Afterwards: “Expelled in 1938 – Memories of the Volksopernensemble” – on December 18th from 10:30 p.m. on ORF 2
Vienna (OTS) – The “kulturMontag” presented by Clarissa Stadler on December 18, 2023 is dedicated to the work of the early romantic German painter Caspar David Friedrich, which will be honored with a show at the Hamburger Kunsthalle on the occasion of his 250th birthday. In keeping with the Vienna Philharmonic’s upcoming New Year’s Concert (ORF 2 will broadcast live on January 1st from 11:15 a.m.), Peter Schneeberger speaks with the sometimes controversial German star conductor and future music director of the Berlin State Opera Unter den Linden, Christian Thielemann. The topic of the program is, among other things, the new film “Perfect Days” by Wim Wenders – an acclaimed homage to Japan and its (everyday) culture, which will soon be released in cinemas. The new documentary “Expelled in 1938 – Memories of the Volksopernensemble” (11.30 p.m.) will then be on the program.
An oddball of romanticism – Caspar David Friedrich’s 250th birthday
The painter, draftsman and graphic artist Caspar David Friedrich (1774–1840) was a strange oddity and brilliant artist, a melancholic and the epitome of German Romanticism. From the “chalk cliffs on Rügen” to the “Watzmann” near Berchtesgaden, the quiet man from Western Pomerania has showcased various corners of Germany. He loved the mysterious twilight, repeatedly painted clouds, night or twilight, and composed images like they had never been seen before – with mystical depictions of nature that became icons of an entire era. Caspar David Friedrich had many fans:
from Heinrich von Kleist to Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia to Adolf Hitler, Walt Disney and Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau. Friedrich’s contemporary Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, however, could not do anything with his work; these pictures were too dark, too depressive, too religious-patriotic for him and, surprisingly, he was not alone in this. By the end of his life, Caspar David Friedrich was almost forgotten; his paintings disappeared into museum depots, lumber rooms, private apartments and castles. During his lifetime he had to turn over every cruiser. At the beginning of the 20th century, however, his art was rediscovered and Friedrich was celebrated as an outstanding painter of light and atmosphere and a pioneer of modernism. The big hype is already starting all over Germany on the occasion of the 250th birthday of the longing painter in 2024. The Hamburger Kunsthalle is kicking things off with the anniversary exhibition “Art for a New Time” – the most extensive show of Friedrich’s works in many years.
A man with rough edges – Conductor Christian Thielemann in conversation
He is considered a strict craftsman and a meticulous specialist for the large repertoire, a precision fanatic and a heavyweight in the classical music industry who does not allow himself to be easily kissed by the light muse. The German Christian Thielemann is the only living conductor who has conducted all of Richard Wagner’s works listed in the Bayreuth canon and will return to the Green Hill with “Lohengrin” in 2025 after a long break. His outstanding artistic qualities are undisputed. And yet the now 64-year-old Berliner is not necessarily a master of harmony; as the then Bayreuth music director, he had a falling out with festival director Katharina Wagner over the question of whether the holy halls where Adolf Hitler once came and went the word “leader” can be heard in “Lohengrin”. There are repeated allegations that Thielemann has an anti-Semitic attitude. Most recently when he was appointed as successor to Daniel Barenboim as music director of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden from the 2024/2025 season. However, the conservative artist does not want to allow himself to be labeled “German-speaking”. A conductor with a strong ego and a mind of his own: The Salzburg Easter Festival drew a line under the collaboration with him and the Dresden Staatskapelle, of which he is chief conductor, the Berlin Philharmonic decided against Thielemann and in favor of Kirill Petrenko as the new boss, also his involvement with the Munich Philharmonic ended abruptly. However, he remains true to his old love for the Vienna Philharmonic. Christian Thielemann will conduct the renowned New Year’s concert for the second time in 2024. The maestro talks to Peter Schneeberger about stage fright in front of an audience of millions, Johann Strauss’ waltz bliss in times of war and crises, concerns about climate glue at concerts, the future of the classical music industry and his very personal new harmony.
Cleaning toilets as an everyday culture – acclaimed “Perfect Days” by Wim Wenders in the cinema
Pulsating, loud and shrill or contemplative, meditative and spiritual: Tokyo, a metropolis of 37 million and therefore the largest city in the world, is a place of contrasts and many faces. Here, high-tech and modern lifestyle meet millennia-old traditions. The German director Wim Wenders fell in love with this eventful but less chaotic setting between cherry blossoms and the imperial palace, geisha tradition and manga hype, Shintō shrines and high-rise canyons in the mid-1980s. The enthusiasm for the films of the Japanese cult director Yasujirō Ozu led the German filmmaker to the land of the rising sun early on. This journey in the footsteps of Ozu’s work resulted in the documentary “Tokyo-Ga”, which Wenders himself describes as a kind of cinematic diary – or, based on Ozu’s most famous film, as his “Journey to Tokyo”. The 78-year-old German is now also memorializing this Far Eastern master in his new feature film. “Perfect Days” is a poetic portrait of a man who tells the greatest from the smallest, which was already celebrated at its Cannes premiere and will be released in local cinemas on December 22nd. Lead actor Kōji Yakusho was even awarded best actor at Cannes for the little film gem about a toilet cleaner in Tokyo, and “Perfect Days” will be in the running for the Oscar for best international film for Japan next year.
New documentary “Expelled in 1938 – Memories of the Volksoper Ensemble” (11:30 p.m.)
On December 14, 2023, the Vienna Volksoper will celebrate its 125th birthday. On the occasion of this anniversary, the premiere of “Let’s Forget the World – Volksoper 1938” commemorates all those members of the house who were chased away, persecuted or murdered by the Nazi regime. Already in the first months of 1938, political events penetrated the Volksoper, namely during rehearsals for the operetta “Greetings and Kisses from the Wachau” by Jara Beneš. The National Socialists’ seizure of power in March 1938 brought with it serious changes for the Volksoper and its members: dismissals at all levels of the house followed. People who were persecuted because of their Jewish roots had to end their careers in Vienna and leave the country. But not everyone managed to escape.
The new Volksoper production “Let’s forget the world – Volksoper 1938” by the Dutch film and theater director Theu Boermans allows a look into the mirror of the past and a confrontation with a painful period in the history of the house. The cheerful, light operetta music by Jara Beneš is juxtaposed with the partly newly composed music by composer and conductor Keren Kagarlitsky.
On the occasion of the premiere of “Let’s Forget the World”, Adriana Thunhart’s documentary accompanying the production is dedicated to the dark contemporary period of the Volksoper and – embedded in numerous rehearsal excerpts – features, among others, the author Marie Therese Arnbom, the director of the Volksoper Lotte de Beer and important protagonists have their say on and behind the stage.