MGP: Who earns for his own Blue Bird
As later the Thália Company, the Théâtre d'Art of Paris played where they were let in. The pretender, the young symbolist poet founded it: Paul Fort. He is still a secondary school student, he is 18 years old. He directed The House of Cenci by Shelley, the Faust by Marlowe, symbolist poets, who were said to be improper for stages, and dramatized poem by Poe, The Raven. He let Antoine’s actor, Lugné-Poë direct. He put on stage first and once the Pelléas and Mélisande on 17th May 1893, in the Bouffes-Parisiens, and lost 30 frank because of it. (Few days later in Brussel they solved their budget.) They played it in front of Vuillard’s painted curtain in Vaudeville Theatre. Maeterlinck’s one act play The uninvited guest (Intruse, 1890). (In the hall there was an exhibition from Gauguin’s paintings, the incomes were donated to help the painter and Verlaine. 100 franks came together. Verlaine got it all, Gauguin was already on Tahiti.)
The blinds (Aveugles, 11.12.1891.), The Family Circle (Intérieur, 1894) were put on stage in the 90s, in little theatres of literature in Paris. These are simply one acted plays, within sets of a room with only some actors. The death is wondering there under the gardens, or its steps can be heard from outside as chatting out a lot. In case of The Family Circle we can see the silent family through the window from the garden. Strange creatures are thinking outside, they would tell or put off the announcement of the happenings. On the stage of The uninvited guest the family sits inside, the blind grandfather can see as the Black Nun, who is approaching. “In an ancient forest of the North” The blinds are sitting and waiting hesitantly, there is a very old priest in his loose black cloak who leads them home into the safety institute. Six blind men, six blind women and a mad girl with her new-born in her arms. And the mysterious, motionless man. About the blind-leader priest we can learn in the end, that he has been dead for a while. The unsolvable-like order by an author – Not far from the priest a couple of Martagon lilies with long beams are blossoming unhealthy at night – refers to the fact that the French scenic masters and set painters were pushed out from theatre by the painters of Art Nouveau, by the workers of it. For the picturesque words, picturesque sets suit. Around the Théâtre d'Art and its descendant the Ouvre, the symbolist painters Maurice Denis, Bonnard, Vuillard came together. Their posters were made by Toulouse-Lautrec, Munch, and their other painter mates.
Maeterlinck’s early plays are absurd. Lugné-Poë put on stage also King Ubu by Jarry three years after the Pelléas. Maeterlinck seems like Samuel Beckett without any humour. Or Samuel Beckett seems like Maeterlinck without any Art Nouveau style. The rhythm of his early dramas cries on the same little toy.
"Then the miracle come: Pelléas and Mélisande. There is the gloomy fog of North and the archaic castle again. The characters are so soft as they would be the condensations of fog. The lights of ships flash far away onto the sea, then they disappear. They love each other and they are killed. Nothing else happens. Meanwhile. Something invisible happens somewhere." – as Béla Balázs adored about it in. György Lukács thinks that it is deep: "his silences are just there to hide the formulas, they just help to avoid the sharp expressions, but they are sounding there behind silence, and cast deep shadow on simple words. In these plays the fate is well defined and every people and things do not exist anyway, just »mean« something – meanwhile it is not said what they do.” (Nyugat, 01.06.1909.)
All modernist theatres have tried to put them on stage: in 1907 Meyerhold put on stage Pelléas in Saint Petersburg. In Moscow Stanislavsky and Sulersicky put it on stage The Blue Bird in the Theatre of Art (1908). They put it on stage also in Paris, at Madame Rejane (1911), their performance at home remained on stage for sixty years in the Theatre of Art as a weekend performance on Sundays, in a preserved version: Stanislavsky’s student, Vahtangov (Saint Antal’s miracle), in Pest during the formation meeting of the Thalia Company, in György Lukács’ flat, Sándor Hevesi offered the performance of The uninvited guest as one of the opening performance, then they were thinking about the performance of The Death of Tintagiles, but it was put on the stage only in the chamber hall of the Academy of Music in February of 1925 and Márton Keleti, the avant-gardist poet and theatrical person directed it.
