Mónika Németh: In The Park Of Druantia
- the great concert of ten years anniversary of the group of the ANNA & THE BARBIES
The vision of the concert, which is directed by Zoltán Balázs is inspired by mostly the Celtic mythology and it shows us a female-centric universe. Its ceremonious nature is important from the point of view of the ceremony. Anna appears as the incarnation of Druantia [1] of the XXI. century, she has the role of the post-modern shaman woman, who is a singer and composer, she builds souls; she expresses special view of the world and structure of the values.
However, during the first part of the concert Anna appears as an idol/icon, but the concert is not a one-man show: the orchestra that is composed into the vision of the stage, is always there. The stage, which is placed on the top of the stepped pyramid is an elevated place, it is an altar of the sacrifice: the empire of the shaman woman, of the demons, and of power. On the floors of the stepped pyramid we can see the musicians, on the lowest floor, on the right hand side of the stage by director, on the stressed place according to the golden ratio – in reality on the stage of the concert – the other member of the group is standing: he is Sámuel Pásztor. The distance between the two singers, which has tension giving power is always presented: Sámuel is the permanent, sure point, Anna is the changing one, she is transforming, renewing again and again, she is the leaving and returning element: the harmony of the Sun (man) and the Noon (woman). Anna’s transformations follow the changings of the world view of humanity: the ancient, matriarchal world view is changed by the patriarchal one (into the “helmet” or an abandoned tyre a man climbs into and leaves in it); the “pagan” religion is followed by the Christian one (Márti’s song), than the human being, who pushes God from his throne (Calling All In; Just moving my legs), who has deconstructed and then again reconstructs violently the world. In the tension of falling-raising, destruction-creation, old-new, dark-light, social presence/loneliness the harmony is formed and the dynamic balance of the unity of the universe can appear.
The beginner song, the Everybody is similar in a different way, celebrates the uniqueness, and all the viewers can get the initiating ritual of the light bath. The dancers, actors, with the focused light on their faces, enter one by one: its an introductory entering, here a moving overture happens. By keeping the rules of the concert show, the main character appears later: Anna and the orchestra become totally visual during the last accord of the song, at that time all the light and attention are on them, as on the main characters. The singer, under the helmet-like protection of the black tyre, is standing on the top of the pyramid as an idol, and with her magic stick of the destroying femme fatale, who rules everything, she can create order with the pulsating feeling of pain and revenge [2] (By winking to the devil). She destroys the souls that are presented as victims without any hesitation (Who cannot step). The soul destroying system of power works on, and the victims are carried on a conveyor belt by the big mechanism – and anybody can become a victim [3], who is not grey enough and cannot connect to the system...
Getting away from the “helmet” she is acting like a shaman (Till the Last Train’s Gone, she is still an elevated, important member of the community. She still has the power, but she is without the helmet, which can raise fear. She becomes vulnerable, “a human one”, she has human feelings... The icon, which has been created to the viewers, to the community, has become vivid, becomes lifeless, who is without personality, the personality hiding behind her gets captivated by the outside image, and she feels that she has to live up to the formed picture. Her words become canon from both points of view (Spring of heather). They can win back their freedom and self-identity only with the destroying of their own icon/idol (Miss Yo), and the fall is a torturous changing, walking in hell (Cat), then a wonderful reborn too: returning, raising up in another quality (Marti’s song). It is the lived thorough and experienced moment, the praise of life, the praise of content against the form – on behalf of carpe diem.
The cloths of the idol, which has been put down, are alone, but as a frightening memento they are on the stage, up until the time, the next idol tries it on and goes away in it (Here We Are): the destruction of the old one brings the born of the new one with it, after the female idol a male one comes; in the culture the ancient point of view with the mother in the centre, is followed by the world-order with the father in the centre.
The Human being that brakes the harmony of nature and brings destruction – is shown as (mad) ruler of this world, with the appearance of the military uniform, which is worn reverse like a strait jacket, and the gas mask, during the song of Barnfield Road. The fertility dance of samba becomes a surreal, grotesque dance of death, when during the second part of the song, the gas masks, which covers the whole face, are put on the girls’ heads instead of the graceful feather decoration.
The act of tree planting and tree cutting also bring the duality of creation and destruction too. Living in harmony or disharmony with the nature is up to our personal world view; it is based on the fact, how people define their place in the universe; whether they want to become its part or (imagined) ruler? Do they want to live in the created or constructed world? Do they respect fake or real values? The canned, preserved, lifeless life that has been created by the thinking people, who rewrite the rules of nature can keep just the appearance, the form, but not the important things.
