STEPHAN MAI :Uhm. It is a social game. Actually we now get to what this compositoin is all about, it really is a democracy made in heaven. Something people dream about: everybody can always think and say out loud, or softly, what he wants without, negativly, having to be concerned about the others and in a positive way it's always present and never bothers anybody.
XENIA LÖFFLER: People are never hurtful and never say anything that is wrong.
STEPHAN MAI: No, it doesn't work.
RAPHAEL ALPERMANN: One gets used.
XENIA LÖFFLER: One gets used.
STEPHAN MAI: One gets used. And even during the interval one gets used.
What Stephan Mai describes here - our film will start with his words - is not just his view of the Kunst der Fuge by Johann Sebastian Bach - but also - this was our impression - the somewhat utopian state which makes the "Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin" so unique.
Everybody has a say and gets heard, knows his place. A democracy on earth made in heaven - only allowing, if at all, few leaders among its equals - this would be a dream scenario for human kind - though it is not obvious by playing baroque literature to let this social behaviour become reality.
Because, as Stephan Mai says, democracy was alien during the Baroque era. May be it is, among others, this contradiction that fires up the energy of the ensemble.
Our film describes a success story that started in 1982 with concerts in Schloss Köpenick and, with performances in Carnegie Hall, has, by no means, come to an end yet.
Die Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, "Akamus" in short, is internationally admired as a top ensemble for 'Acient Music'.
Not only the close co-operation with René Jacobs and Sasha Waltz plus their new home inside the Radialsystem V Berlin will ensure the ensemble not just to be noticed by the professionals. (aficionados) In the film we hear the founding musicians talk about the moving history of their "Akademie" in the GDR and we give an insight into their present busy life.
We see who leads this leaderless emsemble in this 'democratic' way, not making it easier to work together but making it very exciting.
From the material we shot we made two films: the first one is a 1 hour TV documentary or feature film showing interviews, live performances from 1984 onwards till today and we also used material from the private archive of the ensemble - a real portrait of the ensemble.
The other film is a 90-minutes live recording of the "Kunst der Fuge" by Johann Sebastian Bach. A concert given on 28.11.2007 in the 'Radialsystem V Berlin' (the final rehearsal & the concert) – with 20 string and 4 wind instruments as well as an organ/cembalo.
Harmonia Mundi France will shortly release this film on DVD and it will also be for sale in the inpetto shop.
Team:
musical concept & konzertmeister
Stephan Mai
Bernhard Forck
Xenia Löffler
stage & light design
Folkert Uhde
musicians
violin
Erik Dorset
Kerstin Erben
Bernhard Forck
Edburg Forck
Thomas Graewe
Stephan Mai
Uta Peters
Dörte Wetzel
viola
Sabine Fehlandt
Annette Geiger
Anja Graewel
Clemens Nuszbaumer
cello
Inka Döring
Antje Geusen
Nicholas Selo
double bass
Matthias Winkler
oboe
Xenia Löffler
basson
Christian Beuse
trombone
Sebastian Krause
corno da caccia
Michael Bosch
harpsicord & organ
Raphael Alpermann
director & editing
Uli Aumüller
camera
Maik Behres
Michael Boomers
Boris Fromageot
Winfried Herrmann
Anette Mock
Sebastian Rausch
Günther Uttendorfer
sound engineer & mixing
George Morawietz
camera assistents
Mike Breitsameter
Thomas Hamann
Ralf Langenhahn
Steffen Wollin
equipment
Toralf Teschner
technical director
Thomas Herda
lightning director
Daniel Brandstäter
graphics
Stefan Helphrich
musicological advice
Lydia Jeschke
translations
Marion Frances Messer
direction assistent
Ilka Seifert
production director
Christiane Seifart
production assistent
Siegfried Amme
editorial office
Renate Lieberenz
a coproduction of
Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin
inpetto filmproduktion
Radialsystem V Berlin
Rundfunk Berlin Brandenburg
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