Game
of the Antichrist
Robert
Moran
Innova 251
Game
of the Antichrist
The
Children’s Chorus of Gemeinde Vaterstetten,
Conductor: Beatrice Menz-Hermann
Vocal
Ensemble Chrismos, Conductor: Alexander Hermann
1
Prologue 1:59
2
Scene 1: The Babylonian King and Followers Arrive 1:53
3
The Rabbi and Followers Appear Before the Pope 1:56
4
The Pope (Emperor) and Christians Arrive 1:31
5
Children’s Chorus 1: Salve Domine 2:39
6
Scene 2: A Violent Religious and Political Argument 4:24
7
The Angel of God Appears 2:13
8
The Angel Vanishes :25
9
Scene 3: Appearance of the Antichrist 2:55
10
Christians and Babylonians greet the Antichrist as Savior 2:54
11
Scene 4: The Antichrist Summons a Musician 3:03
12
The World is Frozen 1:42
13
Sanguine Patrie 3:42
14
Children’s Chorus 2: Stampede 1:40
15
Scene 5: Enoch and Elias 3:52
16
Finale: Banishment of the Antichrist 2:00
17 Within a Day 22:07
Thingamajigs Performance Group
—61:05—
GAME
OF THE ANTICHRIST
The
Children’s Chorus of Gemeinde Vaterstetten,
Conductor: Beatrice Menz-Hermann
Vocal
Ensemble Chrismos, Conductor: Alexander Hermann
Text:
Unknown, Cloister Tegernsee, Bavaria.
ca. 1150
Idea
and Realization: Alexander Hermann, Robert Moran
Music:
Robert Moran
Director:
Jarkko Lehmus
Project
Management: Alexander Hermann
Choreography:
Jarkko Lehmus and Bettina
Hermann
Puppets:
Fabian Vogl
Lighting
Design: Georg Veit
Soloists
Soprano
(two Antichrist followers - Ketzerei and the Heuchelei): Talia Or
mezzo soprano (Heuchelei:
danced role)
Counter-tenor
(Angel): Stefan Görgner
Oboe,
English Horn: Dirk-Michael Kirsch
Alp
horn: Mathias Kamleiter
Bar
piano: Misha Ognianer
Organ:
Andreas Götz
The Heathen and his Babylonian Followers
Harp:
Sarah Cocco
The Synagogue and Jerusalem
Guitar:
Stefan Görgner
Recorders:
Pia Grandl, Tatjana Flickinger
Synthesizer:
Beatrice Menz-Hermann
The Church and its Devotees
Trumpets:
Manuel Eberle, Andreas Unterreiner
Horn:
Andreas Fuchs
Trombone:
Roman Sladek
Bass
Trombone: Mathias Kamleiter
Tuba:
Jutta Kress
Percussion: Leander
Kaiser
Notes on the recreation of “Das Spiel vom Antichrist”
Robert Moran
Who knows how this project
began! Maybe it was “over a beer” in Munich a few years ago with old
friend and great choral conductor, Alexander Hermann. “Let’s find an ancient
mystery play, such as Everyman and present a re-creation of such a work
here in Bavaria”. Alex mentioned this possible future project to his
chorus, Chrismos. One member, Rebekka Rehbach, a ‘specialist’
on such ancient theatrical/religious texts, presented Alex with “Ludus de Antichristo”. I must
admit: both Alex and I were thrilled over this possibility. The text was
in Latin with a German translation. According to authorities, this early
mystery play, from ca. 1160 and from the Quirinus
Monastery at Tegernsee (Bavaria), is one of the few
religious works to be presented within the church and not, as was the
tradition, on the steps of the structure. This original play is the most
ambitious mediaeval Latin drama, but despite its excellence it appears to have
been forgotten almost as soon as it was written.
The “game” or the “play” deals
with a subject that was of supreme importance to mediaeval authors and
artists: The End of the World.
The “Spiel”, commissioned by
Ensemble Chrismos, is basically simple, but the
original Latin text takes any performance to way over four hours duration. Alex
and I cut this down to about 45 minutes. The “new, streamlined” scenario
is basically:
The three major characters (represented by gigantic puppets)
are 1) The Kaiser/Emperor (in this case, we made him into the
Pope, 2) The Rabbi, 3) The King of Babylon. The Kaiser thus
represents Christendom (The Catholic Church); the
Rabbi, Representative of the Jews and the Babylonian King, enjoying a pantheon
of gods and goddesses.
The Babylonian “party folks” (SATB
chorus) were given an accompaniment of a harp. The Jews (high male voices)
have a small accompaniment which includes two
recorders. The Pope (SATB chorus) is backed with a brass ensemble and organ.
From my notes on the ordering of the scenes and from the score:
Prologue: Total darkness... soft
chromatic organ ‘clusters’. The Pope summons two world leaders to his court,
via an alp horn. I wrote this note to myself: “The alp horn summons the
gathering of the religious leaders; only two pitches; the sound should suggest
“a daemonic creature within the Earth”... An invisible chorus is heard with “Templum domini....”
Scene 1: The Babylonian King
and followers arrive with “Deorum immortali....”
accompanied by harp.
The Rabbi and followers appear before the Pope. They (tenors and basses) are accompanied by two recorders, guitar
and synthesizer. “Nostra salus
in te....” with the solo alp horn concluding this
scene.
