Those who sing in a choir know that singing generates feelings of happiness, reduces stress, and can even extend life. Singing in a choir fosters a sense of community and joy in music. Those who sing are at one with their bodies. With the enthusiasm of a curious storyteller, Stefan Moster explores the world of choirs in his knowledgeable and entertaining book: from professional choirs to small amateur choirs in the provinces. And he makes surprising discoveries: whether Stefan Moster's grandfather is serenaded by 100 singers for his birthday, fans in a football stadium cheer for their team in unison, or Arvo Pärt politicizes choral music – singing moves us either way. The reading will be accompanied by the choir of the music high school, but the audience is also invited to participate in this special choir reading.
In the Golden Twenties, which serve as the backdrop for this festival summer, choral music underwent a transformation: new choir formations (workers' choirs and singing circles) sought community and meaning in a fragmented world after World War I. Surprising sound ideals (anti-romantic, alienation) and new ideological functions (community) of collective singing emerged. The choir thus became the acoustic mirror of modernity – caught between healing, utopia, and ideological danger. The questions of that time remain relevant: How do we want to sound together? How much individuality can a community tolerate? And what holds us together when certainties break apart?
Stefan Moster lives as a literary translator and author in Berlin and in the Finnish town of Porvoo. He grew up in a family where, as he puts it, "you couldn't escape choral singing." Recorder, guitar, oboe, and piano were part of his musical education. He wrote the libretto for the opera Galen. Der Kardinal by Thorsten Schmid-Kapfenburg, and two of his novels deal with music: Die Unmöglichkeit des vierhändigen Spiels (2009) and Bin das noch ich (2023), "a novel that speaks not only to the hearts of musicians" (hr2 Kultur).
Admission is free. Registration at denkbares@online.de
The venue is accessible.
Against the Current - Festival on the Lahn: www.festival-gegen-den-strom.de
-Cooperation with DENKBARES – www.denkbares.org