Act I, Track 13 - The Palace Ball
Song links: Spotify - YT Music - Apple - Tidal
This is going to be a longer post. The Palace Ball, one of the two songs in BA that were composed by Linnéa Vikström, is one of the most musical-like tracks with the most storytelling and characterization. It is full of changes of pace and mood and has a lot of dialogue and... subtext!
Linnéa Vikström photographed by Tim Tronckoe
As the title indicates, this song is about a ball in the palace that Seth, as president and emperor, now inhabits. "Lots of stylish guests are strolling around", the scene description states. "Murmurs and toasting can be heard." An opulent scene. A choir sings:
[Guests:] Light of moon is falling through the evening curtains Glittering when finding jewels, gold and all Strolling in excesses, fancy suits and dresses Raising our glasses to the palace ball
"Elegantly dressed, Helena and Johanna enter the newly appointed Emperor's residence."
[Helena:] Follow me, Johanna Join me in a toast [Johanna:] Not so fast, Helena Where is our host? [Helena:] Over there, I see him Elegance and pride [Johanna:] Let us go to greet him Look into his eyes
Helena, as before, admires Seth. Johanna is suspicious. Given that she is on the lookout for signs of the Antichrist's appearance, that she witnessed Seth's outburst in a church a while earlier and given his sudden rise to fame and power, one can only imagine what she thinks of him at this point. After all, in the Biblical Book of Relevation, the Antichrist rules the world for a while during the End Times...
They walk over to Seth. As guests of honour, they are greeted warmly, although the music sounds tense. Helena probably really wants Seth and Johanna to get along, plus Johanna has considerable influence in the Vatican, so her impression of him is important.
[Seth:] Enchanting, yes it is to meet Madame again Allow me now to kiss your tender little hand [Helena:] Such an honor, Caesar, to kneel here at your feet Next to me, my sister, I wish for you to meet [Seth:] This must be Johanna Your eyes do mine entrance May I have the pleasure to offer you a dance?
This may just be my impression, but Seth comes across as somewhat awkward in this exchange. Would you say "tender little hand" to a woman you (officially) barely know..? And he "offers" Johanna a dance, as if he's doing her a favour..? Seth has come to fame very quickly. He used to be an isolated mystic, probably regarded as a bit of a weirdo. Whether this is intentional on the side of the authors or not - he is trying to be charming, but it seems he doesn't quite get the hang of it so far.
The scene description states that Helena willingly offers her hand to be kissed while Johanna is reluctant. Seth "gets an irresistible impulse" to dance the first dance of the night with Johanna, who hesitates, being "a bit jumpy and resolute". Helena is quite socially fluent, but Johanna, much like Seth, is not at home in this kind of situation. She does agree in the end though and the two dance. The conversation, of course, quickly leaves behind the usual pleasantries.
[Seth:] Like wings you cross the air of our tune As night birds do when tides obey the moon [Johanna:] Deeper is your soul than a waterfall Drowning in your memory of God [Seth:] To dance among the somber shadows Pain shall be the drying sun of every rain [Johanna:] What have you to show? Powers from below Powers that are dangling from a string
The scene description states that Seth is "trying to establish deep contact" with Johanna but that she "rebuffs him politely". I don't know if this really matches the lyrics. Johanna is quite direct and reads him accurately - she sees his past as a Christian mystic in him somehow, but also outright states that his powers are coming from hell. She warns that he can easily lose what he has.
Seth does not agree with her dualistic thinking, he remarks rather light-heartedly (listen to the vocal melody here) that:
[Seth:] Light and darkness are the chords we play Two melodies will find a common way [Johanna:] Listen I will not to this evil plot, Caesar So I thank you for this dance
To Johanna this way of thinking is clearly evil. Seeing light and dark, good and evil, merely as aesthetic choices, as opposites to be reconciled, goes against all her convictions. She says so and leaves. Even though he does not express this in words, Seth is, according to the scene description, quite discouraged to have been rejected and criticized so clearly. He walks onto a balcony while the guests continue their celebration.
[Guests:] Light of moon is falling through the evening curtains Glittering when finding jewels, gold and all The silence is unbroken, a million words unspoken By sleeping ghosts awoken at the palace ball