Limbo - Illuminations
Cologne - Viktoriia Vitrenko

Limbo - Nan - Maria

A solo recital “LIMBO” (excerpts) with music from five song cycles by Ying Wang, Sven-Ingo Koch, Alla Zagaykevych, Maxim Shalygin and Agata Zubel.

THEATER COMEDIA COLOGNE, GERMANY

14.10.2024, 19:40

Ying WANG
Illuminations (2021)

3 Songs für Klavier, Stimme and electronics

Iluminations steht für den Wunsch zu erleuchten was vielerorts bewusst vergessen wird, was in einem unbestimmten Ort in Schwebe - „in Limbo“ - gehalten zu wird, was bei Bewusstsein ignoriert wird, was jemanden zum gesellschaftlichen, zum politischen Waisen macht. Die drei Lieder von Illuminations nehmen sich dreier solcher Waisen an. Die Lieder basieren auf deren eigenen Aussagen und sind teils Protokoll, teils energische Rede. Die Lieder demonstrieren: Sie werden durch Tonbänder vielstimmig, durch Megaphone laut, durch Smartphones international geteilt und dokumentiert. Die Musik dazu entstammt nicht der zurückgenommenen romantischen Liedtradition des Privaten, sondern der nach außen drängenden des politischen Protestliedes und des Rock-Songs. Sie suchen keine subtilen Schattenbereiche unbewussten Ausdrucks auf, sondern machen die Klaviertasten zu skandierenden Posaunen und E-Gitarren. Jeder der drei Songs hat dabei seine eigene Ästhetik und Sprache. Illuminationen ist auch ein Titel eines Essay Bandes von Walter Benjamin, der als latente Inspirationsquelle diente. 

[1] Xiaonan Gen (voice+piano+electronics)  ca 7  min.

Thank you to the court for giving me such a chance to make a self-report. Today I don't want to defend myself.-dy-dy I plead guilty to all the accusations and evidence presented by the court.

As the major and independent decision maker of my publishing company, all the decisions made by my colleagues are eventually my decisions, and the colleagues only fulfilled my requirements. All the violations in the accusation were done because I insisted. I ask the court to focus the punishment on me. My colleagues have nothing to do with the decisions I made. I ask the court to treat them lightly.

Finally, I want to clarify a few points:

First, I am the first offender.

Second, there is no subjective criminal intent.

Third, there is no specific victim in this case.

Fourth, the fourth thing I especially need to explain is that I need to support and take care of my 80-year-old father. He is a disabled veteran who has been on the battlefield in Vietnam. He has no other children and has lived alone for more than 40 years. I have been taking care of him. If I serve my sentence in the future, I may lose the opportunity to be with him.

I am asking whether the court can take a humane stand and educate me, so that I can be punished accordingly.

In addition, my defense lawyer's defense is their professional instinct, and I am grateful and respectful for this. However, the content of their statement is not my original expression, and it is suggested that the presiding judge may not adopt i54t.

[2] Maria Kalesnikava (voice+proformance+elecrtonics) ca 6 min.

We are peaceful, we are honest, we want to life in a safe and free country. We are ready to fight for this.  You are incredible. I’m glad to see you here today. Thank you all very much.

[3] Hannah Arendt (voice+piano+electronics) ca 5 min.

Even in the darkest of times we have the right to expect some illumination…Eyes so used to darkness as ours…warmth of human relationships which may strike those…discuss with our fellows…we learn to be human