About

Haydn dines with Mozart

The opera narrates a story about historically actual and unique dinner meeting of Haydn and Mozart in Haydn´s apartment in Vienna on 15th December 1790 and reveals a true reason of Mozart’s death that occurred one year after the dinner.

MUSIC:

Slavomír Solovic

LIBRETO:

Viliam Klimáček

An asparagus strudel with ham and asparagus soup

Spargelstrudel Mit luftgetrocknetem Schinken und spargel süppchen

Dumpling salad with crawfish

Flusskrebsnockerl-Salat

Deer a la Esterhazy with Viennese dumpling and julienne vegetable

Bock Esterázy mit Serviettenknödel und Gemüse Julienne

Quinquin cream with marinated strawberries

Quinquincreme mit marinierten Erdbeeren

Commissioned by

S i l v i a H r o n c o v a

Director of The National Theatre Opera Prague,

realised as a studio record.

Staged for the First Time at the

R a d i o H e a d A w a r d s F e s t i v a l

12.3.2016 in Bratislave.

The libretto is based on an actual meeting of the composers in Haydn´s apartment in Vienna on 15th December 1790 on the eve of Haydn´s departure to London where he received his great success. Mozart dies within a year of his departure.

I like the character of the court vice-chaplain Hayden not only because of his music but mainly for his remarkable life. He came from a poor family, lived close to today´s Bratislava on the Eisenstaedt castle where he spent his best years as a court chaplain of the house Esterhazy. The original fragments of his work contract can be seen in the libretto as well. It was the Austrian isolation where he wasn´t allowed to leave the castle and only composed a “utility” music to cheer the family that brought him into, as he used to put it, “being original”. His life reminds me of the generation of Czechoslovak artists who remained trapped behind the Iron curtain after the WWII, being isolated from the modern art but despite of this situation they became great.

Haydn was a paid artist, but Mozart on the other hand had a difficult time to succeed. And this is another motto of the libretto – does actually the artist always need some kind of a protector? What´s the real price for having a powerful sponsor? Is he able to create beautiful music “on command” or does he need to be internally free facing no economic pressure? These are most probably the questions everyone who composes, sings, paints or writes would ask. The third motive of the libretto is the celebration of food and life, very well known to both composers. This is the comical level of the opera where the previous mentioned themes should be presented as discreet stars on the night sky under which we dine.

The immediate impulse for creating such a project was the feast prepared by the Esterhazys in Carlton after the premiere of Haydn´s opera in the Slovak National theatre. The four main courses gave names to the four libretto scenes. They also represent the celebration of joy and playfulness of the Mozart-Haydn genius.

Viliam Klimáček

The music in opera is usually known by its expressive connection with libretto. Inspired by the period features even if used very freely, it does not contain exact historical context. We also come across different quotations of both artists. Together with Viliam Klimáček, we planned to have musicians and singers on the stage as the part of the play in order to describe the authentic atmosphere of playing on different instruments so typical for the period. Also, the author becomes the part of the group interpreting the whole play.

The score is as well written without the need to enforce author´s notion and therefore to be able to react flexibly on the circumstances. The dinner was settled in Hayden´s apartment therefore a piano or a harpsichord was a usual object there so I use both of them. For example, the housemaid was also one part of the musical band, playing with a fork on tuned glasses. A stringed quartet, as originally created by Hayden, plays a crucial role in his works. The play is completed by an electronic track that underlines the plot´s dramatic levels. “

Slavomír Solovic

“The libretto together with Solovic´s music and the menu of this fictional yet probable event from the music history dance around our senses and serves facts with fiction occasionally surprising with bitter taste only to caress you with its sweetness. The artistic world looks quite similar to the reality, it´s full of contrarieties, compromises, vagaries of the powerful, mystical highs following narrow needs and desires.

The stage expression of the opera is similar to a paper jigsaw puzzle, it´s fragile, almost non-material. The stage setting uses historical elements and formalities yet keeps its sensibility while the video accompanies the plot with pictures where food is an icon as is the music. The icons appear as something divine yet disappear elusively or even change to banal shadows.”

Maja Hriešik - director

Opera is a very interesting addition to its genre, it´s inventive, inspirational, the themes and levels skillfully follow each other. We can see the reflection of the past period, the artist´s status, as boundaries of his freedom determine his financial resources. A drop of philosophy and naivety, moralizing and sweet banalities as in the food naming.

The music is inspired by Philip Glass and Michael Nyman containing several references to the work of both artists. The music varies from clear vocals through several very juicy minimalistic extracts, samples, and couple of Orffs´ rhythms ending even with a few saloon pieces. The vocal parts parody some of the clichés of romantic opera.”

( Jozef Červenka - Operaslovakia )

Portfolio

Audio Video Examples

The work was prepared for Radiohead festival 2016 having its world premiere on 12th March in the Chamber studio of the Slovak Radio and was broadcasted by Devín Radio.

Maja Hriešik – director

Zuzu Hudek – scene design

Šimon Horna – videoart

Gustáv Beláček – Haydn

Matúš Šimko – Mozart

Eva Šušková – Servant

Andrea Vizvári – Artemis

Branko Ladič – Harpsichord, piano

Recorded live stream at Radio Head Awards Festival by metoo.sk