The Pope (Emperor) and Christians
arrive with “Hoc est fides...” accompanied by organ,
brass ensemble and timpani!
Choral: Salve Domine,
proclamation of the youth chorus! with harp and organ
The court is assembled for a
religious discussion.
Scene 2: Between the three
groups, a violent religious and political argument takes place. At its
climax the Angel of God (male soprano dressed in white, from a back balcony)
appears in an attempt to calm the crowds. Unaccompanied.
Scene 3: The Antichrist
enters, accompanied by his ‘voice’ (soprano) and an English horn, plus a
female follower. An added accompaniment includes glass harmonica and
organ. The various ensembles are enchanted by the sound (chorus, then four
solo tenors, two solo sopranos, with organ).
The Antichrist summons a musician
(jazz pianist and his instrument, pulled across the entire performing space by
men in black robes). To resolve any disagreements between the various
groups, the Antichrist offers a party for all, one which
quickly ‘gets out of control’. Notes: wild dancing, orgiastic amusements!
At this point in the re-writing of
the ‘libretto’, we had to reduce, re-write and clarify the concluding
materials. The three major ‘powerhouse’ characters now realize that the
control of the ‘folk’ is not possible without some drastic ‘reinforcements’.
“Sound-interruptions” with the brass ensemble, alp horn, organ and harp.
The sound of the piano vanishes...
and in its place: glass harmonica and harp as once again we hear the voice of
the Angel from the back balcony! “Sanguine patrie...”
followed by an organ improvisation.
The second
appearance of the chorus of young people.
Angrily they ‘shout’ their text, “Ecco homo qui non posuit....” at the audience. Brass accompaniment!
Two new characters, prophets Enoch
and Elias, appear, warning the Rabbi and followers not to listen to or follow
the Antichrist or in fact the Kaiser/Pope, who orders the Rabbi to be
killed. The Antichrist, at this moment speaks via four bass voices, is
outraged over the statement of Enoch and Elias. The only salvation arrives
with a children’s chorus, praising God. The Antichrist vanishes as the
young voices sing a triumphant, “Laudem dicite, Deo nostro”
WITHIN A DAY
A
work created in collaboration with Robert Moran and the Thingamajigs
Performance Group
Performers:
Dylan
Bolles, flutes
Suki O'Kane, electronics
and percussion
Edward
Schocker, piri and glass
Recorded
by Micheal Zelner
Recorded
in Lisser Hall at Mills College on May 3rd, 2014
As the sun slowly rises over the highest Tibetan
peaks, the gods and goddesses are awakened for the daily worship by the monks;
in order to complete the ‘blessing’ they must all make for that ‘electron-leap’
from the known universe to an unknown, invisible space. Once the leap is
made, the avenues for sublime blessings are possible. As evening
approaches, the deities return to their heavenly abode.
The premiere of “Within a day...” was given
in San Francisco on January 17, 2014 at the Center for New Music. The Event
incorporated the use of bamboo flutes, water-glasses, Japanese flute, live
electronics and cymbals. Edward Schocker, in
discussing the collaboration, suggested to me that “think of us as dancers and
you as the choreographer”. I mentioned to Edward of my interest in various
Tibetan Buddhist groups who awakened the gods and goddesses through their
chants and musical instruments for worship. Prior to this performance
plan, I had come across the following information which
I, in turn, sent to the three Thingamajig performers, Suki,
Edward and Dylan:
Neutrons may be
traveling from our universe into parallel worlds and back again, according to a
new theory that explains a rather odd phenomenon.
Experiments at
ultra-low temperatures carried out in France have revealed a phenomenon known
as neutron loss, whereby neutrons appear to vanish for short periods.
Having re-analyzed
the experimental data and have come up with a possible explanation, the
scientists have shown that the loss
rate of very slow free neutrons appears to depend on the direction and strength
of the magnetic
field applied; an anomaly that can't be
explained by known physics.
What could explain
this finding, though, is a hypothetical parallel world consisting of 'mirror
particles'. Each neutron would have the ability to transition into its
invisible mirror twin and back, oscillating from one parallel universe to the
other.
The scientists say
that the neutron-mirror-neutron oscillation could take place within just a few seconds,
consistent with the experimental results.
The Thingamajigs Performance Group emerged from the long-term
collaborations between individual artists that now make up its ensemble
members. Using unusual musical instruments, TPG combines traditional Eastern
sensibilities with modern American technologies and performance practices. Creating
pieces in a group collaborative process that sometimes incorporate voice and
multimedia elements, this ensemble of musicians expands and contracts within
each performance situation.
The Thingamajigs Performance Group's unique process of creating work is
closer to that of theater companies or dance troupes rather than standard music
ensembles. Instead of commissioning one composer to write music for which the
ensemble will play, TPG creates each of it original works in a collaborative
manner with each ensemble member and/or collaborating partner having equal
creative input in guiding the work to fruition. The core ensemble members have
been working together for over 10 years and have devised this unique system of
creation through a deep musical and philosophical understanding that comes with
years of working and developing together. www.thingamajigs.org
Also by Robert Moran on innova:
Cabinet of Curiosities (792)
Mantra (714)
Open Veins (627)
Trinity Requiem (244)
Innova is supported by an endowment from the
McKnight Foundation.
Philip Blackburn, director, design
Chris Campbell, manager
Steve McPherson, publicist