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"Ode For All" – Impressions from the workshop in Nicosia with the Amalgamation Choir -
"Ode For All" – Impressions from the workshop in Nicosia with the Amalgamation Choir -
"Ode For All" – Impressions from the workshop in Nicosia with the Amalgamation Choir -
"Ode For All" – Impressions from the workshop in Nicosia with the Amalgamation Choir -
"Ode For All" – Impressions from the workshop in Nicosia with the Amalgamation Choir -
"Ode For All" – Impressions from the workshop in Nicosia with the Amalgamation Choir -
"Ode For All" – Impressions from the workshop in Nicosia with the Amalgamation Choir -
"Ode For All" – Impressions from the workshop in Nicosia with the Amalgamation Choir -
"Ode For All" – Impressions from the workshop in Nicosia with the Amalgamation Choir -
"Ode For All" – Impressions from the workshop in Nicosia with the Amalgamation Choir -
"Ode For All" – Impressions from the workshop in Nicosia with the Amalgamation Choir -
"Ode For All" – Impressions from the workshop in Nicosia with the Amalgamation Choir -
"Ode For All" – Impressions from the workshop in Nicosia with the Amalgamation Choir -
"Ode For All" – Impressions from the workshop in Nicosia with the Amalgamation Choir -
"Ode For All" – Impressions from the workshop in Nicosia with the Amalgamation Choir -
"Ode For All" – Impressions from the workshop in Nicosia with the Amalgamation Choir -
"Ode For All" – Impressions from the workshop in Nicosia with the Amalgamation Choir
The "Ode to Joy" was composed by Schiller in 1785. Several decades later, Beethoven congenially set it to music in the last movement of his 9th symphony. Its core messages "all men become brothers" and "Be Embraced, You Millions" have been unifying countries, continents and generations on many occasions: for the opening ceremony of the Olympics, as a giant sing-along concert or as the European anthem.
If such a humanist vision was to be reinterpreted today, more than 200 years later, which musical expression would it convey? What would be the sound of this call which not only aims at brothers and sisters, but at literally everyone and which goes even beyond the sounds of Beethoven? What is the meaning of "joy" in the 21st century?
The composer Cathy Milliken has been exploring these questions together with the vocal coach Lucia Duchoňová in a participativechoir project: In an "Ode for all" text and tune of the original work by Schiller and Beethoven are reinterpreted and developed further by creating new, collective sounds. The composers and creators of this new composition are six women's choirs from Bosnia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Serbia, Cyprus and Romania with entirely different vocal traditions.
In this way, individual contributions are composed in Bucharest, Sofia, Nicosia, Belgrade, Sarajevo and Istanbul. During a joint working session, all of these creations will be merged into a collective musical artwork, which will premiere in Berlin, Germany on the occasion of the Beethoven Year. The Amalgamation Choir from Nicosia participates at the project.
Concert Series by the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra
This multimedia exhibition explores Beethoven's musical legacy and creativity and ties it into the present day and age.
What would Beethoven do today? How would he compose? Which instruments would he use? What means of distribution and presentation would he use for his music? How would he relate to the different musical cultures of our globalized world?
The exhibition Welcome to #bebeethoven – curated by Thibaut de Ruyter – investigates these and other questions and presents in a multimedia way the researches and results of twelve young contemporary musicians and composers that participated at the program initiated by PODIUM Esslingen in 2018, as well as new publications by Steven Walter and Thibout de Ruyter.
By working with actual composers and musicians and through its modern means of communication, the exhibition is intended for a public that goes beyond the usual classical music audience. It is not about the figure, biography or achievements of Ludwig van Beethoven 250 years after his birth but his inventions, his intellectual legacy, his creativity and creative thinking.
After shows in Esslingen (April 2020) and Bonn (October 2020), the exhibition will be travelling to South Eastern Europe, including Cyprus (November 2020).