|
SYNOPSIS
PROLOGUE: Portrait of the era
The Painter Eugène Delacroix is working on a “portrait of the era”: Frédéric Chopin and twelve “apostles”, a diverse group of artists, friends and acquaintances of the composer who have all contributed to shaping the Romantic era: Vincenzo Bellini, Hector Berlioz, Franςois Chateaubriand, Astolphe de Custine, Heinrich Heine, Franz Liszt, Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Adam Mickiewicz, Nicolò Paganini, George Sand and Robert Schumann.
PART I
Scene 1: The Land of Childhood
Reminiscences: how it all began. The child prodigy born in the happier age of the Duchy of Warsaw. Dreamer. Prankster. Magician…
A village dance. Listening to the voices in which the world speaks.
The Tyrant (Grand Duke Constantine) was ruthless and brutal, even to his own wife. His terrifying fury was only appeased by the brilliant young man’s piano playing. The enchanted tyrant, free of his rage, removes his ring and offers it to Chopin.
Scene 2: Premonition of Rebellion and Failures
Thoughts of liberation are renewed in the nation: throw off the chains of slavery, spurn tyranny and lies and let people become brothers! Unfortunately the empire of evil is even stronger. The vision of oppression and defeat becomes reality.
How should a genius behave in this situation? Should he follow Music and Art, or should he respond to the challenge of Death? Join the resistance? Conspire, act and fight? Or should he follow the voice of his vocation? That seems to be the way, although will that not be a shameful retreat, disguised by the choice of convenience and safety?
Think about it calmly, in sanctuary. The inspiration that comes to him (a chord from the Scherzo in B Minor) becomes a clue leading to a decision. He has to leave his home, his beloved country and go forth into the world alone. So that he can compose the Song of Human Fate in a mood of melancholy.
Scene 3: The Journey
To set off on a journey … into the world… “O’er hills, o’er forests, o’er the sea.” It sounds beautiful and noble, yet in reality seems banal. The prosaic aspects of life are droll: packing suitcases and luggage – an eternal comedy of errors. And the romantic poses, the celebration of farewells, can verge on the grotesque. Finally, the postilion and the coachman give the sign to depart.
“Farwell, my beloved Titus, farewell my friends...”
Time to go! Through villages and towns. Towards the hub, onwards to the Metropolis.
Scene 4: The Metropolis
To whom should he take his first steps in the Metropolis? Who else but a kindred spirit, another genius! His peer and master (Robert Schumann) is receiving callers at his studio. A show of talent. Mutual admiration and friendship at first sight.
“Gentlemen, hats off! Here is a new genius.”
The way to the top is clear to pass along. High society comes to the salon to meet the artiste.
A brilliant display. Enchantment and applause.
The salon pays homage in devotion and appreciation.
PART II
Scene 5: Triumph and Love
Fame and the peak of success.
“High society” no longer just admires and applauds, it seeks and demands attention: the socialites, the snobs and especially the grandes dames. One of them, the famous George Sand, takes the game by storm. To win the heart of her chosen one, on a whim she ditches the partner she came with (Alfred de Musset). A jealous tantrum and a scandal ensue.
An escape to the world of love. An idyll in the southern Nohant.
As long as the heart was asleep, the soul was untouched by the frenzies of passion. Once awakened, it reveals another side of its nature: constant insatiability. Love fulfilled is tiresome. One always needs new love. At the same time, the Lady’s adolescent daughter (Solange), young and beautiful, does not hide her fascination. The motif of jealousy returns. This time it is felt by her who betrayed her own partner not so very long ago. The two women wage war for the Unattainable Man.
Passion unleashed becomes a trap. It draws him away from his vocation. The ideal of Music and Art calls on him to turn back.
Farewell to love. The refuge of the studio. Art.
Scene 6: Illness
Breaking free from the trap of emotions and returning to solitude brings inspiration and increased creative motivation. But there is something suspicious, something disturbing, about this feverish creativeness. Illness, the spectre of death!
Who could help in this situation so that the work can be completed? Only his sister and his mother, his unfailing guardians. And here they are! Is it truly so? Or is it a dream? It is one and the other – in a fever, sometimes it is hard to tell.
A group of regular salon-goers arrives at the studio. Seemingly drawn there by concern and loving memory, but in actual fact out of their own curiosity and a desire for fun. An artiste’s role is to provide entertainment. To amuse, to enchant, to dazzle. If he refuses, even if incapacitated by illness, he will be forgotten. High society will find a new favourite.
The doctors’ efforts are fruitless. Their therapy is unsuccessful. Their treatment of the patient is a sign of his impending death rather than relieving his suffering.
Scene 7: Dreaming and Death
The one relief to his pain is his sister, who acts as a curative balm. “Forget about high society. Stop thinking about them, and sleep.”
In the dream his mother appears. “Don’t be afraid of me, be calm: as in the first moments of your life, you will fall asleep in my arms.”
He wishes to take flight again, to perform at the salon once more. To soar to the heights and then die. The force of this desire brings on a vision. The bedroom transforms into the salon, filling up with people.
An echo of the first display of talent. But, unlike then, this time no one supports the exhausted man. When he drops to the ground, exhausted, the illusory audience disappears. And what remains for eternity is his Music.
|
