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Commentary
28 Nov 2004
Le Figaro Interviews Peter Eötvös on Angels in America
Eötvös : "Je ne cherche plus, je trouve" Après le lyrisme russe revisité dans Trois Soeurs, chef-d'oeuvre unanimement salué, et Le Balcon de Genet ramené du coté de la chanson française, reçu plus froidement, le troisième opéra de Peter Eötvös...
Eötvös : "Je ne cherche plus, je trouve"
Après le lyrisme russe revisité dans Trois Soeurs, chef-d'oeuvre unanimement salué, et Le Balcon de Genet ramené du coté de la chanson française, reçu plus froidement, le troisième opéra de Peter Eötvös est très attendu. Il nous emmène encore vers d'autres contrées : l'Amérique moderne, avec pour livret une adaptation de la pièce Angels in America de Tony Kushner. Une situation bien réelle (deux personnages malades du sida) qui est le prétexte, non à une peinture réaliste de la société américaine contemporaine, mais à un univers bigarré ou le quotidien bascule dans le fantastique et le mysticisme. Pour cette partition, le compositeur s'est laissé cette fois inspirer par le jazz et la comédie musicale.
Propos recueillis par Christian Merlin
[23 novembre 2004]
LE FIGARO. - Après les très dissemblables "Trois Soeurs" et "Le Balcon", "Angels in America" sera encore tout à fait différent. Ne craignez-vous pas que l'on dise qu'il n'y a pas de "style Eötvös" ?
Peter EöTVöS. - Au contraire, je m'en réjouirais : ce n'est pas un reproche mais un compliment. Ce sont mes oeuvres qui ont un style, pas moi. Je repars de zéro à chaque fois : sur la feuille blanche, je prends les éléments un par un, j'assemble, je construis. C'était déjà l'attitude de Beethoven, il y a deux siècles : c'est pourquoi je le considère comme l'inventeur de notre musique contemporaine. Je tire cette leçon de ma pratique de la musique électronique dans les années 70 : le son n'existe pas, il faut le créer. Nous n'avions pas de synthétiseurs : il fallait entrer dans la machine les paramètres un par un, à partir d'un son unique. Klee pratiquait de la meme façon en peinture, lorsqu'il partait d'un point, puis d'une ligne, etc. C'est pareil avec l'orchestration : jamais je ne considérerai l'orchestre comme une donnée figée, il faut le repenser à chaque fois.
C'est une véritable philosophie !
Il est vrai que cette attitude artistique vient de ma propre conception de la vie. Si mes enfants me ressemblaient trop, ce serait une catastrophe. Je suis plus heureux s'ils sont indépendants et développent leur propre personnalité, comme mes oeuvres. Ma fille est mi-chinoise mi-hongroise, et mariée à un Kurde : mes petits-enfants sont donc issus d'un mélange très riche, qui les rend uniques.
[Click here for remainder of interview.]