A Tribute to Yvan Goll

Yvan Goll is the pen-name of Isaac Lang (1891–1950), a bilingual poet and novelist who stood at the origins of German expressionism and French surrealism. Yvan Goll moved within German and French poetic and artistic circles. He was acquainted with, and even disputed with, many prominent figures of the European avant-garde of the first half of the 20th century. His poetry collections were illustrated by Marc Chagall and Pablo Picasso. By the beginning of the 21st century, his work had ended up in the margins, but it still sounds exceptionally modern.

Specifically for the premiere of A Tribute to Yvan Goll, Dom Radio, in collaboration with DA publishing house and with the support of the Alma Mater Foundation, released a collection of 24 poems by Yvan Goll in German and French, along with translations into Russian by Ippolit Kharlamov and Ekaterina Cherezova

According to Ippolit Kharlamov, the poet ‘was able to create a large-scale and profound portrayal of his era, full of hidden prophecies and dark intuitive insights. Goll's psychological alchemy, which leads to catharsis and a sense of unity with the universe, is relevant at any time. It is most clearly manifested in the love poems that Goll dedicated to his wife.’

The musicAeterna and Dom Radio project A Tribute to Yvan Goll directed by Elizaveta Moroz continues the search for new forms in the field of poetic and musical theatre. In the production, Laura Pitskhelauri, a theatre and film actress, member of the St Petersburg Lensoviet Theatre troupe, and student of stage director Anatoly Vasiliev, recites Goll's poems translated into Russian. Meanwhile, the artists of the musicAeterna Orchestra and Choir perform new compositions based on French and German texts by the poet. These chamber music pieces were created specifically for the project by Egor Ananko, Cyrille Arkhipov, Andreas Moustoukis, Alexey Retinsky, Victoria Kharkevich, Alexander Belousov, Vangelino Currentzis and Teodor Currentzis. Reinventing the genre of romance for voice and piano, the composers employ sophisticated performance and compositional techniques, as well as expand their instrumentation to include several voices, pianos, electronics, and percussion in the scores.

Stage Director Elizaveta Moroz explains the idea of the performative concert as follows, ‘Yvan Goll's poetic voice is unusual and elusive. The poet wrote in two different languages, and he also translated his texts into other languages, creating different versions. He freely juggled different literary trends, and crossing national borders, he did not feel like he belonged anywhere. The state of duality — the futile desire to connect the parts of a split self or to merge with a close, dear, but unknowable beloved woman — is the main theme of the performance.’