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A THEATER PLAY FROM A CONCERT PIECE; POETRY AND RITUAL IN THE GESAMTKUNST WERK?
in connection with an oratory about Joan of Arc? To understand this, it might
be enough to cite a part from his application for the role of director in Debre¬
cen, titled Community of Art:
Theater, one of human culture’s most ancient forms of expression, is based on
rite and tradition... According to the most influential reformers of twentieth¬
century theater (including Craig, Meyerhold, Artaud, Grotowski, Brook, Kantor,
Mnouchkine, Wilson, Vasziliev, Suzuki etc.), modern times must transcend the
function of entertainment of civil theater and must create a sacral space for coming
times. On one side a world that is old, rich in values, close to our hearts, very human,
but somehow very archaic and maybe non-viable exists, and opposite it is a much
colder, sometimes cynical, almost inhuman, but elegant and very viable new order,
and these two are fighting irreconcilably. In this tragic situation, the only potential
answer to NO — the theater of denial — is a positive message, the theater of YES...”
Apart from the usual characteristics of Vidnyanszky’s poetical, total theater
such as spectacular visuals, complex use of metaphors, and plenty of simulta¬
neous action onstage, Honegger’s expressionist music might have been chal¬
lenging for the audience that is not used to that style and normally attends con¬
certs rather than theater.”* This might raise a question regarding the choice of
venue for the play, as Vidnyänszky, who is an experienced operetta and musical
director — see his successful operas The Power of Fate, Lady Macbeth ofthe Mt¬
sensk District, and The Mastersingers of Nuremberg, in Debrecen — could have,
as an opera director, premiered it in the Opera House or in the Erkel Theater.
It is necessary to refer to Vidnyanszky’s orientation toward the synthesis of
arts and his statement about consciously trying to eliminate the borders be¬
tween the genres of theater. Instead of a staged, music-oriented performance,
7 Citing the excerpt from his directorial application: Ibid., 110-111. Similarly, Vidnyänszky
expressed strong opposition to the prevailing approach in theater, regarding particularly the
play Joan of Arc at the Stake: “Attila Vidnyanszky has emphasized several times already that
he wishes to establish the ‘theater of hope’ on the banks of the Danube, opposing the former
‘theater based on provocation.’ Paul Claudel and Arthur Honegger’s oratory titled Joan of Arc
at the Stake was an excellent choice for this work. [...] The script of Claudel and the music of
Honegger raise the character of Joan to sacral heights again. Attila Vidnyanszky, using lyric
words and classical music, made G. B. Shaw’s Joan of Arc obsolete as a part of the theater’s
repertoire, which the new director might have considered too profane.” Rechtenwald: Ibid.
28 “Powerful, sometimes bombastic series of visions can be seen on the stage, as if a river of
paintings was flowing [...] in front of our eyes, as if we were haunted by a surreal dream, from
which waking up is impossible. Vidnyanyszky bombards our senses [...] there is no opera
house on Earth that would not be envious of these visuals, in which Vidnyanszky’s constant
colleague, Olexandr Bilozub plays a huge part. The musicians in the elevated orchestra pit
are important components of the show, all of them can be seen, their faces lit by small lamps,
intensely concentrated on their challenging task.” Gabor Béta: Erédemonstrdacié a mdglyan
[Demonstration of Power at the Stake], https://nepszava.hu/1004483_erodemonstracio-a¬
maglyan, accessed 28 August 2020.