Lubomyr Melnyk - Martin Dvořák: Poetic reflections in free moments
Stage concert of world fastest pianist - Crossover music-theatre project
A stage hommage to the artistic vision and poetic world of Czech famous director Peter Weigl
Author, direction: Martin Dvořák
Live Music: Lubomyr Melnyk
Costumes: Jindra Rychlá
Performance: Irene Bauer, Renata Poláčková, Martin Dvořák, Aleš Slanina, Mirka Prokešová, Kristýna Křemenáková
Opening night:
28. octobre 2017 Brno - Besední dům (as part of Moravian Autumn)
29. 10. 2017 Prague - Czech Museum of Music
Foto: Jan Vrba
Foto: Martin Babic
This interdisciplinary project aims to connect and celebrate the art mastership of a theatre and above all film director born in Brno, Petr Weigl, who wrote the history of film music theatre, in particular during the 70s and 80s.
His opera film adaptations, refined and clear in style, with the leading singing as well as acting cast stand at the very peak of this genre. His unique interconnections of the theatrical acting and opera theatre principles remain unmatched to this day in this genre. His remarkable work include no only adaptations of ballet pieces, but above all film adaptations of opera literature works where the singers' vocal performances (voices) blended with the precise theatrical concepts of acting actors (character interpreters). This work was penetrated by his author work such as St. Sebastian’s Passion, The Lead Night, The Way to Prague, The Winter Path and above all Poetic reflections in free moments, which do not follow any specific pattern, however build the happening through sensation and emotions of the present characters and from the momentary inventions and inspiration of the Director. We would like to rediscover this poetic world of Weigl. Open this hidden world with no words.
Our aim is not to transfer and copy the entire completed piece from the film screen to the stage, but rather to recreate the creative principle of Petr Weigl, his profound sense for beauty, idea, human emotion and spiritual reach from the art work to its spectators. Formally we aim to spread between the principles of theatre and dance and motion theatre, discover the boundaries between the “still acting and already dancing” and vice versa.
Film at theatre
Poetic reflections in free moments is in fact a “mute” film with Schubert music, narrating tragic love among four people. It is a film overwhelmed by beauty, melodrama without words in images. Music film with no dance, no songs, which is neither an opera, nor a ballet which is determined to solve “mute” difficult psychological situations: masterpiece overflowing with meaningful features connecting gentleness and beauty. The attempt to transfer such piece on a stage is not easy. This however is not the intention of the creators. The meaning of our work is the build psychologically strong images using contemporary theatrical, dance and expressive resources. In fact, it is impossible to capture the space in which this project is meant to be performed as it is neither a ballet, nor an opera, nor a theatre piece. It is simply a music-theatre performance with elements of multiple theatrical genres which interconnect and supplement each other. Poetic reflections on a theatre are to be an intimate and internal capture of emotions and beauty using contemporary minimalist expressive principles of theatre of the 21st century.
Lubomyr Melnyk
The basic element of this project is the music of Lubomyr Melnyk, who built his distinctive music genre on a practical experience of an accompanying musician during modern dance classes, most notably in conjunction with Carolyn Carlson, choreographer at the Paris Opera. Melnyk is noted for continuous music, a piano technique based on extremely rapid notes and complex note-series, usually with the sustain pedal held down to generate overtones and sympathetic resonances. These overtones blend or clash according to harmonic changes. Most of his music is for piano, but he has also composed chamber and orchestral works.
Melnyk is also an holder of two world records: he sustained speeds of over 19.5 notes per second, and played between 13 and 14 notes per second for one full hour. In his domain he does not have a competitor and as a musician and artist gained broad international recognition. Lose yourself in the innovative sounds of Ukrainian composer and pianist, the pioneer of ‘Continuous Piano Music’. Not only regarded as one of the world’s fastest concert pianists, his compositions also carry listeners to new realms.
