force of habit
| Data | |
|---|---|
| Title: | force of habit |
| Genus: | comedy |
| Original language: | German |
| Author: | Thomas Bernhard |
| Publishing year: | 1974 |
| Premiere: | July 27, 1974 |
| Place of premiere: | Salzburg Festival |
| people | |
|
|
The power of habit is a play by the Austrian writer Thomas Bernhard in three acts . It premiered in 1974 at the Salzburg Festival . Dieter Dorn directed the film .
people
- Ringmaster Caribaldi: He wants to control everything - fails to recognize the hopelessness of the trout quintet - has focused his entire life on performance and thus appears very cool and aloof - it is also noticeable that it is the first time that the figure with the power of speech in one of Bernhard's pieces Name! "Give the devil a name"
- Animal trainer: Already from an older age - narrowly escaped losing one of his arms several times - big alcohol problem - nevertheless popular with everyone except Caribaldi because of his very warm, friendly manner
- Joker: He's the bottom of the circus people hierarchy. He is more of a mute figure and communicates through body language. Annoyed Caribaldi by constantly dropping his hood and this not only in the ring, but also during rehearsals - is the trainer's best friend in Caribaldi's circus - is very calm - quickly worried - a kind of confidant
- Granddaughter: Still very young - a tight-rope dancer in perfection who inherited her gift from her mother - actually Caribaldi's favorite of all, as she has the most talent for the “high art of music” (Caribaldi) - she always answers very briefly and concise and thus always brings calm to conflict situations. Caribaldi "torments" them again and again, lets them practice and practice. In reality, she is very close to his heart, wants her to master the artistry act perfectly so that she doesn't end up like her mother, who had an accident on the tightrope.
- Juggler: Sometimes it gets poetic and always seems a bit distant from the situation - actually appreciates the trout quintet and the music, but like everyone else, he has nothing to do with Caribaldi's management style and diffuses himself again and again, just because of defiance against playing - corrected often his statements or perfect them.
action
In general, the play deals with the same theme in all three acts: The ringmaster Caribaldi tries desperately to make the trout quintet possible. It's a really horrible undertaking because the quintet's rehearsals are always sabotaged by one of the artists. For example, the trainer often gets drunk, annoys everyone with his favorite dish, radish, and is therefore unable to make the test possible. Especially in the 3rd act, falling down the jester's cap becomes the central problem, which makes Caribaldi glow. In such situations Caribaldi always tries to list the mistakes of the others and to teach them, but this usually makes him the mockery of the artists. Especially his granddaughter, whom he forced to play the viola, knows how to irritate Caribaldi with her spiteful laugh and "throw it off the rails".
1st act
In the caravan of the ringmaster Caribaldi. Caribaldi is looking for something under a box, and one after the other the juggler and the granddaughter enter. Above all, there is talk about the imminent appearance in Augsburg and then immediately returned to the subject of the trout quintet because the circus director has misplaced his rosin ( arch resin ). It is becoming more and more clear that Caribaldi is the only one who cares about this piece or that the ringmaster tyrannizes everything and everyone with it. Problems arise again and again during rehearsals, and the first act ends with the juggler protesting, who informs Mr. Caribaldi about an offer from another ringmaster to force a higher salary. This finally upsets the ringmaster Caribaldi: “A fool, a fool who still believes an artist today, a fool!” The curtain falls.
2nd act
Begins with the entry of the trainer, who enters the rehearsal room (Caribaldi's caravan) with an arm bandaged - to the fright of the jester. The two talk about what happened in the accident. After a while, Caribaldi enters the room and immediately has something to complain about the previous appearance, and the mood has reached a low point. Then the rehearsal begins and nothing works - to the wrath of the ringmaster. He orders everyone to do new, for them "horrible" exercises. Despite all the efforts of the director, his instructions are unsuccessful and he chooses his granddaughter as a victim in order to live out his leadership position. Caribaldi to granddaughter: "How do you bow?" The granddaughter bows a few times until Caribaldi nods in agreement.
3rd act
The last act begins again in the rehearsal room, and as usual, Mr. Caribaldi gives a moral sermon. To avoid this, everyone wants to start rehearsing, but the trainer cannot be found. The trout quintet is discussed again for a long time, and in this phase Bernhard uses his charismatic repetition technique in high sequence. This comes into its own best when the joker keeps dropping his hood and discussing a solution as to how it can stay on his head. Now heavy steps are noticeable and it is clear to everyone: the drunk trainer is coming. And actually he rushes through the door and sits down at the piano. However, the trial is impossible. Caribaldi, exhausted, throws everyone out of the car, clears away the music stands and instruments, and sits down in an armchair. When he turns up the radio next to him, you can hear the first five bars of the trout quintet.
Performances
The premiere in Austria was followed by a performance in Germany in 1975: the work was performed with the same actors from the premiere in the Hamburg Deutsches Schauspielhaus .
Publications
The premiere of the Salzburg Festival in 1974 was in the picture and sound recorded and later on CD and DVD published:
- As a sound recording on CD from Deutsche Grammophon (unknown year)
- As a video on DVD by Arthaus Musik in 2008
A recording of the performance in the Deutsches Schauspielhaus was released as a record , an LP from Deutsche Grammophon from 1983.
literature
The following text editions and annotated editions of the work have been published:
- Thomas Bernhard: The power of habit. Comedy . Frankfurt / Main: Suhrkamp, 1974. 145 pp. (Library Suhrkamp; 415).
- Thomas Bernhard: The power of habit . In: Ders .: The Salzburg Pieces . Frankfurt / Main: Suhrkamp, 1975. 196 pp. (Suhrkamp-Taschenbuch; 257). Pp. 95-197.
- Thomas Bernhard: The power of habit . In: Ders .: pieces . Volume 1. Frankfurt / Main: Suhrkamp, 1988. 348 pp. (Suhrkamp-Taschenbuch; 1524).
- Thomas Bernhard: The power of habit. Comedy . In: Ders .: Works in 22 volumes . Edited by Martin Huber and Wendelin Schmidt-Dengler. Volume 16: Dramas II. Edited by Manfred Mittermayer and Jean-Marie Winkler. Frankfurt / Main: Suhrkamp, 2005. pp. 7–124.
References and comments
- ↑ z. B. The Power of Habit (Comedy) CD. In: amazon.de. Retrieved December 24, 2018 . - The year 1975 is given as the date of publication. This is likely to be a mistake, because in 1975 the CD format was not yet known. The year 1975 may refer to an earlier Deutsche Grammophon release on vinyl / LP.
- ↑ z. B. Thomas Bernhard - The power of habit. In: amazon.de. Retrieved December 24, 2018 .
- ↑ z. B. The power of habit (comedy). In: amazon.de. Retrieved December 24, 2018 .