Press

21. 11. 2010

Kronen Zeitung (Andrea Hein)

TANZENBERG: VIRTUOSO END TO SYNART WITH ANIKA VAVIC

At the Crossroads of War and Art

Keyboard virtuoso Anika Vavic took her audience on an emotional roller-coaster ride on Friday at the Auditorium in Tanzenberg: with swinging playfulness, pathetic severity and disarming sensuality, she provided an impressive finale for the four-hour “total work of art” at Synart, an event entitled Sunt lacrimae rerum – Tearful Questions on the topic of war.

Consequently, Sunt lacrimae rerum from Années de Pèlerinage by Franz Liszt formed the opening piece of her performance, providing a seamless transition from the previous event featuring prominent guests: a touching panel discussion with contemporary witnesses (from the Balkan) about "Wars and Peace", framed by the wonderful voice of Chris Pichler, reciting Vergil and Handke.

Apart from Anika Vavic, moderator Barbara Frank was able to welcome the Rector of Tanzenberg, Franjo Vidovic, Wolfgang Petritsch, Valentin Oman, Gustav Janus as well as the internationally renowned humanist and author Kajetan Gantar.

It was one great composition, including the Piraner Kreuzweg as well as the Requiem for homo sapiens and the altar painting by Valentin Oman in the church: with magical lighting, music and poetry (Janus), the melding of images of the Balkan wars and medieval expressivity was celebrated as a moving contemporary work of art.

After such a dose of depressing aesthetics (concept: Ernst Sigot), Anika Vavic seemed like a figure of light, despite her own passionate interest in the topic: the pianist, who left war-torn Belgrade for Vienna at the age of 16, in order to begin a distinguished international music career, played not only Liszt, but also a zesty Haydn and a breathtaking rendition of Prokofiev's War Sonata. 

[ original article ]

Translation: Alexa Nieschlag

 

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