruins of the British era. Old, damaged building of a British brothel street among weed and plants. Remains of some mosaic walls. Colonizers, soldiers select among semi-nude small girls. Stage turns. Ruins of Spanish brothel street. Remains of some mosaic walls. Colonizers, soldiers select among semi-nude small girls. Stage turns. Mother flamingo's five little remained young in the scene. Shooting. One flamingo becomes hurt. Others try to help. Shooting. Second little flamingo becomes hurt. Squirming. The two flamingos die. Shooting. Other two little flamingos die. Last flamingo tries to escape. Shooting. She hurts and suffers. But cruel shooting and shooting until she moves. COMMENT: The moonlit environment was extremely accurate in the music, completely captured the vibe and “feel”, the mosaic walls also. The introduction of the flamingos were dream-like and calming, which was offset in a harsh yet morbidly satisfying manner as the shooting began. It continued on endlessly with no mercy, obliterating the flamingos. The fact that it was still shocking is surprising and pleasing because such scenes were already present previously. 246 Scene 07-01 FIRE DANCE LIBRETTO: Ball in the palace of gnomes. Storm. Thunder. Lightning. Fancy dress party starts. In the dresses of monsters gnomes arrive. Moloch, Baal, Mammon, Gorgo, Saytan, and so on. Barrels filled with flowing tar and pitch stand everywhere. Giant dishes hold feathers of swans. With flowing tar and pitch gnomes slather each single nayad. With feathers then they also cover each one. Nayads looks like angels now with wings. Gnome King lets down the chandelier that has the strange stubs and snags on. Nayads take place on posing as angels. Gnomes fasten them with ropes. Giant chandelier goes round and round with nayad angels on. Round dance of gnomes. Gnome King disappears. Storm. Thunder. Heavy lightning. Caravaggina's shelter appears in the right stage. Tropical dawn there with red sun. Caravaggina feels something. She is frightened. In the downstage Gnome King returns. He holds a flaming torch in his hand. With the torch he fires the tar and feather on the bodies of nayads while he runs round and round. (Not the tar and feather become flaming but the stubs and snags ahead of nayads.) Horrible screaming. Flaming bodies of nayads. Using the chain, up to the broken high dome Gnome King pulls up now chandelier and nayads! Screaming. Flaming and dying nayads. Round dance of gnomes on the ground with no stop. Tragic dance of Caravaggina in the right. COMMENT: The ball in the gnomes palace was immediately striking, anticipation to something grand. Cruelty could be felt in the music. It is obvious highest point in the act whereby the tar was lit. Screams were somewhat accurate, although could have been more intense and agonizing. The final dance in the scene was indeed tragic, but not too memorable. Scene 08-01 HOT TROPICAL NIGHT ON TURNING STAGE LIBRETTO: Marsh. Tropical trees. Moonlight. Chirp. In the background dancing flamingo groups. Stream in the downstage. Human trash, garbage, mess. Asian squalor. Armed kidnappers, who are poor and ragged people. Small kids, boys and girls guarded. A small cell of the globe-wide child prostitution is present now in the stage. No dance. Client come. Fat businessman, two old cavalier, and other pedophile persons check small girls. Old thin lady with jewels and a middle aged gay man check the boys. Some nudity when bargain goes on. Stage turns. Tropical trees. Dancing flamingos in the background. Moonlight. Chirp. Miserable shelters of native people. Kidnappers are robbing children with guns. No dance. Stage turns. Tropical trees. Dancing flamingos again. Moonlight. Chirp. COMMENT: The music stayed true to the tropical environment, many elements in the music which resemble that of bugs and other creatures sounds. It quickly became slightly disturbing and even creepy. After a 247 transition in the middle it became a bit repetitive but melodic and smooth enough to compensate for it. The ending was simplistic and a bit drawn out. Scene 08-02 RUINS, TROPICAL NIGHT ON TURNING STAGE LIBRETTO: Marsh. Tropical trees. Moonlight. Chirp. Ruins and flamingos everywhere. Crown is visible in the top of an ancient ruin. A Royal Palace this building was many centuries ago. Weed. Stage turns. Ruins of a Stock Market Building covered with weed. Broken Liberty sculpture in a window. Uncle Sam, having top hat and holding bag that has dollar marks, in an age worn poster. Stage turns. Old building of a Communist Party with broken red stars on. Mao, Teng, Ho Shi-min in age-worn posters. Weed everywhere. Stage turns. Dome of an ancient ruin. A house of Parliament or Congress this building was centuries ago. Weed everywhere. COMMENT: Right from the start the music is very monotonous in a positive way and also greatly dramatic which helped to showcase the environment without taking the attention away from the supposed visuals. Scene 08-03 CARAVAGGINA WITH KIDS ON TURNING STAGE LIBRETTO: Marsh. Tropical trees and flamingos. Moonlight. Chirp. Caravaggina's shelter, with neat, well cared children around. Cooking for them. Feeding them. Keeping them clean. Since the death of her daughters Caravaggina lives for rescuing, saving and careing children. If din, barr, her frightening thorny flappers stand up. Solely Caravaggina dances in the group. Stage turns. Human trash, garbage, mess. Asian squalor. Small Christian Chapel as a ruin. Broken Christ sculpture with many missing parts. Armed kidnappers in rags. Kidnapped kids sit in the ground. Dinning some poor meal. Caravaggina hangs around. Rescuing a kid within a glance. Rescuing an other one. Solely Caravaggina dances in the group. COMMENT: The beginning being the same as the previous one, continues with a colourful and pleasant melody that transiting to another interesting part, did not feel monotonous even though there were many repeating elements. Gave a feeling of constant danger. Scene 09-01 MONSTERS' COMING OUT LIBRETTO: Marsh. Less and less flamingos in the turning stage. Moonlighted ruins appear. Old buildings of Christian, Buddhist, Brahman Churches. Weed everywhere. As the stage turns, the 248 buildings of the Royal Palace and Parliament, then the buildings of Communist Parties, Stock Markets also appear in the scene. Stage becomes full with ruins. All of them like dinosaurs, archaic monsters stand in the