Music of Peace: Beethoven & Fauré at the Bergson
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 on this atmosphere musically through a series of performances, presenting music that speaks to peace, war, hope, and reconciliation.
The series kicks off with “Music of Peace.” Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Wellington’s Victory” is the first “action soundtrack” in music history. In addition to military marches, trumpet and drum signals, the piece also features rifle salvos and cannon fire. No doubt partly because of these effects, the piece was by far Beethoven’s most popular work during his lifetime—hard to believe today, given the other immortal masterpieces he composed. Here, Beethoven channels his personal disappointment with Napoleon and depicts a battle between the French and the British, in which the English emerge victorious. Well-known melodies such as “Rule, Britannia!” and “God Save the King” make this clearly audible in the piece. The Bergson Artists perform it in their own arrangement featuring a grand organ, which will resound in surround sound—that is, from various directions—in Europe’s most sophisticated concert hall.
“Cantique de Jean Racine” by Gabriel Fauré is an early work that already foreshadows his wonderful “Requiem,” which the Bergson Voices will perform on All Saints’ Day. The gentle, luminous intimacy of the music is proof of this. It is a piece that truly sounds like peace.
The folk song “Kein schöner Land” describes the romantic vision of an ideal community where people sit together in the evening and sing.
The same is true of “Holder Friede, süße Eintracht.” Here, Max Bruch draws on Friedrich Schiller’s “Das Lied von der Glocke” and celebrates the absence of war.
Upcoming Dates:
Program
Ludwig van Beethoven: Wellington's Victory, or The Battle of Vittoria, Op. 91
John Rutter: Lord, Make an Instrument of Thy Peace
Gabriel Fauré: Cantique de Jean Racine, Op. 11
Anton Wilhelm von Zuccalmaglio: Kein schöner Land
Max Bruch: Sweet Peace, Sweet Harmony (from: The Song of the Bell, Op. 45)
Cast
Bergson Voices
Bergson Artists
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