Carnegie Hall’s Fall of the Weimar Republic: Dancing on the Precipice festival begins this weekend with two concerts featuring Franz Welser-Möst conducting the Cleveland Orchestra.
Programs will demonstrate the diverse musical styles of the Weimar era through works by Krenek, Webern, Bartók, Prokofiev, and Gustav Mahler.
Carnegie Hall said the citywide festival, which runs through May, “explores one of the most complex and consequential chapters in modern history: Germany’s Weimar Republic of 1919–1933. Through 30 concerts and events at Carnegie Hall and 70 plus multidisciplinary offerings at more than 50 leading cultural and academic institutions across New York City, the festival examines the arts and culture that flourished as artists sought bold avenues for creative expression in this increasingly traumatic time.
“At Carnegie Hall, festival audiences are invited on an exploration through artistic movements in classical music, jazz, cabaret, art song, and more that reflect the forces that led to the fall of the Weimar Republic—and the many lessons about the fragility of democracy that can be gleaned from its extraordinary collapse.”
Clive Gillinson, executive and artistic director of Carnegie Hall, noted, “The Weimar festival explores the fragility of democracy through the lens of the fall of the Weimar Republic and shines a spotlight on the innovative creative expression and powerful artistic movements that emerged during this increasingly dark and tumultuous era. We hope this festival’s thought-provoking programming will not only engage audiences but also serve as a jumping-off point to stimulate dialogue. If there is any lesson to learn from the Weimar period, it is the great responsibility for everyone, including the arts and artists, to speak out and raise key questions at these times.”
Upcoming festival programs will feature the Philadelphia Orchestra; Boston Symphony Orchestra; Met Orchestra Chamber Ensemble; Met Orchestra; chanteuse and actress Ute Lemper; National Symphony Orchestra; Orchestra of St. Luke’s; and the Knights.
From February 9 through May, two festival-themed exhibitions will be on display in Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall and be free and open to all Zankel Hall concertgoers. The Democracy Project, curated by Reynaldo Anderson and the Black Speculative Arts Movement, will visually explore the intellectual, social and cultural impact of the Weimar Republic on the African diaspora. This will also be viewable on Google Arts & Culture. A photography exhibition ringl+pit will feature the work of Ellen Auerbach and Grete Stern, who met in 1929 in Berlin.
On-demand Weimar festival programming also will be available on Carnegie Hall+.