C 2019

Reflections of the Contemporary Schizophrenia in Josef Berg’s Two Versions of Johanes doktor Faust

FLAŠAR, Martin

Basic information

Original name

Reflections of the Contemporary Schizophrenia in Josef Berg’s Two Versions of Johanes doktor Faust

Authors

FLAŠAR, Martin (203 Czech Republic, guarantor, belonging to the institution)

Edition

New York, The Oxford Handbook of Faust in Music, p. 407-422, 16 pp. 2019

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Other information

Language

English

Type of outcome

Kapitola resp. kapitoly v odborné knize

Field of Study

60403 Performing arts studies

Country of publisher

United States of America

Confidentiality degree

není předmětem státního či obchodního tajemství

Publication form

printed version "print"

RIV identification code

RIV/00216224:14210/19:00111874

Organization unit

Faculty of Arts

ISBN

978-0-19-993518-5

Keywords in English

Czech music; avant-garde; Josef Berg; Doctor Faustus; opera; 19th century music; 20th century music

Tags

International impact, Reviewed
Změněno: 24/3/2020 13:51, Mgr. Zuzana Matulíková

Abstract

V originále

Czech music has a lengthy tradition of the Faustian theme settings extending back to the 19th century. Two important attempts to handle this topic were made by the composer, writer and poet Josef Berg (1927-1971). Berg’s position in the post-war music resembled in many ways the story of Doctor Faustus. It was marked by a necessity of choice between official existence provided by Czechoslovak Composers Union (as an extension of communist regime) and the life in isolated opposition. After starting his career as an optimistic supporter of communist ideas, he shifted to a critical mode supported by irony, imitation, deformation and parody. At the turn of the 1960s Berg worked on two different versions of the Faustus theme. The first one was conceived as a grand opera inspired by the poetics of folk puppet-theatre, the second one was created as a chamber opera for three persons and a small ensemble.