Culture is systemically relevant: A European Christmas greeting

Dear friends,
dear colleagues,
dear ladies and gentlemen,

 
2020 will undoubtedly be remembered for a long time to come. For many people and industries, the last few months have been a major challenge for many different reasons.
The cultural sector in particular has had a tough time this year. In the Beethoven year of all years, theaters have been closed, concerts have been cancelled and cinemas have remained empty. Not only for many artists, but also for most of the professions associated with the cultural sector behind the scenes, this year without full auditoriums meant a year without work and income.
That's why it means a lot to me to set an example for the cultural sector with this digital Christmas card and to support creative artists from my home state of Saarland. Our message is clear: culture is and remains systemically relevant!
I look forward to continuing to work towards a Europe with more climate, species and consumer protection, better preservation of biodiversity and fighting for an end to factory farming in the coming year.
I wish you a peaceful Christmas season, a happy New Year and much joy with our European Christmas greeting from the Beethoven year.

Manuela Ripa
Member of the European Parliament

December 17, 2020 marks the 250th anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven's baptism; the exact date of his birth is not known. Beethoven's visionary oeuvre also includes the rarely performed 179 songs of various nations (1815-1818), which he arranged in the original languages for voice, violin, cello and piano. We have chosen excerpts from songs whose nations are also represented in the EU. For us, they represent the diversity and solidarity of European cultures.

 

Ludwig van Beethoven: Songs of different peoples (WoO 158 and WoO 153), 1815-1818

No. 1: Germany: Horch auf, mein Liebchen (WoO 158,2)
No. 2: Portugal: Seus lindos olhos (WoO 158,12)
No. 3: Danmark: Ridder Stig tjener (WoO 158,1)
No. 4: España: Já no quiero embarcarme / Cancion (WoO 158,11)
Nr. 5: Austria: I bin a Tyroler Bua / Teppich-Krämer-Lied (WoO 158,5)
No. 6: Magyarország: Édes kinos emlékezet / Ungarisches Weinleselied (WoO 158,22)
No. 7: Italia: Da brava Catina / Canzonetta Veneziana (WoO 158,23)
No. 8: Sverige: Lilla Carl, sov sött i frid! / Swedish Lullaby (WoO 158,17)
No. 9: France: Non, non, Colette (WoO 158,24)
No. 10: Polska: Poszła baba po popiół (WoO 158,10)
No. 11: Ireland: The kiss, dear maid, thy lip has left (WoO 153,9 from 20 Irish Songs)

 

With: Ralf Peter (tenor), Thomas Layes (piano), Götz Hartmann (violin) and Benjamin Jupé (violincello)

 

Production management and staging: Katharina Molitor
Program selection: Ralf Peter
Technical management: Florian Layes

 

Many thanks to Götz Hartmann and Benjamin Jupé for their contribution to this project as a gesture of solidarity with their freelance colleagues!

Thanks also to the Theater im Viertel ["The Theater im Viertel is a development laboratory for cultural ideas, projects and stories from the independent cultural scene in Saarland, so that the unheard of has its space"].