moonlight! Silhouettes of them also to the dinosaurs, and other archaic monsters remind audience. COMMENT: The music definitely gave off the vibe of the moonlit ruins, mostly seemed a bit sad though and hollow. Scene 09-02 RUINS LIKE MONSTROUS ARCHAIC ANIMALS LIBRETTO: Stage turns and turns with a very slow speed. Evaporation. Steam. Spirits of Marsh begin to sing. Silhouettes of dinosaurs, and dinosaurs, and dinosaurs again. CHOIR SONG, TEXT AND SYLLABES: Chris-tian Church! Your i-de-as failed he-re! Budd-hist Church! Your i-de-as failed he-re! Un-cle Sam! Your i-de-as failed he-re! Com-mu-nists! Your i-de-as failed he-re! Here the kids were pros-ti-tutes in the past! Here the kids are pros-ti-tutes at pre-sent! You all failed to save them in the past! You all fail to save them at pre-sent! Oh! So worn so ob-so-lete all you are Just like an ar-cha-ic a-ni-mal! Like a di-no-saur, di-no-saur, di-no-saur! Like a di-no-saur, di-no-saur, di-no-saur! Monst-ro-us ar-cha-ic a-ni-mals! You are still pre-sent in hu-man life! In each state, each to-own, each ho-use of the Globe! But you are not ab-le one sing-le world prob-lem to re-solve! None of the ter-ro-rism, star-va-tion, ge-no-cide, ho-lo-caust! Monst-ro-us ar-cha-ic a-ni-mals! Do dis-ap-pe-ar from hu-man life, if you are not ab-le world prob-lems to re-solve and you stay not re-newed, not re-formed! Monst-ro-us ar-cha-ic a-ni-mals! Do dis-ap-pe-ar from hu-man life, if you are not ab-le world prob-lems to re-solve and you stay not re-newed, not re-formed! 249 COMMENT: Entire music is slow paced and feels like a build up to something however it ends rather abruptly. Mocking tones could be heard with a slight but of rude attitude. Scene 10-01 NIGHT PRAY OF THE KIDS LIBRETTO: Marsh. Moonlight. Flamingos. Stage turns. Ruin of the Christian Chapel comes out again with small children around. Armed kidnappers wearing rags everywhere. Before laying down to sleep all children pray. Kneeling down. Hopeless, slow, common, prosaic night pray of children while music sounds in undertones, then ends. COMMENT:. Very smooth, lullaby-like music to the ending, sounded exactly like music being played to a baby. It makes a good addition to the innocence of victim kids.
andrewad9:
GHILLIE DHU (Other title: TOM THUMB AND THUMBELINA)
This ballet composed for two types of optional performance. Title Ghillie Dhu , Classic White Ballet style, rich sets, an advanced version. Title TomThumb and Thumbelina, free dancing style, patterned paper sets, an economic version. Story by the Grimm brothers. Music by Zoltan Demme. DANCERS: Birch King, Birch Queen, Birchflower Princess (the little Thumbelina), Baroness Birchtrunk with Baron Birchbark, Birchroot, Birchsprig her sons, Birchlimb (the little Tom Thumb) her servant. GROUP DANCERS: Ghillie Dhu spirits, Penguins, Icebirds. Due to royalty rules, music is not available here. The ballets of the author are always based on classic authors. They are always focusing historical turn-points. Always exposing essential questions of the human existence. Always trying to give answers to some of the acut problems of the civilization. Always showing, as part of the story, an explanation of what reason people are dancing on the stage with no prosaic speech in contrast with the everyday life.. This piece is connected to the BHM (Be Humans From Mammals) movement of the composer as emphasized by the sole choir of the ballet. CHOIR OF STALAGMITE PEOPLE: The food what we get killing the animals in labs we could pro-duce to-day! Wild a-ni-mals eat crea-tures! If we hu-mans want to be bet-ter than a-ni-mals we must eat none of the crea-tures! The food what we get har-ves-ting ma-ny plants in labs we could pro-duce to-day! Un-til we are not bet-ter than the wild a-ni-mals who eat the plants, just mam-mals not hu-mans we are! It is the time no-ow to de-ve-lop, step a-haed, to be-come hu-mans from mam-mals! This DVD is published as part of the TOWARDS A NEW WORLD series.
GHILLIE DHU (Detailed description) Act 1Scene 1-1-1 (SILVER SCENE) GHILLIES AMONG BIRCH TREES LIBRETTO: Snowy land beyond the polar circle. Silent and clean. Silver ice everywhere. Silver moonlight. Silver birch barks in the moonlight. From behind the birch trees a dozen of Ghillie Dhu step out in a sudden. Spirits of the birch trees they are. Barks of the birch trees their dresses imitate. Like dragonfly they dance, with small, very vibrant movements, as sensitive, vibrating spirits. Sometimes during the their dance they disappear behind the birch trees within a glance. Nothing they leave behind them on the stage ever, during the entire play. Dance continues. Appearance, disappearance, appearance again and again. But finally the disappear. Silence. Cleanness. Cold, silver moonlight on the scene. NOTE : Ghillies are spirits. Ghillie Dhu groups move unusual way on the stage. Groups that disappear somewhere in the backstage return 267 somewhere in the downstage. Groups that disappear somewhere in the left side return somewhere in the right. Groups that jump into water in one place rise up other and again other places. Soloist dancers act same way. For doing this dancers have alteregos. COMMENT: Music starts off with a soft fantasy-like melody with sharp sounds, balancing each other out. Progresses into an exciting flow which supports the content in the scene effectively. Some mildly comedic elements, some malicious sounding. Steady buildup of tension. The characters are well represented in the sound world of the music. Scene 01-02-01 (WHITE CREAM SCENE) ICEBIRDS, PENGUINS, FOG LIBRETTO: Other polar circle area covered with snow. Silence. Cleanness. Evergreen plants. White birch trees. Snowy, frilly, white rocks. Land looks like birthday cake with white creams on. More. Red, blue, brown berries of the frosted bushes and the colored eggs in the birds' nests seem oval candies on the cake. In the light, foggy afternoon cheerful icebirds appear. Dancing. Groups of giant snow-white penguins appear. Dancing in the background too, but with slow movement. Ending the dance both groups disappear. Cold. Silence. Dissolving light fog. In the downstage, here and there, some round shape surface of stream sources become more and more visible. Amphoras of birch barks to carry water. Colored berries in birch bark baskets. In the left edge of the stage splash, mud, and stumps. Signs of occasional presence of people. No human being appearance