"A Viennese music-lover, well acquainted with the ways of the country I was about to visit, had come to see me a few days earlier with a volume of old tunes. 'If you want to please the Hungarians, he said, write a piece on one of their national themes; they will be delighted...' I followed the advice and chose the Rákóczy theme, on which I wrote the grand march which you know."
~Berlioz, who received "a silver crown of exquisite workmanship" from a group of young Hungarians as thanks for the march
Music from The Damnation of Faust this Music Monday. It was composed by Louis Hector Berlioz, inspired by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust (and by a Hungarian national tune).
YouTube Symphony Orchestra:
A bonus: the trailer for Terry Gilliam (of Monty Python)'s The Damnation of Faust:
Terry Gilliam
Terry Gilliam directing opera -- brilliant. Even in this clip, the costuming and staging, paired with the music, look both breathtaking and fun.
ReplyDeleteI was going to direct an avant-garde puppet theater performance of Goethe's FAUST about 20 years ago. It never happened, but I still find that play so rich with potential!
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