The hermit

The hermit (2015) reflects in music a painting by Böcklin, with an ascetic who seeks peace and interacts with his loved ones, in a meditative work for violin and dancer ad lib. In 2004, after winning the In Memoriam Erich Kleiber Scholarship as a conductor, I moved from Vienna to Berlin to study with Michael Gielen, who was conducting the performances of the opera Der ferne Klang, composed by Franz Schreker and published by Universal Edition, at the Berlin State Opera. While living in this city, I visited the Alte Nationalgalerie many times and was inspired by the painting Der Einsiedler (The hermit) by Arnold Böcklin, a work that also inspired Max Reger.

I noticed that Böcklin’s Der Einsiedler can be related to concepts such as “Christmas”, “family” and “peace”. Claude Keisch states that this work is linked to traditional Christmas paintings that include angels over a stable. And she points out that, in this painting, an anachorite plays the violin for Mary while three “heavenly children”, who stare at him, connect miracles with everyday life. I kept in mind that several Christian groups believe that Mary, the mother of Jesus of Nazareth, currently fulfills a “maternal mission” in heaven with respect to humanity. And that she can introduce the deceased loved ones into the “heavenly family”. I also remembered that, in several world religions, hermits are associated with the search for peace. When writing about war, peace and Orthodox Christian ethics, Stanley S. Harakas quotes the writings of Basil of Caesarea, a founding figure of monasticism, to point out this fact.

In 2015, Vienna-based violinist Édua Zádory formed a duo with dancer Beatrix Simkó and proposed to me to compose a new work for them. After watching a performance of this duo, I gladly accepted the commission and Böcklin’s Der Einsiedler came to my mind: I saw Édua Zádory as the hermit playing a violin and Beatrix Simkó as the standing angel who stares at him. During the compositional process, as a historian, I remembered the “language of the birds”, a concept related to Abrahamic religions and European mythology. That is why, as a composer, I used as a raw material the birdsong of the European goldfinch. Given the references to the Marian worship found in Böcklin’s painting, I also added elements from the medieval hymn Ave Maris Stella to my work. Finally, I developed some ideas for a choreography.

Commissioned by the Duo Zádory–Simkó and dedicated to its members (Édua Zádory and Beatrix Simkó), my work The hermit was premiered in Sárvár (Hungary) by the mentioned performers, on 9 March 2016, at the Ferenc Nádasdy Museum. Since its premiere, this piece has also been performed by them at other Hungarian events, like the Ördögkatlan Fesztivál. The Austrian premiere of The hermit took place in Vienna with the same performers, on 14 September 2016, at Haas&Haas Porta Dextra. A shortened version of The hermit was included on the CD Heavy (2017), performed by Édua Zádory, recorded at the Liszt Center Raiding (Austria) and released by GENUIN classics (GEN 17473), Leipzig (Germany). This CD is included in the Naxos Music Library (Japan).

Dr. (PhD) Jan Emanuel Abras (born 1 February 1975 in Stockholm, Sweden)

www.janemanuelabras.com