is needed. Icebirds, penguins, then fog appears instead.. COMMENT: Playful, mellow and with a countryside vibe, very similar to old video game music (Dance of icebirds). Very lullaby-like, the bells ringing would match visually to the assumedly rhythmic steps of the penguins. Got slightly repetitive but the smooth and enjoyable melody was offsetting to that. (Dance of penguins). Scene 01-02-02 GHILLIE DHU BALL PREPARATIONS LIBRETTO: Ghillies step out. White dresses, like birch barks. Older Ghillies from top to toe have dark green veils. They like briar groups stand in the stage. Preparations for the Ball of Baroness Birchtrunk begin. Care of dresses, hairs, faces, eyes, skin. Baroness Birchtrunk, Baron Birchbark, Birchroot, Birchsprig, have a servant. Birchlimb, the blond boy. Birchlimb has dirty dress, he is ragged, muddied, and comes out always at the splash area of the stage. Birchlimb carries water and oil in amphoras supporting ghillies in prettifying. Sometimes, berries in baskets he takes round, as snack. More and more Ghillie Dhu direct him and he runs with no stop. Being bone tired he disappears in a sudden. 268 COMMENT: Very similar to that of the first scene in all aspects. Became monotonous though for me rather quickly to the point of annoyance. Ending too abrupt with no transition. Scene 01-02-03 GHILLIE DHU KIDS LIBRETTO: Dance of Ghillie Dhu kids preparing for their first ball. COMMENT: Interesting exotic sounding music, however does not fit the scene and its characters in my opinion. Not child-like enough and the drum like sound makes it too intense in this context. Scene 01-02-04 STORM THEN THE DANCE OF BIRCHLIMB LIBRETTO: Discovering the bird eggs in nests. Robbing the nests. Careing face, neck, skin with eggs. Polar storm. Lightning. Ghillies disappear for a while. As lightning stops ghillies come out and continue stealing eggs and careing skin with eggs. Big thunder and lightning. Darkness for a second. When darkness is over, eggs are seen in the nests again! No touch of eggs afterwards. Sons of Baroness Birchtrunk find the servant guy.Everyone directs him again. Birchlimb finds clever ways of passing away submerging sometimes even in the stream sources. COMMENT: Interesting start with a very rapid “beat” sounds almost abstract. As the melody which I found repetitive previously, it was refreshing to hear that it was intentionally distorted in a mechanical sounding way. Exciting and colourful choices in this music. Scene 02-01 (WHITE LACE SCENE) OPENING BALL DANCE LIBRETTO: Snow frosted birch trees. Like lace. Colored berries of bushes in the left side. Truncated birch trees, stumps, mud, splash in the right, marks of occasional prescence of people. Above the high trees, far from the birch forest, a lighted crown is visible now. Palace of Birch King is there. Ball of Baroness Birchtrunk begins. All the Ghillie Dhu dance now. Three brothers bundle off the curious servant guy. COMMENT: Upbeat winter themed music, mostly fitting the scene. Although it seemed chaotic for me, as if few songs just got matched together and constantly switched on right after the other. 269 Scene 02-02 TRUMPET OF THE ROYAL DEPUTIES LIBRETTO: Royal deputies from top to toe in green veils. Gold crown mark on veils. Coming closer and closer. Invitation to the Royal Ball. Beautiful Birchflower Princess in a palanquin. Ovation of Ghillies. Birchlimb comes out and admires princess. COMMENT: Though it is an East-Asian style music, it produces definitely a royal vibe, and its tone is rather very cold. Complimentary to the scene. Scene 02-03 PREPARING FOR THE ROYAL BALL LIBRETTO: Princess and deputies leave. Ghillies prepare. Rush. Dress selection. Dress changes. Behind the birch trees they disappear sometimes within a glance. Birchlimb too desires to participate in the royal party. Baroness Birchtrunk directs him to fill tremendous amount of amphoras with stream water. Three brothers direct him to select great amount of privetberries and sloeberries. He can participate in royal party if work is completed. COMMENT: Sounds like something from an old video game in a jungle area. Rhythmic and warm sounds. Later on sounds like something from an Asian street festival but still cold and winter-like. Slightly drawn out towards the end. Scene 02-04 BIRCHLIMB AT WORK LIBRETTO: Quick labor of Birchlimb with berries and amphoras. COMMENT: Playful and cute sounding, interesting choreographies could be made of this. The increase in speed toward the end was a nice touch. Scene 02-05 PREPARING FOR THE ROYAL BALL SECOND ACTION LIBRETTO: Ghillies. Rush. Dress selection. Dress changes. Behind the birch trees they disappear sometimes and the scene remains empty. Birchlimb finishes his job. Baroness and brothers become furious. Pouring out water. Tumbling berries. Making a work with no end. COMMENT: Interesting, yet again playful melody although not very melodic and the flow isn’t smooth. Slightly chaotic. Smooth ending. Scene 02-06 BIRCHLIMB ALONE IN THE SNOWY FOREST 270 LIBRETTO: Sad Birchlimb sitting in the splash. Blue icebirds appear in a sudden. Dancing . Collecting berries then leaving. Penguins appear in a sudden. Collecting berries then leaving. COMMENT: Very similar to old video game music, highly fitting to the snowy forest environment. Fine playfullness. Scene 02-07 PREPARING FOR THE ROYAL BALL THIRD ACTION LIBRETTO:Ghillies.Rush. Dress selection. Dress changes. Behind the birch trees they disappear sometimes. Job of Birchlimb is done. Baroness and brothers become furious again. They blame the ragged, muddied clothes of the servant guy. They prohibit the participation of the servant guy in the royal party. Ghillies leave in brilliant dresses. Sad Birchlimb sits in the mud. COMMENT: East-Asian vibes, not cold at all. Not fitting to the scene and its characters in my opinion. Scene 02-08 BIRCHLIMB CHANGES DRESSES LIBRETTO: Jumping into the water. Trying to clean clothes. Dress becomes shiny. But it still remains ragged. Other servants appear in a sudden. Cleaning their own clothes jumping into stream sources. Collecting the no ragged pieces of clothes of each servant guy. Putting them together. A brilliant dress Birchlimb gains at the end. He looks like a different guy now. He can come to the Royal Ball. COMMENT: Elegant and exciting music, some elements were annoying such as the old telephone-like ringing sound. Transitions are abrupt and even