Young Barbarians
Inspired by the lives of Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály, based on Miklós Vecsei H’s text and the improvisation of the company
The performance presents the friendship of world-famous Hungarian composers Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály, exploring the motivations and experiences of their first folk song collection trips, and bringing the audience face to face with the ever-topical issues of Hungarian and national identity. The young creative team has, once again, joined forces with seasoned performers whose example, faith and dedication help transcend pain and navigate the mazes of the 21st century. As usual, the performance is fast, inventive and youth-oriented, featuring the outstanding actors of the State Hungarian Theatre of Cluj.
Its title became Young Barbarians. Our intention is not to recount the lives of Bartók and Kodály, which would be impossible here, and we certainly do not intend to tell a story or write a musical either. The performance has no set destination, it’s not going anywhere particular, we find no spedific message, there will be no protagonists or any lessons to learn at the end; we try to talk as little as possible. We were seeking echoes that would reverberate today as they did a hundred years ago.