The benefits of his career which was made of conjectures and passing secrets Maeterlinck could invest really practically. He was one of the most well paid poets. He got together with the 26 years old (careerist) actress-opera singer Georgette Leblanc – with the sister of Arsene Lupin, who was the writer of the criminal, detective novel series in suits -, who could never get divorced of her Spanish husband, and lived together for twenty-three years (1895-1918).
Instead of a marriage as a gift he wrote her the Monna Vanna (his most valuable play), they went on a honeymoon over the world, got the emptied American cashier’s offices of theatres there too. Maeterlinck turned toward big orchestras. The woman – the ghost of good and bad – found out, that they would perform Hamlet between the novel-like ruins of the Benedictine monastery in Saint-Wandrille of Normandy which was founded in 649, for a few invited guests. In 1907 they performed Macbeth translated by Maeterlinck, from Jenő Ivánfi we could have a very detailed description of this performance in the literature of our theatre history. He was a well-educated, intriguer actor and director of National Theatre, who starved together with the young Dezső Szomory in Paris, later he spent his summer times with learning and that way, he could make himself involved in the group of these well selected invited ones. At 9pm, servants in costumes from the period of the Scottish leader guided the viewers to their seats. On the field of the giant park, there are the witches around a smouldering cauldron. The main entrance is Renaissance. The temple outside is a ruin from the 13th century with columns fallen on the grass. The monastery next to it was built in the 14th century. There are also ceremonial halls, chapels, corridors with old wooden cover from XV. Luis’ era. The refectory is from the 12th century. Through the opening gate King Duncan and his followers were riding in on horsebacks. The Lady was starving for his crown in her red dress: the leader of the house, the translator’s wife, Mrs Maeterlinck. There are torches. There is a parade of horses. There are helmets, lances and shields. The housewife as a white shadow was going from room to room around. On thirty stairs she went down to the viewers. She stopped in front of the gothic like window with four openings. She was lightened only by light of the moon from outside.
In 1908 Pelléas and Mellisande was put on stage between the theatrical walls of a monastery with Gabriel Fauré’s music(1898). Probably Georgette Leblanc in the singing role made the performance fail. The modern French composers found texts in his plays close to their heart. Claude Debussy is the composer of Pelléas and Mélisande. Paul Dukas wrote an opera from Ariane and the Blue Beard (1907), from Monna Vanna Henri Février did it. Maeterlinck’s successes were prolonged as an opera scriptwriter.
Maeterlinck got the Scandinavian crowned Nobel Prize in 1911. He wrote his plays only for two accounted hours. The poet of the anxiety of death was a great enjoyer of life. In winter, he lived outside Paris, in the Château de Médan, in summer in his castle in Nice. At the age of 56, after eight years of acquaintance, he married to the 24 years old actress from Nice, to Renée Dahont (1918). In 1932 King Albert made him an earl of Belgium. Because of the war he moved to the United States (1939-1947). In New York he wrote for his new wife his drama about Jeanne d'Arc, in twelve scenes (1940), but it was published only eight years later, and only in 1210 copies.
Maeterlinck could live over himself. In 1949 he died of heart attack in his castle, named Orlamonde in Nice. Today it is transformed into a luxurious hotel, the Hotel Palais Maeterlinck.
It is symptom like, that Zoltán Balázs after Ionesco, Ghelderode, Genet, Weöres with the symbolist of the late 19th century tries to find a way out of the mechanised, routine-like, full of average, thirdly epigone theatre of today. Put the ratio away! We have got enough of the theatre which plays according to the “ideas”. Let the gloomy come! The sensual theatre, the theatre of ceremonies. Do not sit so wisely on the auditorium. Open your senses! Try to accept the colours, smells, heartbeats, music and personality of the performance!
Ionesco raised my interest in the Parliament of Gypsies. His direction of Ghelderode amazed me in Szkéné Theatre. The Black by Genet in the Bárka Theatre was wonderful. I was enchanted by Theomachia from Weöres. I did not become interested in Pelléas and Mélisande.