seemingly random. The high bass drum sound is a great fit to the theme. TEXT OF AN OPTIONAL INTERMEZZO IN THE LIBRETTO: (WHITE CANDLE SCENE) MOUNTAINS: Closed to the Birch King Palace that is decorated with crown. Mountain peeks everywhere. Peeks look like tapers, with frilly frozen snow on each side. Flowing tallow of candles hardens this way. Downstage has a cave with stalagmite shapes of plants, animals, and people. CACOPHONY IN THE CAVE: In his beautiful dress Birchlimb steps into the cave. Cacophonous music. Stalagmite beings a bit move sometimes. Dripstones with blood like color are visible in some places. Stalagmite Jesus with bloody fingers. Stalagmite Statue of Liberty with bloody hands. Stalagmite historical figures with bloody hands. Here and there huge crowds of stalagmite people with legs wading in blood. ICY FIGURES OF MEN, 271 WOMEN, AND KIDS: A small stalagmite group of men, women, and children at the very edge of the stage. No blood. No dirt. These people are clean. They sing in undertones. A bit they move sometimes. Choir text and sylables: All of the food what we get har-ves-ting ma-ny plants in labs we could pro-duce to-day! All of the food what we get by kil-ling a-ni-mals in labs we could pro-duce to-day! Wild a-ni-mals kill crea-tures! Stron-ger eats wea-ker one! We must be bet-ter than they are! If we, hu-mans, want to be bet-ter than a-ni-mals we must eat none of the crea tures! Un-til we are not bet-ter than the wild a-ni-mals just mam-mals not hu-mans we are! It is the time no-ow to de-ve-lop, step a-haed, to be-come hu-mans from mam-mals! CACOPHONY IN THE CAVE AGAIN Singing ends.Birchlimb goes ahead. Searching for exit. Leaving towards the Palace of the Birch King. DANCE OF ICEBIRDS On the hillside Birchlimb runs up. Blue icebirds appear. Birds dance happily being satisfied with the events. Act 2 Scene 01-01-01 (GLASS SCENE) ICY PEARLS ON TREES LIBRETTO: Palace of Birch King and Birch Queen. Dance hall. Glass-like trees. Even the smallest sprig seem consisting of ice. Most likely sleety rain chilled onto each sprig. COMMENT: Reminiscent of a sped up lullaby with a creepy undertone. Accurate to the scene and its characters. Scene 01-01-02 ROYAL BALL IS STARTING LIBRETTO: Crowd of guests appearing. Baroness Birchtrunk and the three brothers also. Dance. While the Ghillies are dancing Birchlimb too steps in. He far avoids the baroness and brothers because of the fear of recognition. But for fear he has no reason. Outlook of him fully differs of his previous image COMMENT: Started off as something fitting to the royal ball theme, however after a few seconds the high pitched sound was off putting. Rather chaotic with an abrupt ending. Scene 01-01-03 ANNOUNCEMENT LIBRETTO: Trumpet. Waiting for the Ghillie Dhu rulers. COMMENT: Silly sounding and out of tune, as if a child was playing on a flute, although not inaccurate to the scene. 272 Scene 01-01-04 ARRIVAL LIBRETTO: Birch King, Queen, Birchflower arrive. Announcement of the dance competition. COMMENT: Majestic and uplifting, gives off the feeling of royalty looking down upon their servants. Scene 01-01-05 BIRCHFLOWER’S SOLO OPENS A DANCE CONTEST LIBRETTO: Birchflower Princess detail by detail explains and shows each single element of required performance. It is a demanding dance full with complicated elements. Cautious, hiding Birchlimb admires the princess. COMMENT: High tension and quick, great potential for dance choreography. Highly monotonous, however the subtle changes in high then low pitch makes it exciting and pleasurable to listen to. Some “cute”child like elements paired with the blunt and aggressive drum sounds make it colourful and work together well. Scene 01-01-06 FIRST COMPETITOR LIBRETTO: Dancing and failure. Cautious, hiding Birchlimb. COMMENT: Exact same as the previous one, except slightly more intense. Scene 01-01-07 SECOND COMPETITOR LIBRETTO: Dancing and failure. Cautious, hiding Birchlimb. COMMENT: Exact same as the previous one, except slightly more intense Scene 01-01-08 BIRCHLIMB'S WINNING DANCE LIBRETTO: The beginning love feeling helps Birchlimb to dance and to have done each single complicated element of required performance. Wonder and love feeling of Birchflower Princess. COMMENT: High intensity and emotion provoking, similar to a horror- 273 thriller-like soundtrack, reminiscent of a “chasing” scene from a movie or from a nightmare. However way too long and lost its appeal due to its monotony and length, slight changes near the end redeemed those problems. Scene 01-01-09 CONGRATULATIONS BY THE KING AND QUEEN LIBRETTO: Queen and King too celebrate Birchlimb. Birchflower brings a birch wreath. Through the head of Birchlimb she places wreath onto the neck of servant. COMMENT: While the scene is celebratory, the music does not reflect that, only slightly. Could have been more uplifting and slower. Scene 01-01-10 DANCE OF BIRCHFLOWER AND BIRCHLIMB LIBRETTO: Birchflower desires to dance with the winner. Blow of love feeling while dancing. COMMENT: Highly romantic and affectionate, very accurate to the scene and its characters. The buzzing electronic sound along with the quick high pitched piano is a refreshing combination making this immediately stand out. Scene 02-01 (PEARL SCENE) SHINING ICY PEARLS ON TREES LIBRETTO: The lovers go outside. Icy pearls everywhere on the trees. Most likely sleety rain chilled onto each tree. COMMENT: Very fast lullaby-like, icy theme. Scene 02-02 EROTIC DANCE OF BIRCHFLOWER & BIRCHLIMB LIBRETTO: The dance of the lovers becomes erotic. Some nudity is allowed if performed in an easy, playing way as children do it, with no real sexual atmosphere. COMMENT: Highly erotic and sensual, promiscuous such as a lovers dance filled with desire and interconnectivity. Some cartoonish elements. Scene 2-03 SILVER PEARLS ON TREES UNDER THE SHINING MOON LIBRETTO: More and more guests come outside. Baroness, three brothers appear curiously. Birchlimb decides to leave. He places his wreath into the neck of the princess. When his lover 274 turns aside for a second, servant guy disappears. COMMENT: Still erotic however more shy and subtle. Fitting to the scene. Scene 02-04 BIRCHFLOWER SEARCHES FOR BIRCHLIMB LIBRETTO: Sad dance of the princess. Searching for his lover everywhere. COMMENT: Sounds of desperation and sadness, more and more intense as it progresses on. Slightly elements of “hope” scattered around in the