Der Geist Von Gestern

"wenn der mensch den menschen nicht mehr trifft/wird der mensch dem menschen fremd." [when human beings no longer meet human beings, human beings become strangers to human beings.]

This sentence is taken from the text über die kulturlose zeit written by Alex Nowitz during the Corona crisis in May 2020, which is also published here in the digital showcase (in German).

In his program note for the new piece, Alex Nowitz writes: "Consisting of five short musical scenes, the composition Der Geist Von Gestern. Oder: wenn der mensch den menschen nicht mehr trifft [The Ghost/Spirit of Yesterday. Or: when human beings no longer meet human beings] grapples with the events and experiences made during the Corona crisis. Similar to the piano piece Josephs Geist, composed in the Haydn Year 2009, this version, arranged for Katia Guedes and the Modern Art Ensemble Berlin, traces the spirit of yesterday, which determines people's daily thoughts and actions and which makes it inherently difficult for them to accept the unknown and go beyond the unfamiliar, not to mention to meet, in a creative way, the challenges of our times."

The piece consists of five scenes: I. Beschwörend / II. Erweckend / III. Vom Zucken des Geistes / IV. Der Einverleibungstanz / V. „wird der mensch dem menschen fremd“

The world premiere will take place during the Brandenburg Festival for New Music intersonanzen 2020 on 20 August at the Kunsthaus sans titre in Potsdam.