Preiss Viktor: Insignificant Woman (2x CD) - CD
Preiss Viktor: Insignificant Woman (2x CD) - CD
When Sebastian Melmoth died in 1900 in the Hôtel d'Alsace on the Rue des Beaux-Arts in Paris, seriously ill, only two friends were at his bedside. Few suspected that behind this name was the famous Irish playwright Oscar Wilde.
He was born in Dublin in 1854 to an eye and ear surgeon. However, Oscar was more inspired—at least in his choice of profession—by his mother, Jane, who was a successful Irish writer.
At first, his life was calm and respectable—he studied classical philology (with excellent results) and married the wealthy Constance Lloyd. At the same time, however, he became one of the leading figures of Decadence, one of the century's leading artistic movements. He delighted in provoking the staid English upper class and aristocracy, putting the most immoral condemnations and prejudiced reflections into the mouths of characters from these circles.
He became famous not only for his still-read novels *The Picture of Dorian Gray* and *The Canterville Ghost*, and his fairy tale *The Happy Prince*, but also for his theatrical comedies and satires, most notably *The Importance of Being Earnest*.
And, of course, for the poem *The Ballad of Reading Gaol*. He was sent to prison primarily because of the scandalous outcome of a lawsuit that revealed his homosexuality, which at the time was considered an offence against public morality.
No wonder he criticised this society and mocked its puritanism. In the play *A Woman of No Importance*, which you can listen to now, truth and genuine morality triumph over hypocrisy and a decadence that is amusing, yet still decadence nonetheless. The high society here exchange witty remarks, but their smiles often conceal lethargy or nihilism. Even when it has as charming and attractive a face as Lord Illingworth in the excellent performance by Viktor Preiss.
Tracklist
Bezvýznamná žena (A Woman of No Importance)
The Invitation / The Offer
Bezvýznamná žena (A Woman of No Importance)
It Is / The Insult
Specifications
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