Navid Kermani at the Bergson: Death
Navid Kermani is one of the leading intellectuals in the German-speaking world. As a writer, he has been honored with numerous awards, including the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, the Kleist Prize, and the Thomas Mann Prize. At the Bergson Kunstkraftwerk, he will read from a selection of his own texts—chosen by him—in a four-part series, reflecting on the themes of birth, love, freedom, and death.
The latter topic serves as the conclusion to this concert, which also features two of the most impressive and existential works of chamber music, performed by the Bergson Artists.
Franz Schubert wrote his string quartet “Death and the Maiden” at the age of 27, while suffering from syphilis and facing death. At its heart is a set of variations based on his song of the same name. In it, a young girl pleads with Death: “Pass by! Oh, pass by!” Death replies, surprisingly gently: “Take heart! I am not fierce.” Schubert takes precisely this calm melody as the starting point for the variations. Here, Death does not appear as a terrifying figure, but almost as a comforter.
Dmitri Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 8 is also a personal exploration of the end of life. Officially, the work is dedicated “to the victims of fascism and war.” Beyond that, however, it is much more a kind of personal musical requiem, as he himself put it: “I thought about the fact that, should I die someday, hardly anyone would write a piece dedicated to my memory. That is why I decided to write something like this myself. One could also write on its cover: ‘Dedicated to the memory of the composer of this quartet.’”
Almost the entire quartet is based on four notes: D – E-flat – C – B. In other words, nothing less than Dmitri Shostakovich’s initials: D. Sh.
Also striking are the constant quotations from his own works. It seems as though he is writing his musical autobiography.
The conclusion has a programmatic feel. It fades away quietly, with only the DSCH motif remaining. It’s almost as if the composer were slowly disappearing.
Program
Music:
Excerpts from
Franz Schubert: String Quartet in D minor, D 810 (“Death and the Maiden”)
Dmitri Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 8 in C minor, Op. 110
Cast
Navid Kermani, Essays
Bergson Artists
Admission and Tickets
Doors open: 3:30 pm
Start: 4:00 pm
End: 5:15 pm
Support-Price Ticket: 56€
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Combined ticket for all four events: 140 euros