Berlin conductor brings classical music to the masses

DW (English)

Star German conductor Joana Mallwitz is on a mission to bring classical music to a wider audience. Her concerts take people on an expedition through famous works from music history.

Transcript

00:00This is Johanna Malwitz in her element.

00:04The conductor of Konzerthaus Berlin wants to spread her enthusiasm for classical music to as many new listeners as possible.

00:17You have to experience it live, how the energy of such an orchestra fills the room and makes the floor shake.

00:26And sharing it with so many people at the same time, it's more than just an emotional experience.

00:32The feelings that are unleashed turn it into something very physical.

00:37This time, Beethoven's third symphony, the Eroica or the Heroic, is on the program as an experience concert,

00:44where you not only listen to the music, but also learn interesting and entertaining facts about it.

00:56So what do we really know?

00:58We know that Beethoven at some point intended to dedicate this new symphony, which he was working on, to Napoleon.

01:05And the most important evidence for this is the very first manuscript of the score.

01:11It says Sinfonie Grande and below in Titulata Bonaparte.

01:18In this subtitle, this second heading was erased so vigorously by someone,

01:24presumably by Beethoven himself, that there is now simply a gaping hole in this title page.

01:34We invite our listeners on a journey where we delve right into the heart of a work of music history, so to speak.

01:42We approach the music and try to get closer to it in some way.

01:47At the age of 13, Joanna Malwicz knew that she wanted to be a conductor.

01:51At 27, she became the youngest female general music director in Europe.

01:56And she's been the chief conductor at the Konzerthaus Berlin since the fall of 2023.

02:01Her grand vision is to fill its halls with a more diverse and younger audience.

02:07Experimental concert series such as the Night Sessions,

02:10a crossover format of collaborations with musicians from all over the world,

02:14concerts in different locations of the Konzerthaus,

02:17or allowing the audience to sit right in the middle of the playing orchestra

02:21are all intended to achieve this goal.

02:25All these projects are aimed at inviting even more people to join us

02:29with the end goal of getting them to attend a symphony concert.

02:34Because the symphony is the most awesome experience,

02:37turning the concert hall into an awesome place.

02:41Beethoven's accents keep going against our usual sense of rhythm,

02:46punching us from every direction with an awkward timing.

02:51In a passage like this, for example, where the accents always come in duple time,

02:56so you almost feel like we're in the middle of a concert,

02:59it's almost as if we're in the middle of a concert hall.

03:03In a passage like this, for example, where the accents always come in duple time,

03:08so you almost feel like we're in duple time,

03:11and you no longer know where the actual bar lines are.

03:28The bottom line is always the same,

03:32that you allow your own ears to become very, very big through this proximity,

03:39so that you can hear things that you might not otherwise notice,

03:44or that you've never heard before.

03:49The fourth movement starts like a thunderstorm in the completely wrong key.

04:02What one senses and what remains is the feeling that we will of course never know

04:06whether Beethoven had anyone in particular in mind with this title.

04:11In the end, the music itself is the hero.

04:32I think it's great because you somehow understand all the music

04:36and you're guided through the whole structure of the piece.

04:40I really liked the music,

04:42and I also thought it was good that she explained it to help you understand it better.

04:48I wish I'd had this introduction as a young person

04:51because then I would definitely have gone much, much more often to concerts.

04:56I think it's really great to get involved and not just listen,

04:59but also find out what he was thinking, how the whole thing came about.

05:02It brings a completely different dimension to the concert.

05:07One thing is certain.

05:08Joanna Malwicz's experience concerts have proven to be a thrilling experience

05:13both for seasoned classical music fans and curious newcomers alike.

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