Ragna Schirmer, Axel Ranisch and Matthias Daneck
Did the GDR have a sound of its own?
How political can musical compositions be?
What images does poetry depict, what ideals are reflected within it, and what visions of the future emerge from it?
Pianist Ragna Schirmer, drummer Matthias Daneck, and actor, director, and author Axel Ranisch demonstrate through word and music how dissidence emerges in the tension between conformity and secret criticism, and how conformist art can simultaneously expose the corrosive power of unjust states.
Well-known names such as Paul Dessau, Friedrich Goldmann, Bertolt Brecht, Thomas Brasch, Sarah Kirsch, and Eva Strittmatter encounter works that have rarely been heard before. The juxtaposition of subtle to open criticism of the regime and official slogans, of avant-garde sounds and conformist melodies, makes clear how artists navigated between loyalty to the regime and resistance. Alongside this, poems about everyday life, childhood, or the changing of the seasons reveal the ordinariness of private life full of longings, worries, and memories, giving the compilation an intimate human dimension.
The program takes a contentious look at the struggle between the desire for normality, subordination, and rebellion from 1949 to 1990—and issues a challenge to reflect on the role of art in society in the face of today's crises.