soundtrack. The inclusion of fast drum sounds were unnecessary in my opinion. Scene 2-05 PENGUINS THEN ICEBIRDS HELP BIRCHFLOWER LIBRETTO: Hopeless princess stays alone. Penguins come out in a sudden. Showing the trace that leads to Birchlimb, birds leave the scene guiding the princess in the right path. A group of icebirds also appear later, showing the right path also to the princess. COMMENT: The return of the “Penguins theme” and its corresponding sounds which become recognizable almost immediately. Playful, adorable and calming yet exciting and even mysterious. Also iconic and one of the best themes in this ballet in my opinion. Also fitting to the scene and the characters. TEXT OF AN OPTIONAL INTERMEZZO IN THE LIBRETTO: (WHITE CANDLE SCENE) MOUNTAINS: Closed to the Birch King Palace. Ball is over now. Mountain peeks everywhere. Peeks look like tapers, with frilly frozen snow on each side. Flowing tallow of candles hardens this way. Downstage has a cave with stalagmite shapes of plants, animals, and people. CACOPHONY IN THE CAVE: Birchflower and penguins step in. Cacophonous music. Stalagmite beings a bit move sometimes. Dripstones with blood like color are visible in some places. Stalagmite Jesus with bloody fingers. Stalagmite Statue of Liberty with bloody hands. Stalagmite historical figures with bloody hands. Here and there huge crowds of stalagmite people with legs wading in blood. ICY FIGURES OF MEN, WOMEN, AND KIDS: A small stalagmite group of men, women, and children at the very edge of the stage. No blood. No dirt. These people are clean. They sing in undertones. A bit they move sometimes. Choir text and sylables:Un-til we are not bet-ter than the wild a-ni-mals just mam-mals not hu-mans we 275 are! It is the time no-ow to de-ve-lop, step a-haed, to be-come hu-mans from mam-mals! Un-til we are not bet-ter than the wild a-ni-mals just mam-mals not hu-mans we are! It is the time no ow to de-ve-lop, step a-haed, to be-come hu-mans from mam-mals! Un-til we are not bet-ter than the wild a-ni-mals just mam-mals not hu-mans we are! It is the time no-ow to de-ve-lop, step a haed, to be-come hu-mans from mam-mals! CACOPHONY IN THE CAVE AGAIN: Singing ends. Birchflower and penguins go ahead. Searching for exit. Leaving toward the territory of Baroness Birchtrunk. DANCE OF ICEBIRDS: Blue icebirds appear outside. Listening to Birchflower and her helpers birds dance happily being satisfied with the events. ACT 3 Scene 01-01 (WHITE CREAM SCENE) WINTER BIRCHTREES LIBRETTO: Around Baroness Birchtrunk's residency. Scene from Act 1. Silence. Cleanness. Evergreen plants. White birch trees. Snowy, frilly, white rocks. Land looks like birthday cake with white creams on. More. Red, blue, brown berries of the frosted bushes and the colored eggs in the birds' nests seem oval candies on the cake. COMMENT: Creepy theme, introducing the environment. Scene 01-02 BIRCHLIMB AND THE STORM IN THE HORIZON LIBRETTO: Sad Birchlimb in rags. Carrying water in amphoras. Collecting berries. Finding not too much berries, leaving with baskets to get some more. Storming for a while. Darkness sometimes. COMMENT: A complex mixture of emotions, sadness, feelings of pity for the characters and the intensity and even uplifting nature of the soundtrack makes it colourful and attention provoking. Smooth and pleasurable melody, all elements are synergistic and work well together in a nice balance. The ending was decent however the sound was not fitting in my opinion. Scene 01-03 DEPUTIES LIBRETTO: Birchflower, penguins, icebirds. In her hand Birchflower has the green wreath used past night. Guards and deputies later, in hurry, to reach and protect princess. Greetings from Ghillies to the princess. COMMENT: Silly and comedic, the flute-like sound is a bit annoying. 276 Scene 01-04 THE THREE BROTHERS LIBRETTO: Greetings from the baroness and brothers to the princess. Blond Birchbark makes princess curious. Through his blond head Birchflower tries to put wreath into his neck. Head of Birchbark is too big. Failure. Baroness Birchtrunk forces Birchflower for trying blond Birchroot then bold Birchsprig to wreath. Too big heads. Failure both times. All the blond Ghillies directed to come out now. Search by deputies and guards everywhere. COMMENT: A theme very similar to some in previous scenes, however with a distortion. Sounds like a “boss level” soundtrack from an old video game. The switches from intensity to calmness are very well done. The scene and its characters are well represented in the sound world of the music. Scene 01-05 SERVANTS LIBRETTO: Servants, those that helped Birchlimb in the past act, appear now in rags. Some of them want to escape but deputies object this. Checking and checking servants and wreath. COMMENT: Rhythmic, intense and strong soundtrack with an underlying maliciousness to it, the distorted elements were again a welcome addition. Scene 01-06 TRIUMPH OF BIRCHLIMB LIBRETTO: Checking of servants and wreath is contiuned. No result. Birchlimb, surrounded with cheerful icebirds, returns with the collected sloeberries. Wreath fits, though lovers recognize each other even without the wreath. Because of the baroness and barons, Birchlimb tries to disappear in the mud area. But Birchflower follows and follows him becoming full with dirt, splash, and mud. Guards direct baroness and barons to leave the scene. COMMENT: Very similar to soundtracks before it, with a slight more intensity. As it is repeated it becomes a bit dull. Halfway through it reaches its peak which breaks it out of the monotony. Chaotic due to the immediate transitions. The strong bell sounds were a great choice in my opinion, along with the fast drums at the end. Scene 01-07 FINALE LIBRETTO: Birchflower and Birchlimb jump and jump again into the water to have their clothes clean. Joy. Playing. Chasing each other. By the deputies, for the young couple, gold rings 277 and small gold crowns are prepared. Storm in the horizon. Thunder. Lightning. Storm comes closer. Big thunder and lightning. Darkness for a second. When darkness is over, small gold crowns are shining in the stage. But heads of the happy Birchflower & Birchlimb are uncovered ! Their helpers, the servants, the penguins, the icebirds have the gold crowns on their heads. COMMENT: Very high speed, setting up for the FINALE. Thunderous and fitting to the storm environment in the scene. A great fit to the ending scene.