Balázs as the member of a new generation brings new practices. He does not always form sentences against the untalented and amateur ones, but against the talented fathers of theatre, who began similarly to occupy Kronoses who raised them up with the flag of the showing of reality of the social opening. If fate does not rush my cerebral sclerosis faster, and does not eat me up before time: I will see as young Turkish people rebel against Balázs’ generation. The relay baton goes in a spiral way. The new generation does not have to deny it but make sentences on.
Gábor Zsámbéki started a counter-revolution against himself a decade ago. (The expression is from Meyerhold, for whom it was important to renew his attitude of direction, world and his tools. Only his execution could stop him to become the member of the Academy.) A clever person of theatre who can see over himself, can reach great results – you can see the direction of Saint George and the Dragon which happened after many tries by Zsámbéki -, but people can rarely step over their shadows. Everybody has to react on the feverish answers of their youth. The best they can do: they can help the new pretenders to get into power.
The naturalist Octave Mirabeau could over thank Maurice Maeterlinck.
The modern ones of theatre from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries put the Belgian writer’s name on their flag. Zoltán Ambrus defined him only as a “dedicated poet” and a “sober businessman” because he rewrote to himself one of the short story by Paul Heyse, by another Noble Prize winner, the Belgian Mary Magdalene (Marie-Madelaine). It can be said that he wrote it as a title role to Georgette Leblanc. Its World Premiere was held anyway in Kolozsvár in the National Theatre on 27th December 1909, the director was Jenő Janovics.
Maeterlinck, the Belgian lawyer’s plays – today we can see it better – are secessionist books of tales of arts and crafts. I am enchanted by Dezső Szomory’s clear view, who complained bitterly in Harry Russel’s letters from battlefield of Dorsan: “You know, dear Maeterlinck, that nothing can be more beneficial than if the poet has a real pain. (...) I would dare to add, that especially in case of the valued material of the pain it would be important that the poet could get inspiration from some kind of honest empathy and reality. As I am in a hurry I do not want to give details. I would like to signal my short impression that Pelléas and Princess Madelaine and the others are suffering from abstract and blurred pains, and however you like looking for the mysteries of human fate and sad endings, you have to see that these fates, endings, people and princesses as you handle them, from human point of view, do not have greater value than the descriptions of the greenhouses do when we are talking about a big forest. I know that you do not like Goethe and I do not argue about these feelings. But you have to see that this German is made great by that I can learn from him about the one and only ordinary person, who is suffering."
Péter Gál Molnár, Mozgó Világ, 2005
(translated by: Veronika Fülöp)
The blinds (Aveugles, 11.12.1891.), The Family Circle (Intérieur, 1894) were put on stage in the 90s, in little theatres of literature in Paris. These are simply one acted plays, within sets of a room with only some actors. The death is wondering there under the gardens, or its steps can be heard from outside as chatting out a lot. In case of The Family Circle we can see the silent family through the window from the garden. Strange creatures are thinking outside, they would tell or put off the announcement of the happenings. On the stage of The uninvited guest the family sits inside, the blind grandfather can see as the Black Nun, who is approaching. “In an ancient forest of the North” The blinds are sitting and waiting hesitantly, there is a very old priest in his loose black cloak who leads them home into the safety institute. Six blind men, six blind women and a mad girl with her new-born in her arms. And the mysterious, motionless man. About the blind-leader priest we can learn in the end, that he has been dead for a while. The unsolvable-like order by an author – Not far from the priest a couple of Martagon lilies with long beams are blossoming unhealthy at night – refers to the fact that the French scenic masters and set painters were pushed out from theatre by the painters of Art Nouveau, by the workers of it. For the picturesque words, picturesque sets suit. Around the Théâtre d'Art and its descendant the Ouvre, the symbolist painters Maurice Denis, Bonnard, Vuillard came together. Their posters were made by Toulouse-Lautrec, Munch, and their other painter mates.
Maeterlinck’s early plays are absurd. Lugné-Poë put on stage also King Ubu by Jarry three years after the Pelléas. Maeterlinck seems like Samuel Beckett without any humour. Or Samuel Beckett seems like Maeterlinck without any Art Nouveau style. The rhythm of his early dramas cries on the same little toy.
