Existentia Symphonic Poem (2014)

Existentia was conceived as a memoriam to the great Hungarian poet Sándor Weöres (1913-89), whose work virtually everyone in Hungary encounters already in childhood. Like E.E. Cummings or Maurice Sendak, Weöres created work that appeals both to children and adults. He lived most of his life in Budapest, enduring the political and artistic oppression of the Communist era, during which time he wrote children’s verse and was a prolific translator of Chinese and Japanese texts. His interest in Eastern philosophy appears in his poetry, including the texts that inspired Bálint Karosi’s piece. Of the three sections, only the final brief section is sung; the other episodes are instrumental responses to the words. In addition to the tribute to Weöres, Existentia is a tribute to Hungary more generally, made clear in the use of the peculiarly Hungarian cimbalom as well as a folk melody. The use of folk music details is also, more obliquely, tribute to Ligeti and Bartók, and there is a direct quote (albeit perhaps obscure) of Franz Liszt.

The three movements represent pre-birth, life, and death. Cimbalom, vibraphone, harp, and celesta form a kind of percussion continuo whose almost constant presence lends a distinctive sound to the orchestra. The first movement is a sustained, shimmering sonic field, with slowly cycling lines and harmonies and much tremolo. The second (representing life) features a constant pules and dancing energy. A folk melody that Karosi encountered on Hungarian radio is introduced here but remains incomplete until the last movement. The finale refers directly to the start of Franz Liszt’s beautiful late tone poem From the Cradle to the Grave. Suggesting that full knowledge of life comes after death, the folk tune is heard in full, and Weöres’s words (from “Post-Existentia”) are finally heard out loud.”
Existentia is a symphonic poem in three movements, inspired by three short poems by Sándor Weöres. I attempt to reflect the qualities I most appreciate in his works: rhythm, lyricism, simple forms and his sensitivity to the unique sonorities of the Hungarian language. The cimbalom is prominently featured in all movements, and a Transylvanian folk song from Gyimes appears in the second and third movements. The folk melody is heard briefly towards the end of “Existantia” and is featured in its original form in “Post Existentia,” a movement is based on the opening motive of Liszt’s last symphonic poem “From the Craddle to the Grave.” The concluding movement also features a solo violin and a soprano quoting the words of Post- existentia.

Weöres Sándor: Existentia
I. PRAE-EXISTENTIA
Isten gondol örökt!l fogva téged, elméjében léted mint szikla áll. Mi ehhez mérve
habfodornyi élted? És mit változtat rajtad a halál?
To God you are a thought for eternity, your existence a steady rock. But here your life is like the sea foam. What could death then bring you?
II. EXISTENTIA
Felébredek: nem az vagyok, ki voltam. Elalszom: holnap megint más leszek. De élve,
holtan, utcán, kriptaboltban én emlékezem és én feledek.
I wake up, I am not who I was. I fall asleep, tomorrow I will be different/someone else. But alive, dead, on the streets and in the crypt, I remember and I forget.
III. POST-EXISTENTIA
Nem nyughatsz addig, se halva, se élve, míg át nem sz!tted árnyad és szined a
szerelem végtelen sz!ttesébe, a béke aztán lesz csak a tied.
You will not rest, dead or alive until you saw your shade and color into the
eternal homespun of love. Peace will only be with you then.