11th Climate Concert
The 11th climate concert of the Staatskapelle Berlin’s Orchestra of Change premieres Gregor A. Mayrhofer's WIR SIND ERDE - Secular Oratorio, inspired by the environmental encyclical »Laudato si'« by Pope Francis
The musicians of the Staatskapelle Berlin have been committed to climate and environmental protection for more than a decade. Numerous projects have already grown out of their Orchestra of Change initiative, and many other instrumentalists and ensembles from all over Germany have now joined - this has now become the Orchestra of Change.
The focus of the 11th climate concert is the premiere of a great work, conducted by the composer himself: Gregor A. Mayrhofer composed a secular oratorio for soloists, choir and orchestra on behalf of the Foundation for Cultural Renewal, based on the papal letter »Laudato siʼ« by Pope Francis in 2015, which urgently calls for awareness of environmental destruction and climate change and calls for joint action across the borders of different cultures, world views and religions.
WIR SIND ERDE is based on a libretto by the renowned environmental ethicist Markus Vogt, in which a dialogue is shown between people with very different views and backgrounds: a “Dataist” who only accepts scientific facts and relies on technical solutions enters into conversation with a person filled with spiritual energy (“Theist” and “Humanist”) following strict moral guidelines, countered by a doubting, everything-questioning “Scepticist.” There is tension in such an exchange, but at the same time there is also the opportunity to perceive different, sometimes contradictory perspectives and to consider them for oneself. After all, it is important to actively address the pressing issues that affect the future of our planet and our life together, in a solution-oriented way.
The program is supplemented by music for violoncello, which Tanja Tetzlaff has put together for her film project "Suites4Nature": with selected movements from Bach's suites for violoncello solo and excerpts from "Black Ice" by the composer Thorsten Encke, who was born in 1966, the sounds of the dark-timbred string instrument with sounds of dripping ice and melting glaciers, and with Camille Saint-Säens' Cello Concerto No. 1.
The proceeds from ticket sales go to the projects of the climate and environmental foundation NaturTon, which the musicians of the Staatskapelle Berlin set up in cooperation with WWF Germany. In particular, the proceeds benefit a project to protect ebony used in musical instrument making in Madagascar. In addition to local woods, various exotic woods are used for many instruments, some of which are threatened with extinction. Protecting the existence of these woods and their ecosystems is particularly important to the musicians.