'The plea for peace'

14. Nov.: Kyrie und Gloria
Can a society be moved?

15. Nov.: Credo
Me, a grain of sand in an ocean of eight billion?

19. Nov.: Agnus Dei / Dona nobis pacem
“Only the dead have seen the end of war.” (Plato)

22. Nov.: Complete performance
Beethoven Orchester Bonn, Karin Freist-Wissing, conductor

The Missa Solemnis as a tool of social revolution?
“Music should strike fire from the heart of man, and bring tears from the eyes of woman.”

Four evenings with Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis: political, artistic, visionary and surprising. Introductory events at the Kreuzkirche church and in the parish hall of the Evangelical Kreuzkirche Bonn:

Sunday, 8 November 2020 at 5:00 pm: Introductory event for school pupils, activities to join in

Tuesday, 10 November 2020 at 7:00 pm: Presentation of the Missa Solemnis cross-over project

Wednesday, 11 November 2020 at 7:00 pm: Theological / political introduction with podium discussion (politics, theology, peace research)

The concept of the project is on the one hand an artistic approach to one of Beethoven’s key works from a wide range of different perspectives, and on the other hand, the use of the explosive force of the piece as a starting point for the development of a current and individual stance on the global issue of “peace” today.

The connection with the partner institutions promises a well-founded, controversial discourse on Beethoven’s political utopias of peace as a basis for the development of a personal stance today.

The impulses come on the one side from the visualization of Beethoven’s radical (musical) ideas with the help of modern art and music styles, and on the other side, the discourse, from the perspective of Christian-social ethical peace policy, the global interreligious discussion on the subject, and the integration to political education concepts for young people and adults.

Partner institutions:

- GIZ Sector projects: values, religion and development; Project manager: Ulrich Nitschke

- University of Bonn, Protestant faculty, Department of Social Ethics

- Cocoondance Company Bonn

- Federal Agency for Civic Education Bonn

- Musikhochschule Köln/Pop and Jazz Department