sidering the timeline; the sound of subway doors entering and people walking
on the platform contradicts the 17th century scenery, but in some
way, correspondingly compliments it. Primarily inspired by our collective
exploration of Neue Musik and dissimilar ways of approaching theatre sound at
the Institute of Applied Theatre Studies, the implementation of distant noises
and sounds that complement each other has become a habitual way of musical
expression and appeared naturally whilst composing. On the other hand, the
piece is enthused by Nikola Kodjabashia’s composing approach[4]
that consists of elements of the traditional ethnic style with exceptional
adjustments, along with the rules of contemporary composition, the piece
differs in style but manages to create a solemn, yet steady atmosphere – or as
steady as possible, considering the inevitable presence of the precarious element
that is always intertwined with the Balkan society which directly influences
our innate ways of creating sound. The solo player on the cello also gives a
different vibe to the scenery – unlike Opus 2, the mood consists of elements
close to the new wave of composers in Western Europe, quite dissimilar to the
ones that are in reciprocity with the ethnic, Southeast Europe’s sound of
melodic scales, fast rhythms and slight crescendos that reappear throughout the
piece. This particular sound of high heels rushing and a distant voice from the
subway driver in the background was an idea that has been brought up along with
the director of the play – noticing that it adds a different touch to the
entire feeling of seriousness and obscurity, transforming the experience on the
stage and explicitly showing the contemporary sound influence that is now
appearing in countries that went through a total transition, or as Buden points
out, countries where there is an “innocent restart”. Buden’s particular ways of
describing the total atmosphere of the countries where the experiences of a
difficult past still prevail is also complementary to the entire artistic
perspective in the region, and by taking that into consideration, the
contradictory styles that emerge from contemporary composers from The Balkans
are inevitably visible:
“The ‘child’ in post-communism is a sort of ground
zero of society on which every catastrophe, the one inherited from the past as
well as the new, self-created one, can be recompensed. It is an instance of a
primal social innocence thanks to which it becomes possible to integrate
everything that happens, including ‘the inadmissible, the intolerable’ (Nancy)
into a new heroic Robinsonade; and to retell it as a universally comprehensible
narrative about an innocent restart.”[5]
