Exceptional concert with minimal music in St. Cyriak.
. “Minimal music by candles and moonlight” was the theme of an extraordinary concert that took place last night with a full moon in the former monastery church of St. Cyriak. Later in the evening, cantor Zsfia Cskny presented piano works by Ludovico Einaudi. The Italian composer and pianist is one of the most important representatives of the style of so-called minimalist music.
The original plan was for the audience to enjoy the music in the open air under the light of the full moon. But a thunderstorm and persistent heavy rain thwarted his plans. But the soloist and pastor Eva Bhme had come up with a brilliant plan B. In the darkened church, innumerable candles sparkled in lanterns and gave the church a medieval atmosphere. Eva Bhme encouraged the audience to stroll around the church during the concert and soak up this wonderful atmosphere.
According to his own statements, Ludovico Einaudi’s minimalist works are inspired by models such as Philip Glass and Erik Satie. It is a new music trend that is characterized by simplicity, elegance and openness.
Zsfia Cskny had chosen six piano pieces for her performance, and the listeners were fascinated from the first notes. The songs with titles like “Flsse”, “Schne Nacht”, “Frhling”, “Abendstern” or “Schatten” put the audience in a contemplative mood with their memorable sound. It was sounds that triggered inner calm and a feeling of peace and relaxation. The increasing variations of the melodic phrases led into fantastic dream worlds and trances. If you closed your eyes and completely surrendered to these rousing cascades of notes, you could feel the intense energy that lies in this apparently simple music.
Zsfia Cskny knew how to give her interpretations a visualizing power and to conjure up inner picture sequences in a virtuoso way. Some of the pieces that were played were reminiscent of the spectacular film scores by Philip Glass or the pure Tintinabul sequences by Arvo Prt, both well-known protagonists of “Minimal Music”.
The lightning flashed again and again outside and created an eerie play of lights in the small arched windows high up in the nave, which reinforced the medieval-archaic atmosphere. Every now and then individual listeners got up to walk slowly through the aisles. This gave the impression of a monastic cloister scene with meditating nuns and monks.
The texts that Pastor Eva Bhme recited went wonderfully with the music. Joseph Eichendorff’s well-known poem “Es ist der Himmel die earth geksst”, Else Lasker-Schler’s “My blue piano” and the moon night poem by Rose Auslnder fit harmoniously into the fascinating world of sound. A night prayer of St. Augustine and a musical encore were the perfect end to this unusual night music.
There was sustained applause. And as if Peter had also enjoyed the music, thunderstorms and rain paused as the listeners went out into the night and started their way home. Anyone who wanted could enjoy a small midnight buffet with wine and panettone, which was set up in front of the parish hall.
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