andrewad9:
UGLY DUCKLING
Ballet in 2 acts for small child audience. Story by Hans Christian Andersen. Music and libretto by Zoltan Demme. DANCERS: Ugly Duckling, Mother Duck, Duck Majesty, Cock the King, His Grace The Turkey, Her Grace The Turkey Lady, Peacock Queen. GROUP DANCERS: Poultry, Wild Ducks, Migrant Birds, Wild Pigeons, Icebirds, Vultures, Swans. Due to royalties, music is not available here. The ballets of the author are always based on classic authors. They are always focusing historical turn-points. Always exposing essential questions of the human existence. Always trying to give answers to some of the acut problems of the civilization. Always showing, as part of the story, an explanation of what reason people are dancing on the stage with no prosaic speech in contrast with the everyday life... One of the prime messages of the story is presented by the sole choir of the ballet. CHOIR: You see he-re this small sculp-ture of Li-ber-ty, a-mong cob-webs? You see ho-ow ma-ny dirt and mess co-ver her from the past cen-tu-ries? All grand-fa-thers and all fa-thers have no suc-cess to clean up her nice i-de-a from the dirt, mess of the past cen-tu-ries! Have more suc-ces than what we had! Clean up the dirt! Clean up the mess! The Li-ber-ty make clean a-gain, make nice a-gain, don't let her stay ugly! You see he-re these small sculp-tures of U-to-pists, a-mong cob-webs? You see ho-ow ma-ny dirt and mess co-ver them from the past cen-tu-ries? All grand-fa-thers and all fa-thers have no suc-cess to save the-ir nice i-de-as from the dirt, mess of the past cen-tu-ries! Have more suc-ces than what we had! Clean up the dirt! Clean up the mess! Their i-de-as have clean a-gain, have nice a-gain! Keep clean these small sculp-tures! This DVD is published as part of the TOWARDS A NEW WORLD series.
UGLY DUCKLING (Detailed description) Act 1 Scene 01-1-1 CUCKOO AND CLOCKS LIBRETTO: China cabinet in the romantic era. As large as the stage! Porcelain sculptures everywhere. Silver music boxes inside. Cuckoo-clocks on the walls. Steeple, bells far outside. COMMENT: The music starts off in a “cute”, kids-like music filled with anticipation and underlying excitement. Scene 01-2-1 PORCELAIN POULTRY REVIVE LIBRETTO: Sunshine. Group of porcelain poultry of china cabinet. Frills and laces of the clothes of poultry groups are also made of porcelain. Mother Duck, ducks, ducklings, hens, chickens, cock revive. 258 COMMENT: Very happy vibes in the music, calming and very diverse selection of sounds. Accurately portrays the animals in the scene. Scene 01-2-2 DANCE OF THE DUCKLINGS LIBRETTO: Porcelain eggs. Small ducklings come out and dance. Yellow, frilly, lacy clothes. Happy Mother Duck, ducks, and poultry. COMMENT: The ducklings dance are adorable in sound, colourful and fast sounds, however somewhat repetitive nearing the end. Scene 01-2-3 BIRTH OF AN UGLY DUCKLING LIBRETTO: Big porcelain egg. An extremely ugly duckling comes out. No frills. No laces. She has thick and large pieces of rags. She is dirty, smelly, she makes almost a nauseating impression. Confused Mother Duck, ducks, poultry. Cock attacks the ugly newcomer. COMMENT: Quick high pitched sounds and a melody which suggests a sense of impending doom, as if something is going to go wrong. Assumedly it is to portray the introduction of the “ugly duckling”. Scene 01-2-4 BEATING THE SMALL UGLY DUCKLING LIBRETTO: Fight. The ducks and hens beat and chase the ragged newcomer who squeals somtimes. Other little ducklings leave the scene. Mother Duck and the bleeding, dirty duckling follow them. COMMENT: Tensions could be felt right from the start in this part, definite confrontations however not too serious and becomes playful through the middle of the music. The background sound in the end was somewhat annoying, like a broken record player. Scene 01-3-1 LITTLE DUCKS ARRIVE TO RULERS OF THE FARM LIBRETTO: Spring sunshine. Bird talk. Frilly clouds on the sky. Frilly humps in the poultry yard. Porcelain poultry of china cabinet revive. Mother Duck followed by ducklings and finally the ugly one arrives. Greetings to Duck Majesty and other poultry. Shame of Mother Duck because of the ugly young. 259 COMMENT: A happy and calm farm-like spring environment could be felt, very accurate and true to the scene. The “waving” effect in some of the elements in the music was refreshing and pleasant. Scene 01-3-2 DANCE OF THE DUCK MAJESTY LIBRETTO: Duck Majesty on the top of a hump. Red mark on her leg while dancing. Slimy, smarming poultry. Slimy Mother Duck and ducklings. Ugly Duckling fears and hides. COMMENT: The dance of the duck majesty is immediately very obviously shows that of a royalty, condescending tones could be heard and not much inherent elegance. Highly accurate representation of the scene, even the hiding and presence of the Ugly Duckling. The repeating melody got rather annoying after a while. Scene 01-3-3 DANCE OF THE YOUNG TURKEYS LIBRETTO: Young turkeys arrive and chase other young poultry. Ugly Duckling fears and hides. His Grace The Turkey, Her Grace The Turkey Lady arrive and stop youngsters. COMMENT: Highly intense, fast paced and colourful music full of life. The arrival of the royal Turkey was obvious and clear. Scene 01-3-4 COURTESY DANCE LIBRETTO: All the poultry smarm around His Grace The Turkey and Her Grace The Turkey Lady. Ugly Duckling fears and hides COMMENT: This one sounded very familiar to that of “old-school” video game music at the beginning, however transitioned to a bit dull and chaotic melody with some pleasant and new and refreshing elements. Scene 01-3-5 PEACOCK VALSE LIBRETTO: Musix box sounds. The Peacock Queen and many young peacocks arrive to a hump. Slimy poultry around the group. 260 COMMENT: Highly elegant and even promiscuous, portraying the Peacock Queen even without knowing what’s going on visually or from the text. It was highly suggestive. Also some promiscuous undertones but nothing condescending or arrogant. Seemed like ballroom music. 