Post-Beethoven-Fest 2021
For the third time since 2014, contemporary orchestral collective s t a r g a z e present one of their trademark ‘weekender’ festivals of new collaborative work and genre-defying commissions in the liminal realms of new classical, electronic and alternative music The Post-Beethoven-Fest 2021 will be Recorded and streamed from Volksbühne Berlin, 10 and 11 June, 8pm (CET)
The festival is all about Beethoven and his legacy in this day and age. The participating artists take Beethoven’s compositions as an inspirational focus point to explore and rediscover the composer for the 21st century.
Owing to the laws of the Pandemic, the ‘weekend’ will be rung in early, and the festival will be streamed on Thursday the 10th and Friday 11th of June live from Berlin, and also be broadcasted for US and Australian time-zones.
To make the festival’s experience as authentic as possible, s t a r g a z e is collaborating with the Berlin-based streaming platform z|art.tv. Together they have designed a digital venue with different stages, a virtual installation and social meeting points to give the audience a direct and all-encompassing experience.
Beethoven – the aftermath
The – in classical music circles – much-anticipated ‘Beethoven Year’ 2020 has largely fallen victim to Covid-19, and so did part of ‚our’ year with Beethoven which included a concept of performing all of his nine symphonies in new, ‘re-composed’ versions by a diverse range of artists. Our quest to find out ‚what’s up with/left of Beethoven’ has found new meaning in 2021 in more than one way and so we have put our versions of his symphonies, which are already steeped in a 21st century perspective, in context with philosophical and pop-cultural lines in German art music ‘post Beethoven’.
There will be a host of premieres by composers including Sarah Nemtsov, Nicole Lizée, Matthew Herbert and Aart Strootman based on movements and ideas from Ludwig’s first, second, seventh, and ninth symphonies; opposite works by Stockhausen, Friedrich Nietzsche – performed by Holger Hiller (Palais Schaumburg) – Boards of Canada and Kraftwerk. Other artists involved include dancers Latisha Sparks, Zen Jefferson and Miriam Arnold, the re-united Hamburg new-wave band 1000 Robota, and of course the musicians of s t a r g a z e themselves, who will perform their project based on Boards Of Canada’s album ‘Hi Scores’ for the first time in Germany, following their huge success at Edinburgh International Festival in 2019, featuring The Notwist’s Andi Haberl on drums.
More information below and festival tickets available if you click here.
Programme:
10 June 2021
Beethoven One (15min)
Composition: Aart Strootman (NL) with s t a r g a z e and André de Ridder
1000 Robota (45min)
New and old songs, featuring a cover of ‘Autobahn’ by Kraftwerk
1000 Robota, featuring members Anton Spielmann, Eva Kadlec, Jonas Hinnerkort und Sebastian Muxfeldt
Boards Of Canada‚ Hi Scores ‘+ Beet7.2. with dance (45min)
Arrangement by BoC Hi Scores: Aart Strootman, s t a r g a z e
Arrangement by Beet7.2.: André de Ridder, Mouse on Mars with s t a r g a z e incl. Drummer Andi Haberl (The Notwist, Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra), dancers: Miriam Arnold, Latisha Sparks and Zen Jefferson
11 June 2021
Karlheinz Stockhausen: STOP und START (for Synthesizer and acoustic instruments (23 min)
with s t a r g a z e and André de Ridder
Beet2 (40min) – world premiere
Composers:
‘Beet Two-1’ – Josephine Stephenson, UK
‘Beet Two-2’ – Kate Moore, NL
‘Beet Two-3’ – Sarah Nemtsov, DE
‘Beet Two-4’ – Nicole Lizée, CAN
Holger Hiller sings Nietzsche (50min)
Arrangements: Aart Strootman – with Holger Hiller and s t a r g a z e
Concept spaces at 10 June and 11 June
‘ALONE’ from Beethoven NEIN
s t a r g a z e and Matthew Herbert, concept – Mayah Kadish on violin
‘TOGETHER’ from Beethoven NEIN – sound installation by Matthew Herbert