One of the possible way of the cure for the soul, from this confused, constructed world is the escape – in the vision, which is composed to the song of Far, Far Away the poetic vision of escapism appears as the magic of moving illusion: the singer is flying on the viewers of the concert towards the symbolic tiny island – she gets over the reality by the meaning of words and figuratively too – to the self-imposed exile, to the hidden deepness of soul, where strangers cannot enter.
This little “island” on the left side of the stage of the concert can be found with a few metres distance in front of it on the ring. This is the place of group, of the Airtist that is presented as a guest star: the deepness of soul, which always exists, but only rarely gets a main role, usually “watches” from the background. The ancient powers, the instincts, the empire of subconscious: the personal demons – the home of anger and anxiety; the always presented frightening of dependency. The rhythmical base of the song of Sleepless, which is presented on the stage, is presented by didgeridoo, jaw harp and beat box, by the empire of these instincts together with the feeling of co-dependency, the anxiety and the losing of love. People escape into this “Far, far away” island, from the world and from themselves. Here they can be alone with their own demons. They do not have to lie anybody for anything. They have to face up with themselves. Here the song of Sometimes can be sounded better, more painfully, with the visceral feeling of rejection and loss, with the orchestration of Airtist. The music of Airtist, which closes the first half of the concert, can express the ancient, freeing, cleaning outburst of the soul.
During the first half of the concert, the icon, the idol, the power, the inner demons, during the second one the human identity can get into the foreground: the question of identity and personal autonomy; with those values, such as the respect of the Master, the friendship, the social rite of celebration.
Human beings can get into harmony with nature, universe and themselves with the act of creation. This human creative power can appear with the planting of a tree. The tree in different cultures can stand in for the family and the personal past, and the trichotomy of the world (the empire of the dead ones, the hell/the world/the transcendent, the empire of sky). The pine of idol, the fir tree – which is planted on more floors of the stepped stage – is the tree of Druantia, of the queen of the Druids. Their symbolic planting on the stage is a kind of tribute towards Anna Pásztor’s personality and art, and these trees – by forming a small park – can give the background to the second, more personal part of the concert.
The song of I am dreaming about stars, is about the living and experiencing of the moments of self-identity, inner harmony, the common pulsation with the universe on the ‘Road of Elves’ [4]’. The song of The Coward Revolutionist is the fulfilment of punk philosophy: it is the denying of every system, convention, the freedom of lack of rules. A crowd surfing[5] is the ambivalent experiencing of perfect freedom and the perfect vulnerability, as the over colouring action of painting too.
The peak point of the concert is the song of Ánem!, which is a surreal vison: the free falling of soul, the falling into the deepness. There is nothing to hold, there is no outside world, just the desolate loneliness... lonely together. The lonely person, who burns himself slowly up alive, the slowly destroying person. The memories of lovers... The torturing pain of maybes and whys. The possibilities, which may have disappeared forever. The holders, which are disappearing while we are falling. Free fall... With all the vulnerability, uncertainty, fears, relentless one-way nature.
The closing act of the celebration is the free “outburst” with friends, guests, with the “most important” successes, which move the house, which are the essential elements of the concerts of the Anna and the Barbies: the Bunny, I solemnly promise and the extra one the Single party.
Anna Pásztor and Zoltán Balázs’ artistic meeting could form a special event of a theatre concert, in which both creators’ creative views can inspire each other, and can prevail parallel. The concert has remained dominant as a form, but the vision [6] was formed according to a conscious staging conception, and it can give a united, thematic arc to the evening and that way the event was raised to be a special, unique and real celebratory ritual.
[1] In the ancient Celtic religious world, she is the queen of the Druids; she ruled over fertility, passion, enjoyment, sexual activity, trees, care, knowledge, creativity/creative power. She is the goddess of fir tree.
[2] During the “magic verb” of the ironic “I am sorry” at the end of the song, the dancers and actors stand in a line by the footlights, and they are blowing up and down the black balloons, then at the last sound of the song, they let them away.
[3] The pink, blue, yellow coloured balloons mark the multiple nature, the ‘multiple colouring’.
[4] The popular name of Milky Way.
[5] That kind of flow on the metal, rock, punk and so on concerts, during which one person, in lying position is given on from hands to hands over the heads of the viewers, that way this person is moved from one point to the other.