01-3-6 POULTRY FIGHT LIBRETTO: The beauty of the Peacock Queen is amazing for the dirty duckling in ugly rags. She leaves her hiding place and comes closer. Peacock Queen kicks her off the hump. Young turkeys and peacocks spot her. Chase. Beating. Mother Duck remains passive. Ugly Duckling squeals and squeals, then escapes. COMMENT: Calm start which became the opposite, high energy” burst” of colourful music followed. The admiration of the Ugly Duckling towards the Peacock Queen is clear, and even some jealousy is present based on the sounds. Scene 01-4-1 DANCE OF THE WILD PIGEONS LIBRETTO: Porcelain water-lilies, porcelain water plants, porcelain reeds of china cabinet appear on stage. Marsh in the outskirts. Frilly clouds. Frilly borders of water and small islets. Dry area in the downstage. Small porcelain sculptures of wild pigeons revive. Pigeons pick, peck, jump on the ground then leave. COMMENT: The dance of the wild pigeons in the scene is very exciting, smooth and enjoyable melody. Accurate portrayal in the scene for sure. Scene 01-4-2 DANCE OF THE WILD DUCKS LIBRETTO: Wild duck ladies and cavaliers revive and dance. Ugly duckling arrives onto the stage. Wild ducks become frightened of the dirty duckling in rags and quickly escape. COMMENT: The smooth “waving” in the music is interesting, though a bit too much in my opinion for what the scene itself holds in content. The escape of the ducklings was clear and obvious in the music thou hard to compose it. 261 Scene 01-4-3 HAWK DANCE LIBRETTO: Hawks come. All of them hunt for the duckling. Chase. Run. Hawks tear out some pieces of rags of the duckling but finally she escapes. COMMENT: Highly dramatic “chase” sounds, exaggerated slightly, reminiscent of old American cartoon sounds. Danger definitely could be heard. After a certain point near the end it became comical, possibly because of the overblown nature of the musical elements. Scene 01-5-1 THE TEMPEST LIBRETTO: Wind. Later tempest. Other part of china cabinet revives. Frilly, lacy character of stage set is still saved. Thunder. Lightning. Danger. Ugly Duckling struggles with wind on the stage. Composed for a ballerina Solo Virtuoso. COMMENT: The music and scene works perfectly together to showcase the dangerous and volatile environment in the scene. A solo dance with very high potential which embodies elegance and fierceness both. TEXT OF AN OPTIONAL INTERMEZZO IN THE LIBRETTO: TRUMPET SOLDIER ON THE TOP OF A MUSIC BOX: China cabinet again. From the top of a music box a silver soldier plays trumpet music. Bell sounds outside. A DARK, DIRTY CORNER OF CHINA CABINET. Old, broken sculptures. Jesus Christ covered with mess and surrounded with messy angels. Statue of Liberty fully cracked. Dusty, demaged Thomas Morus, Voltaire, Rousseau, Marx portraits with readable names on. Choir and cuckoo alert. Choir text and sylables: You see he-re this small sculp-ture of Je-sus Christ, a-mong cob-webs? You see ho-ow ma-ny dirt and mess co-ver him from the past cen-tu-ries? All grand-fa-thers and all fa-thers have no suc-cess to clean up his nice i-de-as from the dirt, mess of the past cen-tu-ries! Have more suc-ces than what we had! Clean up the dirt! Clean up the mess! Sculp-ture of Christ make clean a-gain, make nice a-gain, don't let him stay ug-ly! You see he-re this small sculp-ture of Li ber-ty, a-mong cob-webs? You see ho-ow ma-ny dirt and mess co-ver her from the past cen-tu ries? All grand-fa-thers and all fa-thers have no suc-cess to clean up her nice i-de-a from the dirt, mess of the past cen-tu-ries! Have more suc-ces than what we had! Clean up the dirt! Clean up the mess! The Li-ber-ty make clean a-gain, make nice a-gain, don't let her stay ugly! You see he-re these small sculp-tures of U-to-pists, a-mong cob-webs? You see ho-ow ma-ny dirt and mess co-ver them from the past cen-tu-ries? All grand-fa-thers and all fa-thers have no suc-cess to save the-ir nice i-de-as from the dirt, mess of the past cen-tu-ries! Have more suc-ces than what we had! Clean up the dirt! Clean up the mess! Their i-de-as have clean a-gain, have nice a- 262 gain! Keep clean these small sculp-tures! TRUMPET SOLDIER ON THE TOP OF A MUSIC BOX: China cabinet. From the top of a music box a silver soldier plays trumpet music. Scene 01-6-1 SWANS ARRIVE LIBRETTO: A strange part of china cabinet appears. No frill. No lace. Everything is tranquil and elegant. Moonlight. Enigmatic land. Ugly Duckling comes impoverished. Far from her, in the backstage, snow white swans revive. COMMENT: Moonlight feel of the music, at the start sounded like something from the “Final Fantasy” series. Became very mysterious with a smooth transition to dramatic build up which yet again became calm and moonlit-esque. The revival of the snow white swans is realistically portrayed. Scene 01-6-2 DANCE OF THE SWANS LIBRETTO: Swans begin to dance far from the duckling in the moonlight. Bone tired dirty duckling admires purity and elegance of swans. COMMENT: The sheer elegance of the swans is exactly as I would imagine it to sound like in music form. Although drawn out and in some parts monotonous, the pleasantness of the melody left nothing more to long for in this part. Scene 01-6-3 SWANS LEAVING LIBRETTO: Dance of swans ends. Like a dream, they disappear. Ugly duckling stays alone in the cold moonlight. COMMENT: With the swans leaving, the Ugly Duckling is left alone. I would have liked it to be more dramatic in the music, was a bit too calm and did not give off the supposed sadness of the Ugly Duckling in this scene. Act 2 Scene 01-1-1 DANCE OF THE ICEBIRDS LIBRETTO: A new part of china cabinet. Winter. Snow. Cold. Frosty, frilly, lacy trees. Small, blue female icebirds revive. Dance. Ugly duckling comes shivering with cold. Icebirds become 263 frightened and escape. Male icebirds arrive. Dance and attack. Sharp beaks beat the duckling. She loses few pieces of rags. She becomes hurt, bleeding, and stays alone in the snowy ground. COMMENT: Cold and frosty beginning which transitions into a highly smooth lullaby. The shivering Ugly Duckling’s arrival was portrayed well in the music, as a bit saddening yet clearly unpleasant to the other characters in the scene. The music became way too repetitive and I found it hard to focus due to its monotonous and dull melody. After such part, a refreshing melody arrived which redeemed the previous part in my opinion. Scene 01-2-1 STRUGGLING IN THE MARSH LIBRETTO: Few days later. Strange sounds of a marsh area. Still cold. Frilly clouds. Frilly, icy