Geff Strik’s “Verklärte Nacht” is a live musical performance of Arnold Schoenberg’s “Verklärte Nacht” accompanied by a 28-minute dramatic film of paintings done in real time to the music. The paintings are inspired by the music and Richard Dehmel’s poem of the same name, which is also part of the video. The poem details a dark romantic story set in the 19th century. It begins,

“Two figures pass through the bare, cold grove.

The moon accompanies them, they gaze into it.”

The story comes alive on canvas as Geff depicts 18 key scenes from the music and poem. Using only one canvas, he layers each scene in oil with a final layer of lacquer to seal in each scene. The collective scenes are then seen as layers of memories. Each layer can be taken off, revealing the history and previous scene. The final painting shows the finale, but we know that underneath there is more than meets the eye.

Strik, a French-born painter, collaborated with videographer Joey Clay. The work was commissioned and premiered in 2018 by the Florida Orchestra. ■