[6] the place, the organisation of place, the movements, the choreographies, the costumes, the lights
ANNA & THE BARBIES group’s anniversary great concert – 14.11.2014. SYMA Events Hall
Mónika Németh, 2014
(translated by: Veronika Fülöp)
The vision of the concert, which is directed by Zoltán Balázs is inspired by mostly the Celtic mythology and it shows us a female-centric universe. Its ceremonious nature is important from the point of view of the ceremony. Anna appears as the incarnation of Druantia [1] of the XXI. century, she has the role of the post-modern shaman woman, who is a singer and composer, she builds souls; she expresses special view of the world and structure of the values.
However, during the first part of the concert Anna appears as an idol/icon, but the concert is not a one-man show: the orchestra that is composed into the vision of the stage, is always there. The stage, which is placed on the top of the stepped pyramid is an elevated place, it is an altar of the sacrifice: the empire of the shaman woman, of the demons, and of power. On the floors of the stepped pyramid we can see the musicians, on the lowest floor, on the right hand side of the stage by director, on the stressed place according to the golden ratio – in reality on the stage of the concert – the other member of the group is standing: he is Sámuel Pásztor. The distance between the two singers, which has tension giving power is always presented: Sámuel is the permanent, sure point, Anna is the changing one, she is transforming, renewing again and again, she is the leaving and returning element: the harmony of the Sun (man) and the Noon (woman). Anna’s transformations follow the changings of the world view of humanity: the ancient, matriarchal world view is changed by the patriarchal one (into the “helmet” or an abandoned tyre a man climbs into and leaves in it); the “pagan” religion is followed by the Christian one (Márti’s song), than the human being, who pushes God from his throne (Calling All In; Just moving my legs), who has deconstructed and then again reconstructs violently the world. In the tension of falling-raising, destruction-creation, old-new, dark-light, social presence/loneliness the harmony is formed and the dynamic balance of the unity of the universe can appear.
The beginner song, the Everybody is similar in a different way, celebrates the uniqueness, and all the viewers can get the initiating ritual of the light bath. The dancers, actors, with the focused light on their faces, enter one by one: its an introductory entering, here a moving overture happens. By keeping the rules of the concert show, the main character appears later: Anna and the orchestra become totally visual during the last accord of the song, at that time all the light and attention are on them, as on the main characters. The singer, under the helmet-like protection of the black tyre, is standing on the top of the pyramid as an idol, and with her magic stick of the destroying femme fatale, who rules everything, she can create order with the pulsating feeling of pain and revenge [2] (By winking to the devil). She destroys the souls that are presented as victims without any hesitation (Who cannot step). The soul destroying system of power works on, and the victims are carried on a conveyor belt by the big mechanism – and anybody can become a victim [3], who is not grey enough and cannot connect to the system...
Getting away from the “helmet” she is acting like a shaman (Till the Last Train’s Gone, she is still an elevated, important member of the community. She still has the power, but she is without the helmet, which can raise fear. She becomes vulnerable, “a human one”, she has human feelings... The icon, which has been created to the viewers, to the community, has become vivid, becomes lifeless, who is without personality, the personality hiding behind her gets captivated by the outside image, and she feels that she has to live up to the formed picture. Her words become canon from both points of view (Spring of heather). They can win back their freedom and self-identity only with the destroying of their own icon/idol (Miss Yo), and the fall is a torturous changing, walking in hell (Cat), then a wonderful reborn too: returning, raising up in another quality (Marti’s song). It is the lived thorough and experienced moment, the praise of life, the praise of content against the form – on behalf of carpe diem.
The cloths of the idol, which has been put down, are alone, but as a frightening memento they are on the stage, up until the time, the next idol tries it on and goes away in it (Here We Are): the destruction of the old one brings the born of the new one with it, after the female idol a male one comes; in the culture the ancient point of view with the mother in the centre, is followed by the world-order with the father in the centre.
The Human being that brakes the harmony of nature and brings destruction – is shown as (mad) ruler of this world, with the appearance of the military uniform, which is worn reverse like a strait jacket, and the gas mask, during the song of Barnfield Road. The fertility dance of samba becomes a surreal, grotesque dance of death, when during the second part of the song, the gas masks, which covers the whole face, are put on the girls’ heads instead of the graceful feather decoration.
The act of tree planting and tree cutting also bring the duality of creation and destruction too. Living in harmony or disharmony with the nature is up to our personal world view; it is based on the fact, how people define their place in the universe; whether they want to become its part or (imagined) ruler? Do they want to live in the created or constructed world? Do they respect fake or real values? The canned, preserved, lifeless life that has been created by the thinking people, who rewrite the rules of nature can keep just the appearance, the form, but not the important things.
