RECONFIGURING ROMANTIC ILLUSIONS IN MYSTIC WALTZ BY VLADIMIR CIOLAC

Abstract

This article examines Mystic Waltz, a recent composition by Vladimir Ciolac, one of the leading contemporary composers from the Republic of Moldova. Through a structural-semantic analysis, the study reveals the work’s conceptual and stylistic affinities with Franz Liszt’s Mephisto Waltzes. Ciolac reimagines the philosophical narrative of Doctor Faustus, captivated by the mystical figure of Mephistopheles and driven by his relentless pursuit of power and knowledge. The reconfiguration of Romantic illusions takes place through the affirmation of Gretchen’s pure and redemptive love — her sincere emotions becoming a force that seeks to rescue Faust from self-destruction.

The musical language of the piece synthesizes traditional structural formulas with contemporary sound textures, shaped by a network of intonational references. The image of Mephistopheles is constructed through the use of dissonant intervals, which carry a symbolic weight and contribute to the atmosphere of menace and instability. The composer contrasts these “diabolical” elements with consonant intervals — musical representations of Gretchen and Faust’s love — that illuminate the narrative with fleeting moments of tenderness and hope. Although Mephistopheles succeeds in deceiving the lovers, the lie ultimately collapses under the weight of emotional truth. The resulting instability, both musical and symbolic, is emphasized through the collision of dissonance and consonance — underscoring the eternal tension between illusion and redemption.