Konrad and Alexandra (PDF) - Rolf Gross

urden the heart with this task, which is a more structured organ than our chaotic mind. I am looking for a way to controland intensify painting by the use of the head, to tame color through geometrical forms without losing its passion."He drew a circle in the air with his left hand and looked doubtfully at her. "Do you follow what I am trying to say? It wouldsound muddled in German. Steiner says the same more clearly, but his concern is to reintroduce true emotions into art,which is a specific German problem. I am neither German nor a philosopher."He leaned back and blew a smoke ring. His eyes expressed skeptical curiosity as he examined her from the distance.Alexandra felt a sudden sympathy with this man. "I do understand you. I have explored similar, Georgian problems.Would you allow me to freely paraphrase Nietzsche: das Apollinische must transform das Dionysische to convert ourdark passions into serene clarity."Kandinsky frowned and offered her another cigarette, which she declined.He lit one for himself and slowly smoked in deep thought. "You read ‘Die Geburt der Tragödie’?"Their conversation had arrived at some of the most serious questions in their lives, his spiritual and her tragic inheritance.With a tense voice Alexandra said. "Yes, being Georgian, my problem is das Tragische schlechthin, quintessentialtragedia, feminine. I found Nietzsche’s Geburt der Tragödie of great help in understanding my need for tragic drama. Iread it a year ago, after a long preoccupation with the Florentine Renaissance, which taught me much, but offered noinsight into my penchant for tragedy."He suddenly withdrew from their conversation, extinguished his cigarette and rose. "We are going to be surprised by anexample of the same quest in music." He excused himself, kissed her hand, and walked off.Had she not sensed that he left deeply moved, she would have taken offense at his abrupt termination of theirconversation.Alexandra was absentmindedly fingering Konrad’s necklace when Claudia appeared with Niko, Konrad, and Friedrich intow.Claudia looked at her friend. "You are moved. What happened? Did you have a serious conversation?"Alexandra nodded. "I certainly misjudged this man, he is more intelligent and honest than his dallying with his femalestudents led me to assume."Mrs. Dahl announced the musical half of the evening and introduced Herrn Arnold Schönberg: "Teacher, composer, andmusical revolutionary. However, teaching is his true passion."Herr Schönberg, a short, heavy, and at thirty already balding man in a rumpled, ill-fitting suit bowed perfunctorily and withhis left hand in his coat pocket, moved aside to make room for a string sextet. Mrs. Dahl introduced each of the sixmusicians by name.Schönberg explained in a high-pitched voice that he was going to present a brief demonstration of how he suggested torecover the spiritual unity of mind and emotions in contemporary music.He was first going to play the Passacaglia and Fugue in c-minor by the much-neglected Johann Sebastian Bach to showhow Bach deliberately used harmonies in an abstract way to balance mind and emotions in his music."Most of Bach’s compositions were intended for the religious services of the Lutheran Church, which gave them structureand purpose. Today we replace this service of God with an unbridled celebration of our personal emotions. We composemusic to entertain the masses—or, occasionally, to please the critics."We need to invent a totally new tonal art, a new way of composing which reflects our changing perceptions of theindividual. If this new music sounds eclectic, so be it. Such a musical notation does not exist as yet, but it will and has tocome."He pointed at his six musicians. "I arranged Bach’s Passacaglia, which was written for organ, for string sextet to makethe composition sound closer to the music that follows. Subsequently I will play two pieces for you in which one of mystudents and I will show you a possible transition from the prevailing Romantic tradition to a new tonality."Schönberg led his six musicians through the Bach at a fast pace, however, he paid lavish attention to the toweringchords that separate the Durchführungen of the theme in the Passacaglia. The powerful dissonances stood above thecounterpoint like strange manifestations of Gothic religiosity. He had carefully orchestrated the subsequent fugue so thateach voice had its own transparent timbre.He was rewarded by generous applause, but one man shouted. "Herr Schönberg, you murdered the solemn piece withyour fast pace, this is contemplative music, andante sostenuto."Schönberg, undaunted, shrugged. "I did play it faster than Bach intended, to show how Baroque music can sounddisturbingly modern. Ours is not a prayer meeting! Besides I am not playing an old, asthmatic organ with its pneumaticdelay between keyboard and sound, you simply could not play the piece that fast on an organ. Look," he commended hisplayers with an extended hand, "I use a body of living musicians. I am certain Bach would forgive me."Friedrich initiated another enthusiastic round of applause."The next piece for six strings, I wrote six years ago. It was my first larger composition. Heavily indebted to Wagner,Mahler, and Herrn Strauss." He bowed in the direction of a gentleman in the audience, "In retrospect I now feel that itwas my first attempt at overcoming the post-Romantic musical idiom. However, this piece, entitled Verklärte Nacht, is stilla tone poem, a programmatic indulgence. It is closely set to words by Richard Dehmel. However, I would like for you to93