Located in the UK
Located in the USA
Located in Europe
- Peter Bruun
Kunsten at vælge (2005)
(The Art of Choosing)- Edition Wilhelm Hansen Copenhagen (World)
- 1111/1000/dms/pf/vn.vc
- Mz, Bar, B
- 1 hr 55 min
- Ursula Andkjær Olsen
- Danish
Programme Note
The scene is an abandoned hotel in a foreign country. Abandoned and ravaged by war. It is hot. Sun and sand outside.
Into it marches a crowd of a uniformed singers and musicians, into a chaotic country that might be in the Middle East. Maybe they are old scouts, maybe the military, maybe observers with a democracy project in Iraq. With them at any rate they have a message that they spread around in a polyphonic chorus of voices, in battle songs, community songs, wartime hits, bel canto etc.
“One vote – the vote. Several votes – all the votes. My vote,”...the singers chant on stage and begin their lesson in democracy, in elections, in casting their one vote.
They want to get the message of freedom out to each individual, who can choose freely among new kitchen units and hospitals.
Ursula wrote these texts before the ‘Mohammed cartoons’. And some passages in the production now seem prophetic:
“We are free to express ourselves in languages we do not master. We are free to express ourselves about subjects we know nothing about ... In short, we’re drifting,” as they sing in the evening’s community song.
The audience is involved along the way. Ballots, pencils, shows of hands. And then there’s a weblog in English – and an Alsatian dog.
Amidst this great pedagogical project an alarm sounds, the lights go out – is it a car bomb? After this episode the undaunted, determined energy of the group is superseded by other voices: of grief over those who have sacrificed their lives for the project, of healthy doubt and finally of hope, the hope of solidarity and the hope of doing good, not evil.
I think it was a courageous and highly entertaining production, or perhaps rather election meeting. We succeeded in getting the ten musicians to participate as actors without spoiling the music – on the contrary, it suited the music that the set-ups for each number varied so much.
The reception of the production ranged from the extremely enthusiastic to accusations of high treason. In the newspaper Berlingske Tidende: “In these ‘Mohammed times’ that are so difficult for our country, don’t we need art to ask these questions of our democracy?” No comment!
SHORT VERSION:
A group of people from the ‘West’ arrive in a foreign country – in the ‘East’. Their task is to teach freedom and democracy and the job in hand is to demonstrate how to mount an election. At first they bring energy and enthusiasm to the project, but they lose heart and lose their grip because they begin to have their doubts and begin to ponder their own freedom. Can you choose your own identity? Are you free when you are free to do whatever you like?
Into it marches a crowd of a uniformed singers and musicians, into a chaotic country that might be in the Middle East. Maybe they are old scouts, maybe the military, maybe observers with a democracy project in Iraq. With them at any rate they have a message that they spread around in a polyphonic chorus of voices, in battle songs, community songs, wartime hits, bel canto etc.
“One vote – the vote. Several votes – all the votes. My vote,”...the singers chant on stage and begin their lesson in democracy, in elections, in casting their one vote.
They want to get the message of freedom out to each individual, who can choose freely among new kitchen units and hospitals.
Ursula wrote these texts before the ‘Mohammed cartoons’. And some passages in the production now seem prophetic:
“We are free to express ourselves in languages we do not master. We are free to express ourselves about subjects we know nothing about ... In short, we’re drifting,” as they sing in the evening’s community song.
The audience is involved along the way. Ballots, pencils, shows of hands. And then there’s a weblog in English – and an Alsatian dog.
Amidst this great pedagogical project an alarm sounds, the lights go out – is it a car bomb? After this episode the undaunted, determined energy of the group is superseded by other voices: of grief over those who have sacrificed their lives for the project, of healthy doubt and finally of hope, the hope of solidarity and the hope of doing good, not evil.
I think it was a courageous and highly entertaining production, or perhaps rather election meeting. We succeeded in getting the ten musicians to participate as actors without spoiling the music – on the contrary, it suited the music that the set-ups for each number varied so much.
The reception of the production ranged from the extremely enthusiastic to accusations of high treason. In the newspaper Berlingske Tidende: “In these ‘Mohammed times’ that are so difficult for our country, don’t we need art to ask these questions of our democracy?” No comment!
SHORT VERSION:
A group of people from the ‘West’ arrive in a foreign country – in the ‘East’. Their task is to teach freedom and democracy and the job in hand is to demonstrate how to mount an election. At first they bring energy and enthusiasm to the project, but they lose heart and lose their grip because they begin to have their doubts and begin to ponder their own freedom. Can you choose your own identity? Are you free when you are free to do whatever you like?