Markus Thiel: "The volcano has exploded", conversation with Christian Gerhaher; culture 23./24. May
As a regular concert visitor, I value Christian Gerhaher as one of the best singers of the present day, but also as an intrepid fighter in cultural-political matters. All the more, a passage in his interview in Mercury surprised me about the “blighted cultural sovereignty”. In it he describes "the federal claims of the federal states" only "as historical fact, but not in cultural terms" and advocates an "art and education ministry at federal level". One does not exclude the other, but a central Federal Ministry can hardly do justice to the immense importance of federal cultural funding. Finally, we owe the rich German cultural treasure to the diversity of the former state structure into principalities and free imperial cities. One has to strongly contradict Gerhaher's assertion that "customs are not a culture worth protecting, but a living tradition that is poor in content compared to the arts". He probably follows the outdated elitist concept of culture of the 19th century and apparently does not know the rich diversity of folk culture if he reduces it to traditional costumes and dances and does not mention the large area of folk music that is particularly pronounced in Bavaria. Their cultural importance is shown impressively in the inclusion, for example, of the twofold in the intangible cultural heritage of Unesco. From the point of view of music history alone, the demarcation is not correct, especially since classical music was closely interwoven with folk music. Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert have composed charming traders and German dances. Today, many folk musicians, who are at home in both areas, prove that folk music and art music are not cultural opposites. Bavaria was the first country in Germany to publish a music plan in 1978. In it, the Bavarian government set out, among other things, a development program for professional, amateur and folk music, and updated this program in 1989 and 2010. Although the promotion of folk music on the part of the state is rather marginal, it shows an appreciation that already distinguished the Wittelsbacher. Folk music has had its most important forum since 1998 in the folk music gathering that takes place every two years at Pentecost in rain. There thousands of singers, musicians and dancers across the entire city and the surrounding area, individually and in small and large ensembles in front of tens of thousands of enthusiastic visitors, impressively demonstrate the lively tradition of folk music - a good opportunity to get to know folk music in all its cultural diversity. Unfortunately, everything around this year is due to corona.
Dr. Erich Sepp
Siegertsbrunn
Head of Folk Music Department a. D. at the Bavarian State Association for Home Care eV