Amid the coronavirus closure of the 2020 Beethhovenfest, the Rimini Collective artists group will host a "theatrical inspection" at Bonn's storied Beethovenhalle, now a construction site.
Image: Sonja Werner/Beethovenfest
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The coronavirus pandemic has hit the Beethovenfest Bonn with full force, with most events being postponed until 2021. Of the extensive program that was to honor Ludwig van Beethoven on the 250th anniversary of his birth in 2020, only one project is going ahead: "Bauprobe Beethoven," or "Beethoven, A Scenographic Mock-Up."
A theatrical inspection tour
In this "theatrical site inspection," the Berlin artists' group Rimini Protokoll plan to fill a large absence in Bonn's storied Beethovenhalle (Beethoven Hall) venue as it undergoes major reconstruction.
"Not a single note will resound in Bonn’s Beethoven Hall during the Beethoven Jubilee," note the artists of the building, which opened in 1959, that they say symbolizes postwar Germany's "history of rebirth, glory and affluence, but also of neglect, strife and loss of meaning."
Founded by Daniel Wetzel, Helgard Haug and Stefan Kaegi in 2000, the Rimini Protokoll develop stage-works, interventions, performative installations and audio plays alongside everyday "experts" who have gained their knowledge and skills beyond the theater. Among their performances was a mock "World Climate Conference" to coincide with the 2015 Paris climate summit.
Rimini Protokoll members (left to right: Daniel Wetzel, Stefan Kaegi and Helgard Haug) in front of the BeethovenhalleImage: DW/T. Scheider
The collective's latest intervention will happen at the Beethovenhalle construction site on September 12-13 as small groups (maximum 15 people due to coronavirus restrictions) will be taken on staged inspections during the mornings and afternoons. Leading the way will be so-called "experts in everyday life" that include amateur actors and people whose work and lives were closely connected with the Beethoven Hall.
"After a long search, we found 10 people who have an interesting biographical or intellectual connection to the Beethovenhalle," Helgard Haug of Rimini Protokoll told DW.
Among them is a former chief of protocol who oversaw visits from four German presidents in the Beethovenhalle, a former mayor, an art historian, musicians, and the technical director of the house who maintained the venue for four decades. A man who in 1983 was convicted of arson in the hall, and the "Pretzel Woman," a Bonn legend who cared for the physical well-being of the concert visitors, will also be part of the tour — and will be revealing their own secrets to create a unique story around the venue.
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Beethoven's Ninth Symphony
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Symbol of the Federal Republic
An aging symbol of the old Federal Republic of Germany in the former capital Bonn, a long dispute over the modernist hall's future ended up in a commitment to a €166 million ($197 million) renovation. Not due to be finished before 2024, Beethovenfest Bonn had lost its most important venue. Ironically, it will host the only show in town for the largely cancelled celebration.
"The Beethovenhalle was something like a pink elephant in the room," said Beethovenfest project manager, Thomas Scheider, of the decision to invite the Rimini Protokoll to make use of the iconic venue, if not for an actual performance. "The only place where there was not supposed to be a performance in the anniversary year is now the only one left," he noted.
"This building stands symbolically for the Federal Republic, just as the Palace of the Republic [in Berlin] had this function for the GDR," Stefan Kaegi of Rimini Protokoll told DW. "It was a popular gathering place for private and public events, for political and cultural moments. But it is also a metaphor for remembering and for how to revive memory."
The ABCs of Beethoven
What distinguished the master composer? Which of his works made music history? What was his artistic life like? Click through Ludwig van Beethoven's milestones in our picture gallery.
Image: picture-alliance/Ulrich Baumgarten
Musical genius
Beethoven (1770 - 1827) was a child prodigy. But his father, who wanted to make a second Mozart of him, is said to have been harsh when it came to practicing. Ludwig played his first concerto at the age of seven, followed by his first compositions at the age of 12. His true genius was especially evident in his later works, which went beyond the standards of the time — and still inspire today.
Image: DW
Pop star
Today, Ludwig van Beethoven is one of the most heard and played composers in the world. He was famous during his lifetime, but that wasn't a given for every brilliant composer. One recalls, for instance, the sad fate of Mozart, who was buried in an anonymous grave for the poor. In contrast, 20,000 people attended Beethoven's funeral — that was half of Vienna's city center population back then.
Image: picture-alliance/Ulrich Baumgarten
First freelance artist
During the Baroque and early Classical periods, composers such as Bach, Haydn and Handel, were mostly employed at the court of a prince or king or in church service. Not so with Beethoven: He succeeded in establishing a circle of sponsors who regularly supported him financially. In addition, he reaped income from concerts and the publication of compositions.
Image: picture-alliance / akg-images
Compositions
His oeuvre is still a never-ending source of inspiration for musicians today. These include nine symphonies, five piano concertos, a violin concerto, 16 string quartets, 32 piano sonatas, the opera "Fidelio" as well as the "Mass in C major op. 86" and the "Missa Solemnis op. 123." Meticulously kept sketchbooks have also been preserved — Ludwig had always noted down his ideas and drafts.
Image: picture alliance/H. Lohmeyer/Joker
The Fifth Symphony
Da-Da-Da-Dum. The hammering of the opening motif, consisting of only four notes — unheard of! Today, those sounds are synonymous with Beethoven, and his "Symphony of Fate" is one of the most played classical works. Yet this symphony was not well received at its premiere in 1808: The sounds perplexed the audience. In addition, the orchestra had not rehearsed enough and the theater was not heated.
Image: picture-alliance/akg-images
Für Elise
It's a 200-year-old catchy tune: as film and on-hold music, as a ring tone, in an elevator. "Für Elise" is one of the most popular piano pieces ever. But what remains unclear: Just who was Elise? Beethoven was often — and mostly unhappily — in love. He never had a wife or family. With "Elise," musicologists believe there are four possible beloveds to whom the cheerful piano piece was dedicated.
Image: picture-alliance/akg-images
The Ninth Symphony
Symphonies are intended for an orchestra. But for singers? Until then, they had no place on stage. But since Beethoven didn't care much about conventions, he reinvented the genre in his Ninth and last symphony. So in the last movement, not only do singers appear, but an entire choral finale. A few bars of this symphony became the official European anthem in 1972.
Image: akg-images/picture alliance
Deafness
It's unfathomable: a composer who can no longer hear his own music. Beethoven's hearing problems began at the end of his 20s. This stroke of bad luck threatened not only his career, but also his social interactions. During a spa retreat in 1802, he was even plagued by suicidal thoughts. His love of music, however, sparked new life in him — and 25 years of highly productive composing followed.
Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Bonn. He enjoyed his first appearances, sponsors and mentors there. Today, the city on the Rhine is home to the Beethoven House, which includes a comprehensive archive and the annual Beethoven Festival. At the age of 22, Ludwig moved to Vienna, where he found many supporters. There, he also took composition lessons from Joseph Haydn. He died in Vienna in 1827.
Of course, music should feature at any Beethovenfest event, and Berlin-based US-American composer Ari Benjamin Meyers was commissioned to write a work for the Beethovenhalle event.
Inspired by the "Great Fugue," Beethoven's last great work, Meyers has created a musical intermezzi performed by the Asasello Quartet that will sound out during the intermissions as the audience wanders from one expert to another. Meyers described Beethoven in a DW interview as "the first ever contemporary composer."
Potential attendees should note that a helmet and safety vests will be provided by the organizers; sturdy shoes and an open ear are required.
