Music will carry us through every tyranny.

international | arts and media | other press Monday May 02, 2005 22:54 by I mac d - "reclaim berlin"

"Before Beethoven we are all equal"- Daniel Barrenboim.

As Berlin moves through change after change, as the most symbolic city of Europe's peace.
Many look on and wonder, can the Berliners find common purpose to maintian civilisation, further liberty, equality, recognise properly the past, be it that of Weimar, of Cabaret, of the Reich, of the War, of the Division, of the blockade, of the Wall, of the Wende and reunification, of the relocalisation of the German capital,...

- of the "where are we going?" now.

Berlin has seen both extremes. For more than any other city in Europe it lived under dictatorship, tyranny, secret police and control.
It briefly became a mecca for writers, artists, acitivists in the period immediately after German re-unification.

It has been subject to difficult changes, and has not experienced the miracle economic growth that was promised as long ago as JF Kennedy's speech denouncing the soviet occupation.

There, opinion polarises again.

The coalition forces that have nurtured democracy in the post War Germany in the west, of centre left and right have not spoken effectively to a new generation of united Berliners.

The coaltion forces that brought German democracy through its late XX century experimentation in ecology and social equality and justice have not managed to stop the emergence of extreme nationalist sentiment in the city of the Reichstag.

Other factors, beyond the control of Berliners have had their effect, the miraculous economic recovery which Marshall aid and careful management and true German dignity brought to their people in the west of the federation has borne a heavy price since the "wende" or re-unification and the emergence of the new European Union.

For many who have not prospered from any frankfurt tiger, the map of the united Europe appears all to similar to the imperial project of the not too distant past.

The return of popular Hollywood-esque attention to that period in the form of a blockbusting movie examining the last days of the German dicatator and leader of genocide, has spurned on such warped national identities. Even the election of a German cardinal to the pontificacy has had its effect on the psycho-geographical hinterland of supremacism.

This effects all Berliners, all Europeans, from Lisbon to Dublin from Riga to Kiev, from Ankara to Tunis.

And our hope is most truly in the next generation.
We do not hold hope for those who mobilised in Liepzig and Berlin under banners of the neo-Nazis to celebrate workers day, we do not hold hope in those who chose to condemn civil matrimonial contracts aimed at recognising commitment in adult life between those of the same sex today rather than condemning the return to the streets of Germany's capital of hundreds of supremacist, extreme right demonstraters, of the return to the walls of Germany's capital of writing that needs to be cleaned.

Daniel Barrenboim, is a dude.
An older dude, a pianist, orchestral conductor, opera director, teacher, and peace activist.
He runs the Barrenboim/Said Foundation which he founded with the late Edward Said of Palestine.
He presently runs the "Opera unter den linden" and each year takes the baton "magic wand" to conduct an orchestra of jews, muslims and christian little musicians from the mess which is palestine and israel.

Today he launched his project for Berlin.
A musical kindergarten for 3 to 6 year old kids.

There's a meeting in Berlin tomorrow 3 of May and the phone lines will be open to help him and them out with whatever.

the news article
http://www.codexflores.ch/nachrichten_ind2.php?art=1352

and their site is online-
http://www.musikkindergarten-berlin.de/

During the European conflict which most tell you was 1939-1945 one song was sung on both sides, by axis and allies alike, the yugoslavs sang it on both sides of serbo-croat divide, the british sang it copying Vera Lyne and the Germans copying Marlene Dietrich.

It is the history that everyone must recognise happen, that as many men and women, now grandparents did make salutes to either extreme, but also lived in misery under both yokes of misery.

here is the german, I leave it, because it evokes Cabaret, it evokes lipstick charm, and the strange road between tyranny and love, and it evokes the linden where my dear Daniel Barrenboim teaches.
Teach on!

Lili Marlen
Vor der Kaserne, vor dem grossen Tor
Stand eine Laterne, und steht sie noch davor
So woll'n wir uns da wiedersehn,
Bei der Laterne woll'n wir stehn
Wie einst, Lili Marlen,
wie einst, Lili Marlen.

Unsre beiden Schatten sahn wie Einer aus
Dass wir lieb uns hatten, dass sah man gleich daraus
Und alle Leute soll'nn es sehn,
wenn wir bei der Laterne stehn
Wie einst, Lili Marlen,
wie einst, Lili Marlen.

Schon rief der Posten: sie blasen Zapfenstreich
Es kann drei Tage kosten! - Kam'rad, ich komm ja gleich!
Da sagten wir auf wiedersehn,
wie gerne wollt'ich mit dir gehn
Mit dir, Lili Marlen,
mit dir, Lili Marlen.

Deine Schritte kennt sie, deinen zieren Gang
Alle Abend brennt sie, mich vergass sie lang
Und sollte mir ein Leid geschehn,
wer wird bei der Laterne stehn
Mit dir, Lili Marlen,
mit dir, Lili Marlen?

Aus dem stillen Raume, aus der Erde Grund
Hebt mich wie in Traume dein verliebter Mund
Wenn sich die späten Nebel drehn,
werd' ich bei der Laterne stehn
Wie einst, Lili Marlen,
wie einst, Lili Marlen.