"Then the miracle come: Pelléas and Mélisande. There is the gloomy fog of North and the archaic castle again. The characters are so soft as they would be the condensations of fog. The lights of ships flash far away onto the sea, then they disappear. They love each other and they are killed. Nothing else happens. Meanwhile. Something invisible happens somewhere." – as Béla Balázs adored about it in. György Lukács thinks that it is deep: "his silences are just there to hide the formulas, they just help to avoid the sharp expressions, but they are sounding there behind silence, and cast deep shadow on simple words. In these plays the fate is well defined and every people and things do not exist anyway, just »mean« something – meanwhile it is not said what they do.” (Nyugat, 01.06.1909.)
All modernist theatres have tried to put them on stage: in 1907 Meyerhold put on stage Pelléas in Saint Petersburg. In Moscow Stanislavsky and Sulersicky put it on stage The Blue Bird in the Theatre of Art (1908). They put it on stage also in Paris, at Madame Rejane (1911), their performance at home remained on stage for sixty years in the Theatre of Art as a weekend performance on Sundays, in a preserved version: Stanislavsky’s student, Vahtangov (Saint Antal’s miracle), in Pest during the formation meeting of the Thalia Company, in György Lukács’ flat, Sándor Hevesi offered the performance of The uninvited guest as one of the opening performance, then they were thinking about the performance of The Death of Tintagiles, but it was put on the stage only in the chamber hall of the Academy of Music in February of 1925 and Márton Keleti, the avant-gardist poet and theatrical person directed it.
The benefits of his career which was made of conjectures and passing secrets Maeterlinck could invest really practically. He was one of the most well paid poets. He got together with the 26 years old (careerist) actress-opera singer Georgette Leblanc – with the sister of Arsene Lupin, who was the writer of the criminal, detective novel series in suits -, who could never get divorced of her Spanish husband, and lived together for twenty-three years (1895-1918).
Instead of a marriage as a gift he wrote her the Monna Vanna (his most valuable play), they went on a honeymoon over the world, got the emptied American cashier’s offices of theatres there too. Maeterlinck turned toward big orchestras. The woman – the ghost of good and bad – found out, that they would perform Hamlet between the novel-like ruins of the Benedictine monastery in Saint-Wandrille of Normandy which was founded in 649, for a few invited guests. In 1907 they performed Macbeth translated by Maeterlinck, from Jenő Ivánfi we could have a very detailed description of this performance in the literature of our theatre history. He was a well-educated, intriguer actor and director of National Theatre, who starved together with the young Dezső Szomory in Paris, later he spent his summer times with learning and that way, he could make himself involved in the group of these well selected invited ones. At 9pm, servants in costumes from the period of the Scottish leader guided the viewers to their seats. On the field of the giant park, there are the witches around a smouldering cauldron. The main entrance is Renaissance. The temple outside is a ruin from the 13th century with columns fallen on the grass. The monastery next to it was built in the 14th century. There are also ceremonial halls, chapels, corridors with old wooden cover from XV. Luis’ era. The refectory is from the 12th century. Through the opening gate King Duncan and his followers were riding in on horsebacks. The Lady was starving for his crown in her red dress: the leader of the house, the translator’s wife, Mrs Maeterlinck. There are torches. There is a parade of horses. There are helmets, lances and shields. The housewife as a white shadow was going from room to room around. On thirty stairs she went down to the viewers. She stopped in front of the gothic like window with four openings. She was lightened only by light of the moon from outside.
In 1908 Pelléas and Mellisande was put on stage between the theatrical walls of a monastery with Gabriel Fauré’s music(1898). Probably Georgette Leblanc in the singing role made the performance fail. The modern French composers found texts in his plays close to their heart. Claude Debussy is the composer of Pelléas and Mélisande. Paul Dukas wrote an opera from Ariane and the Blue Beard (1907), from Monna Vanna Henri Février did it. Maeterlinck’s successes were prolonged as an opera scriptwriter.
