Music of Reconciliation: Handel's Dettingen Te Deum
The state of global politics is on our minds every day: numerous wars, even in the heart of Europe; diplomatic upheavals; trade conflicts; and a growing climate of brutality and threat. The Bergson Voices reflect this atmosphere musically through a series of performances, presenting music of peace, war, hope, and reconciliation.
This concert, titled “Music of Reconciliation,” brings the series to a close. How do we look toward the future again after war, hatred, and strife? How do we come together again? Is man truly a wolf to man in the end, and is the natural state a “war of all against all,” as the British political philosopher Thomas Hobbes argued? Or is there a positive concept of peace, as the Dutch philosopher Baruch de Spinoza suggested: “Peace is not the absence of war. Peace is a virtue, a state of mind, an inclination toward goodness, trust, and justice”?
Bergson Phil’ and Voices seek to open up this space for reflection. At the heart of this concert is Georg Friedrich Handel’s Dettingen Te Deum, one of his most magnificent choral works. Originally, it was a political commission celebrating the victory of an alliance led by England over France at the Battle of Dettingen in 1743. This was the last battle in which a British monarch, King George II, personally led his army into battle. Yet despite its triumphant tone, the Te Deum remains a prayer of thanksgiving that pays homage to God’s greatness while also containing a plea for protection and peace. Over the centuries, it has consistently been used to welcome and celebrate peace, for example, after the Thirty Years’ War, the War of the Spanish Succession (for which Handel composed the “Utrecht Te Deum”), the Napoleonic Wars, the Congress of Vienna, and the two world wars. Hardly any other liturgical text is so closely linked to the turning points of European history.
In the 18th century—and certainly in the period that followed—military victory was regarded as a prerequisite for the hoped-for peace. Accordingly, it was glorified in music. Today, in light of current wars and threats, our understanding of peace and the conditions necessary for it has changed. And we hear the music differently as a result. We invite you to experience this in this concert.
Program
Marc-Antoine Charpentier: Prelude from *Te Deum*
Johann Sebastian Bach: “Praise the Lord” (originally “Hast du denn, Jesu, dein Angesicht gänzlich verborgen,” BWV 137/5)
Heinrich Biber: Battalia à 10
Charles Ives: The Unanswered Question
Georg Friedrich Handel: Dettingen Te Deum
Cast
Bergson Voices
Bergson Phil’
Host: Maximilian Maier
Musical Director: Johannes X. Schachtner
Admission and Tickets
Doors open at 3:30 pm
Start: 4:00 pm
End: approx. 5:15 pm
Fair-Price Ticket: 44 EUR
Ensures fair compensation for everyone involved. If it’s feasible for you, we’d appreciate it if you’d choose this ticket.
Social-Price Ticket: 28 EUR
This ticket makes it possible for you to participate in cultural events—even if you have limited financial resources.
Support-Price Ticket: 56 EUR
With this ticket, you help make culture accessible to everyone and support our Social-Price model.
Combined Ticket for all four events: 140 EUR