Theological aspects of the libretto "St. Francis of Assisi. Franciscan Scenes" by Olivier Messiaen

In the space of the literary text of the "poem" written by the composer, the author of the article explores the features of the artistic interpretation of the fundamental religious ideas of Catholicism: the grace of the Holy Spirit, Christian revelation, mysticism, theocentrism. The elements of temple sacredness (lauda), the metamorphosis of the role of the choir, the "dancing form", as well as new forms of theatrical liturgy (prayers, responsories) are considered. Messiaen's embodiment of the principles of the mystery of the XIV–XVI centuries is considered through the prism of the composer's new understanding of the idea of synthesizing artistic elements of a musical and theatrical work. The main attention is paid to the discovery of the conceptual constants of the libretto of the Franciscan Scenes – the development of the dramaturgy of light and the compositional interaction of semantic elements. The dramatic strategy of light in Messiaen's "poem" is considered in the mirror of the works of P. Duke and K. Debussy on the text of the plays by M. Maeterlinck, as well as in the tradition of the mysteries of G. d'Annuzio, K. Debussy and P. Claudel. The hermeneutical reconstruction of the author's idea makes it possible to identify the dominant meaning of the theological constants in Messiaen's work. Comparative methods are necessary to establish similarities and differences in the artistic implementation of the idea of art synthesis. The musical and poetic understanding distinguishes the "poem" and the music of the mystery of d'Annunzio – Debussy; Messiaen's "poem" reveals a different understanding of the idea of synthesizing the artistic elements of a musical performance. In the libretto "St. Francis of Assisi. Franciscan Scenes" Messiaen presented a theological interpretation of the main aspects of Christianity – grace, the joy of resurrection and the idea of a synthesis of time and eternity. The space of spiritual meaning of the libretto "St. Francis of Assisi. Franciscan Scenes" is formed by the poetic imagination of Messiaen on the basis of a deep comprehension and theological interpretation of the canonical texts of Holy Scripture, as well as the teachings of modern theologians and authoritative Christian thinkers. A special feature of the theological concept of the "Franciscan Scenes" is the dramaturgy of light, which includes transformations of the elements of light and color. Messiaen's new understanding of the idea of synthesis as the basis of a musical performance was manifested in the fact that the composer integrated elements of temple sacredness into the artistic text of the libretto and presented new forms of theatrical liturgy in the form of responsories in 2 and 8 paintings. The meaning of the verses of the Holy Scriptures discovered by Messiaen in the "poem" is relevant in the light of the contemporary cultural, historical and spiritual orientation of the composer. These aspects of Messiaen's work are highlighted for the first time in Russian musicology.

Messiaen, libretto, poem, dramaturgy of light, metamorphosis of the choir, dancing form, liturgy, saint Francis of Assisie, stigmata, Revelation