Maeterlinck got the Scandinavian crowned Nobel Prize in 1911. He wrote his plays only for two accounted hours. The poet of the anxiety of death was a great enjoyer of life. In winter, he lived outside Paris, in the Château de Médan, in summer in his castle in Nice. At the age of 56, after eight years of acquaintance, he married to the 24 years old actress from Nice, to Renée Dahont (1918). In 1932 King Albert made him an earl of Belgium. Because of the war he moved to the United States (1939-1947). In New York he wrote for his new wife his drama about Jeanne d'Arc, in twelve scenes (1940), but it was published only eight years later, and only in 1210 copies.
Maeterlinck could live over himself. In 1949 he died of heart attack in his castle, named Orlamonde in Nice. Today it is transformed into a luxurious hotel, the Hotel Palais Maeterlinck.
It is symptom like, that Zoltán Balázs after Ionesco, Ghelderode, Genet, Weöres with the symbolist of the late 19th century tries to find a way out of the mechanised, routine-like, full of average, thirdly epigone theatre of today. Put the ratio away! We have got enough of the theatre which plays according to the “ideas”. Let the gloomy come! The sensual theatre, the theatre of ceremonies. Do not sit so wisely on the auditorium. Open your senses! Try to accept the colours, smells, heartbeats, music and personality of the performance!
Ionesco raised my interest in the Parliament of Gypsies. His direction of Ghelderode amazed me in Szkéné Theatre. The Black by Genet in the Bárka Theatre was wonderful. I was enchanted by Theomachia from Weöres. I did not become interested in Pelléas and Mélisande.
Balázs as the member of a new generation brings new practices. He does not always form sentences against the untalented and amateur ones, but against the talented fathers of theatre, who began similarly to occupy Kronoses who raised them up with the flag of the showing of reality of the social opening. If fate does not rush my cerebral sclerosis faster, and does not eat me up before time: I will see as young Turkish people rebel against Balázs’ generation. The relay baton goes in a spiral way. The new generation does not have to deny it but make sentences on.
Gábor Zsámbéki started a counter-revolution against himself a decade ago. (The expression is from Meyerhold, for whom it was important to renew his attitude of direction, world and his tools. Only his execution could stop him to become the member of the Academy.) A clever person of theatre who can see over himself, can reach great results – you can see the direction of Saint George and the Dragon which happened after many tries by Zsámbéki -, but people can rarely step over their shadows. Everybody has to react on the feverish answers of their youth. The best they can do: they can help the new pretenders to get into power.
The naturalist Octave Mirabeau could over thank Maurice Maeterlinck.
The modern ones of theatre from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries put the Belgian writer’s name on their flag. Zoltán Ambrus defined him only as a “dedicated poet” and a “sober businessman” because he rewrote to himself one of the short story by Paul Heyse, by another Noble Prize winner, the Belgian Mary Magdalene (Marie-Madelaine). It can be said that he wrote it as a title role to Georgette Leblanc. Its World Premiere was held anyway in Kolozsvár in the National Theatre on 27th December 1909, the director was Jenő Janovics.
Maeterlinck, the Belgian lawyer’s plays – today we can see it better – are secessionist books of tales of arts and crafts. I am enchanted by Dezső Szomory’s clear view, who complained bitterly in Harry Russel’s letters from battlefield of Dorsan: “You know, dear Maeterlinck, that nothing can be more beneficial than if the poet has a real pain. (...) I would dare to add, that especially in case of the valued material of the pain it would be important that the poet could get inspiration from some kind of honest empathy and reality. As I am in a hurry I do not want to give details. I would like to signal my short impression that Pelléas and Princess Madelaine and the others are suffering from abstract and blurred pains, and however you like looking for the mysteries of human fate and sad endings, you have to see that these fates, endings, people and princesses as you handle them, from human point of view, do not have greater value than the descriptions of the greenhouses do when we are talking about a big forest. I know that you do not like Goethe and I do not argue about these feelings. But you have to see that this German is made great by that I can learn from him about the one and only ordinary person, who is suffering."
Péter Gál Molnár, Mozgó Világ, 2005
(translated by: Veronika Fülöp)