Alle Sinne für die Siebte (engl: All Senses for the Seventh)
5 min. 42 sec., Full HD, no sound, 2020 - in cooperation with Musiker*innen der Jungen Deutschen Philharmonie
Together with musicians of the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie (and under my direction) we created a video contribution to the 4th movement of Beethoven’s 7th Symphony as part of ALL SENSES FOR THE SEVENTH. The video was part of a multidisciplinary concert in which different visual and performing arts disciplines each interpreted one movement of Beethoven’s 7th Symphony. This concert went on tour in 2020 and was featured at several festivals, including the Ludwigsburg Palace Festival (Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele).
The clenched fist, as the most natural and fundamental weapon of humanity, is a universal symbol of resistance. Since the Stone Age, it has been used—again and again in various forms—by political movements. At the same time, the hand as a symbol of brotherhood/sisterhood also has a long tradition. Thus, the use of these symbols alludes to the political dimension of the 4th movement of the symphony. The abstracted material of protest scenes—recognizable as such at a certain point—establishes a connection to current resistance movements like #BLM, climate change demonstrations, and the protests in Hong Kong. Rhythm, as a decisive compositional element that emancipates itself in the fourth movement, inspired us to use a very rhythmic and fast editing style. The division into a nine-part split screen further fragments the image itself. Additional associations with the movement are interwoven with the protest footage and hand gestures. Musicians with basses, megaphones, and horn bells—sometimes multiplied into masses of demonstrators—complete the circle and, as resisting instrumentalists, bring a political mission back into the music.
credits:
Philipp Adamczewski, Anton Engelbach, Clara Heilborn, Johanna Hempen, Daniel Higler, Chiara Mohr, Benjamin Völkel, Malte Weinig, Johannes Wendel, and Jacob Cirkel – with and under the direction of video artist Binha Haase.