Event

The 250th anniversary of the Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America (American Declaration of Independence) is approaching, and what the most powerful nation on earth will look like at that point is anyone's guess.
This makes it all the more worthwhile to take a look at how the USA became the focal point of the European Enlightenment. For even though questions of money and power naturally played a prominent role in the separation from the English kingdom, the Declaration of Independence sought above all to anchor the enlightened individual in the public sphere and in the political decision-making structure.

Such efforts by individuals to develop themselves were typical of 18th-century Europe and were also reflected in a changed relationship to religion. In the preface to his “Two Litany” (1786), Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach turns against the routine “chatter” of religious formulas and seeks to contribute to the acquisition of knowledge through harmonies that were modern for their time.

Given its own religious history, Europe would do well not to arrogantly dismiss the American form of Christianity, despite all its evangelical excesses. Religion and its free practice are at the heart of American democracy and are consciously reflected not least in the recent works of Joanne Metcalf (world premiere).

Although Charles Ives is no longer unknown, his significance for American music history and the artistic richness of his work are still underestimated. Rooted in the European concept of music, Ives subsequently broke new ground on his own: in addition to his polytonal harmonies, he also developed compositional randomization techniques that set him apart from the old continent. Ives' impressive songwriting shows both his intimate knowledge of the European heritage and the self-confident cultural independence of the USA.

It is an exciting and speculative question how the classical music scene in the USA would have developed after Ives without the forced influx of the brightest minds after 1933 – in this context, the phrase “vanishing point of the European Enlightenment” takes on a whole new dimension. The influence of Arnold Schönberg, whose traditional arrangement “My Horses Ain't Hungry” (European premiere!) concludes the program, can still be felt in the USA today.

In “Kakerlaken” (world premiere), Stefan Litwin offers a scathing, grimly optimistic outlook on the future. Uwe Johnson's text about the secret rulers of New York and their notorious ability to survive seems like an ironic metaphor for the indestructibility of American democracy.
One can still hope, after all.