CCCXVII. KODÁLY, Zoltán (1882-1967)
Many know Kodály only from Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and the Five Tones of Spielberg's alien language [read here] ...
**
Besides being a prolific -- if underappreciated -- composer, he was first to roam the countryside collecting Hungarian/Romanian/Slovakian folk songs; Bartók was his protégé ...
**
The suite contains six sections from the opera.
Háry János was a storyteller -- a veteran soldier who sits in the tavern telling tale after tale of his heroic exploits ... that his stories are all fantasies is not important, for their purpose is to create -- for himself and others -- a beautiful dream world.
**
1. Prelude: The Fairy Tale Begins
The piece begins a large orchestral "sneeze" --
an old Hungarian belief suggests that a sneeze told before a story means that the narrative is the absolute truth!
2. Viennese Musical Clock
Háry sees the famous clock of the Vienna palace. Bells chime and a bright military air introduces a procession of wooden soldiers.
3. Song
The sound of the cimbalom brings back memories to the homesick Háry, the longing expressed in melancholy by a solo viola, oboe, clarinet and flute ...
4. The Battle and Defeat of Napoleon
Trombones and percussion sound the call to arms.
The end of the movement features an alto saxophone leading a funeral march.
5. Intermezzo
A csárdás -- a spirited, syncopated Hungarian dance.
6. Entrance of the Emperor and His Court
and a spectacular finish:
No comments:
Post a Comment