One of the possible way of the cure for the soul, from this confused, constructed world is the escape – in the vision, which is composed to the song of Far, Far Away the poetic vision of escapism appears as the magic of moving illusion: the singer is flying on the viewers of the concert towards the symbolic tiny island – she gets over the reality by the meaning of words and figuratively too – to the self-imposed exile, to the hidden deepness of soul, where strangers cannot enter.
This little “island” on the left side of the stage of the concert can be found with a few metres distance in front of it on the ring. This is the place of group, of the Airtist that is presented as a guest star: the deepness of soul, which always exists, but only rarely gets a main role, usually “watches” from the background. The ancient powers, the instincts, the empire of subconscious: the personal demons – the home of anger and anxiety; the always presented frightening of dependency. The rhythmical base of the song of Sleepless, which is presented on the stage, is presented by didgeridoo, jaw harp and beat box, by the empire of these instincts together with the feeling of co-dependency, the anxiety and the losing of love. People escape into this “Far, far away” island, from the world and from themselves. Here they can be alone with their own demons. They do not have to lie anybody for anything. They have to face up with themselves. Here the song of Sometimes can be sounded better, more painfully, with the visceral feeling of rejection and loss, with the orchestration of Airtist. The music of Airtist, which closes the first half of the concert, can express the ancient, freeing, cleaning outburst of the soul.
During the first half of the concert, the icon, the idol, the power, the inner demons, during the second one the human identity can get into the foreground: the question of identity and personal autonomy; with those values, such as the respect of the Master, the friendship, the social rite of celebration.
Human beings can get into harmony with nature, universe and themselves with the act of creation. This human creative power can appear with the planting of a tree. The tree in different cultures can stand in for the family and the personal past, and the trichotomy of the world (the empire of the dead ones, the hell/the world/the transcendent, the empire of sky). The pine of idol, the fir tree – which is planted on more floors of the stepped stage – is the tree of Druantia, of the queen of the Druids. Their symbolic planting on the stage is a kind of tribute towards Anna Pásztor’s personality and art, and these trees – by forming a small park – can give the background to the second, more personal part of the concert.
The song of I am dreaming about stars, is about the living and experiencing of the moments of self-identity, inner harmony, the common pulsation with the universe on the ‘Road of Elves’ [4]’. The song of The Coward Revolutionist is the fulfilment of punk philosophy: it is the denying of every system, convention, the freedom of lack of rules. A crowd surfing[5] is the ambivalent experiencing of perfect freedom and the perfect vulnerability, as the over colouring action of painting too.
The peak point of the concert is the song of Ánem!, which is a surreal vison: the free falling of soul, the falling into the deepness. There is nothing to hold, there is no outside world, just the desolate loneliness... lonely together. The lonely person, who burns himself slowly up alive, the slowly destroying person. The memories of lovers... The torturing pain of maybes and whys. The possibilities, which may have disappeared forever. The holders, which are disappearing while we are falling. Free fall... With all the vulnerability, uncertainty, fears, relentless one-way nature.
The closing act of the celebration is the free “outburst” with friends, guests, with the “most important” successes, which move the house, which are the essential elements of the concerts of the Anna and the Barbies: the Bunny, I solemnly promise and the extra one the Single party.
Anna Pásztor and Zoltán Balázs’ artistic meeting could form a special event of a theatre concert, in which both creators’ creative views can inspire each other, and can prevail parallel. The concert has remained dominant as a form, but the vision [6] was formed according to a conscious staging conception, and it can give a united, thematic arc to the evening and that way the event was raised to be a special, unique and real celebratory ritual.
[1] In the ancient Celtic religious world, she is the queen of the Druids; she ruled over fertility, passion, enjoyment, sexual activity, trees, care, knowledge, creativity/creative power. She is the goddess of fir tree.
[2] During the “magic verb” of the ironic “I am sorry” at the end of the song, the dancers and actors stand in a line by the footlights, and they are blowing up and down the black balloons, then at the last sound of the song, they let them away.
[3] The pink, blue, yellow coloured balloons mark the multiple nature, the ‘multiple colouring’.
[4] The popular name of Milky Way.
[5] That kind of flow on the metal, rock, punk and so on concerts, during which one person, in lying position is given on from hands to hands over the heads of the viewers, that way this person is moved from one point to the other.
[6] the place, the organisation of place, the movements, the choreographies, the costumes, the lights
ANNA & THE BARBIES group’s anniversary great concert – 14.11.2014. SYMA Events Hall
Mónika Németh, 2014
(translated by: Veronika Fülöp)