borders of the water and the small islets. Bleeding duckling comes. She get stuck in the marshy ground. She begins to sink. She loses a few pieces of rags. She struggles for life. She becomes motivated to return home. Memories from the spring poultry yard. Memories of Mother Duck and ducklings. Escaping. Composed for a dance solo. COMMENT: Old school video game style undertones in the music, buildup of excitement and anticipation is instilled in the listener. Highly playful in some parts, new sounds which were very different from the sounds previously. Transitioned into a somewhat dull and the same repeating sounds which provoked boredom more than anything else. The escape however is intense and the dance solo is yet again high in potential and the act in the scene is synergistic with the music itself. TEXT OF AN OPTIONAL INTERMEZZO IN THE LIBRETTO: TRUMPET SOLDIER ON THE TOP OF A MUSIC BOKSZ: China cabinet again. Darkness. From the top of a music box a silver soldier plays trumpet music. Bell sounds outside. A DARK, DIRTY CORNER OF CHINA CABINET. Old, broken sculptures. Jesus Christ covered with mess and surrounded with messy angels. Statue of Liberty fully cracked. Dusty, demaged Thomas Morus, Voltaire, Rousseau, Marx portraits with readable names on. Choir and cuckoo alert. Choir text and sylables: Be-side poul-try, we have o-ther sculp-tures he-re! From his-to-ry! You see ho-ow ma-ny dirt and mess co-ver them from the past cen-tu-ries? All grand-fa-thers and all fa-thers have no suc-cess to save the-ir nice i-de-as from the dirt, mess of the past cen-tu-ries! Have more suc-ces than what we had! Clean up the dirt! Clean up the mess! All these sculp-tures have clean a-gain, have nice a-gain! Don't let them stay ug-ly! TRUMPET SOLDIER ON THE 264 TOP OF A MUSIC BOX: China cabinet. Darkness. From the top of a music box a silver soldier plays trumpet music. Scene 01-3-1 DANCE OF THE NEW DUCKLINGS LIBRETTO: Porcelain eggs. New ducklings born in the poultry yard. Yellow, frilly, lacy clothes. Happy poultry. Bleeding, dirty ugly duckling partly covered with marshy mud arrives. She has fear and hides herself. COMMENT: Started off with an overly happy melody which sounded exaggerated and out of balance with the scene. I did not like this one at all as a result. Scene 01-3-2 A DANCE OF THE DUCK MAJESTY LIBRETTO: Duck Majesty on the top of a hump. Now much more red mark on her leg while dancing. Slimy, smarming poultry. COMMENT: Familiar sounds in the music, false majestic and royal feel which is accurate to the scene, the one second silence “pauses” in some parts of the music gave the somewhat monotonous melody a refreshing element to it. The music became more colourful at the end, the ending transition was not smooth enough though. Scene 01-3-3 POULTRY FIGHT LIBRETTO: Dirty and hurt duckling comes out. Fear. Duck Majesty, with Mother Duck and other poultries behind her attacks the ugly young. Chase. Beating. Ugly Duckling escapes. She loses a few pieces of rags again. COMMENT: The state of the Ugly Duckling is synergistic with the music, everything is chaotic though which got more and more intense as the scene progressed on. Scene 01-4-1 FLATLAND WITH BONES AND STONES LIBRETTO: Other part of china cabinet revives. Frilly rocks. Frilly stones. Frilly fragments of 265 bones of animals in a meadow area. Deer corpses. Deer heads. Deer antlers. All like the deer sculptures of china cabinets of romantic era. COMMENT: Downright disturbing and even creepy elements, personally made me feel as if something tried to crawl into my ears. Definite positive even though was not necessarily pleasant. Scene 01-4-2 DANCE OF YOUNG VULTURES LIBRETTO: Groups of young vultures revive. Tearing corpses. Eating. Jumping. COMMENT: Malevolent-esque sounds which are representative of vultures in the scene. Yet again accurate to the characters and to what’s going on. Scene 01-4-3 VALSE OF VULTURES LIBRETTO: Big black vultures arrive. Eating. Dancing. Tearing corpses. Suddenly a strange ragged corps moves. It is the dirty duckling. She has no power to stand up. Vultures tear her body. Somehow she escapes. In the beaks of the black birds long and large pieces of rags remain. Then they spot some other corpses outside the backstage. They come to there to eat leaving the scene. COMMENT: Colourful and exciting right from the beginning, the drum-like sounds were a great addition and the entire music was great in my opinion. The struggle of the Ugly Duckling against the vultures could even be heard, emotion provoking and not dull for a second. The miraculous escape of the Ugly Duckling and the mercilessness of the vultures is also highly accurate in my opinion. Scene 01-5-1 LAKE AND FOREST LIBRETTO: End scene of Act 1. No frill. No lace. Everything is tranquil and elegant. Moonlight. Enigmatic land. Ugly Duckling comes. She is thin, bleeding, impoverished. She is lunatic and mad now. COMMENT: Moonlit environment with it’s representative sounds and melody, although slightly more mysterious and even a bit dark now. 266 Scene 01-5-2 REVIVING AS A SWAN LIBRETTO: Snow white swans arrive. Lunatic duckling behaves ambivalent way. One time she believes that these birds too desire to kill her and defends herself from the beats that she never received. Other time she desires to die by the beaks and beats of these beautiful birds and lies down to the ground. Tragic Dance Macabre, Totentanz, Dance of Death. Sometimes the duckling tears her rags even. Presto dancing. Pirouettes. Falling and dropping rags. All the dirty rags come off. But from behind the rags a snow white clothes comes out! Ugly Duckling stands on the stage now as a swan. COMMENT: By far the most intense scene, which is accompanied by just as high intensity in the music. Very high potential in the dance solo and also my favorite scene in the play. Every part is colourful and intense, not a dull part even for a second. The use of rags to reveal the Ugly Duckling as a swan is creative and a great choice and definitely surprising if someone did not know the outcome of the story yet. Definitely majestic and even angelic reveal, showcasing the beauty and elegance of the swan. Satisfying ending both in scene and music.
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