What a place. In the Alte Münze in Mitte, Nazi architecture and remnants of baroque buildings overlap. The still noticeable industrial atmosphere of a mint mixes with memories of grandiose party evenings. A long time ago, we had a pandemic and Germany is ruled by incidence. Has there really ever been such a thing as celebrations, concerts, live music? The ear thirsts for it, which is why this visit to the Alte Münze on a cold February Sunday is so touching. Four young flesh and blood musicians perform here – for a streaming film. Because that’s one of the paradoxes of the digital age: In order to generate content for the web, you usually have to come together in real life.
Deutsche Grammophon (DG) and Siemens, who already worked together fruitfully in the Karajan era, are producing a 90-minute concert film for International Women’s Day on March 8, as a digital edition of the Yellow Lounge, with which the DG has been successfully serving the club audience for years interested in classical music. The reporter can take a seat in the dark and listen to the wonderful Nadine Sierra with her rich soprano singing songs and arias by Bernstein, Puccini and Gounod.
And he can dream of sitting in the white and gold hall of the Berlin State Opera again. From April Sierra should be heard there as Susanna in “Figaro’s Wedding”, maybe with an audience, definitely on the stream. In Germany, as I said, things like this are now determined by incidence.
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Nadine Sierra has been under contract with DG for a long time. The other three are fresh on board – and are accompanied by Sophia Munoz on the wing. With a number from the “Soirées musicales”, harpist Magdalena Hoffmann recalls a composer whose name sticks out of the sea of the man’s world of the 19th century: Clara Schumann. Violinist Bomsori also plays, in addition to the famous “Médiation” by Massenet, the piece by a composer: “Oberek Nr. 1” by Grazyna Bacewicz demands incredibly nimble fingers and precise technique. For the finale, presenter Nanja Oedi talks to the South Korean soprano Hera Hyesang Park, who reports on her racist experiences as an Asian on European stages: “You are who you are. Do what you love, never stop. Fight for others to have it better ”.
Five cameras film the action in 4K resolution, the VJane duo Trial and Theresa stages the performances with visuals that match the voices on the screen. Looks good, but is also problematic because the eyes and ears are directed at the reception. For Stephan Frucht from the Siemens Art Program, this is still the path that classical concerts will take in the future in view of an increasingly video-socialized audience, online and live. If the incidence doesn’t mind.
The film “Yellow Lounge – Women of Achievement” will be open free of charge from Sunday, March 7th at 12 noon to Wednesday at 12 noon www.dg-premium. com to see.
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