The path to the creation of A Macedonian Chronicle as a ballet performance is an unusual one: at the beginning of this journey, there was not the word, but the music! From a technological point of view, this is a case of reversed causality. From a philosophical point of view, it relates to Nietzsche’s postulate concerning ancient tragedy: tragedy is visible music.
Starting from this principle, I accepted the reverse procedure: to write the libretto inspired by the magnificent music of Smokvarski. To write a libretto for a Macedonian chronicle is, at the same time, both very easy and very difficult, because among all chronicles ours is the most tragic; because the engine of our tragedy is still fully operational, driven by the syndrome of self-destruction.
We created a performance as a blueprint of our desire to become part of Europe: our melodic expression and our rhythm, transcribed with exceptional creativity by the composer, were elevated to a peak!
- Ljubisha Georgievski
