On Thursday afternoon 15 June 2017, Ambassador Kocsis attended ’Breaking the Silence’, a theatre production by Via Berlin and the Berlage Saxophone Quartet during the Oerol Festival on the Dutch island Terschelling. The show was followed by an aftertalk between the two protagonists of the production, Dagmar Slagmolen and Peter Vigh, and Ambassador Kocsis. For their new theater production, the Dutch organization Via Berlin collaborates with the Dutch-Hungarian saxophonist and composer Peter Vigh and his Berlage Saxophone Quartet.
The play 'Breaking The Silence' tells the story of a woman living in the midst of a dictatorial regime. She is a talented cello player whose husband, a favoured but stubborn composer, suddenly disappears. On the day of his disappearance she finds a daring new piece of music her husband composed, leading her to start a frantic and dangerous search for him, making her delve into their past. Unanswered questions plague her during her search: why did her husband compose this type of music all of a sudden? It's a-tonal, cynical and clearly critiques the regime. Did he challenge their safety on purpose?
Music of the Hungarian composer Ligeti and Russian composer Sjostakovich have been exclusively adapted for the play. Peter Vigh has composed some new pieces specifically for tape recorder, intertwining music and lyrics.
Peter Vigh (The Hague, 1987) is a versatile musician. He has played saxophone since he is nine years old and composes music for the most varied formations. As son of a Hungarian freedom figther, who fled to the Netherlands as a result of the 1956 revolution, he is insipred by the Hungarian history and classical music. In 2016, he composed a new piece of music for the Amsterdam-based Grachtenfestival, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution.
'Breaking the Silence' is on show throughout the Netherlands until 15 December 2017. Visit the website of Via Berlin for more information and tickets.
