Freedom o(r) Speech

Merkel is a fan of Wagner, Obama listens to Bob Dylan and Putin loves folk. Can music make politicians see the error of their ways? In his minimalist cantata De Staat, Louis Andriessen uses energetic rhythms and insistent chords to raise a fist against totalitarianism. In Der Tribun, Mauricio Kagel makes a mockery of populism with oompah-pah brass and merry marching music. I Solisti del Vento set these political analyses alongside a piece by David Fennessy. A new text by Dimitri Verhulst – featuring Jan Decleir as a contemporary demagogue – celebrates the dawn of a new political era: 'The future beckons, the sky clears and even the roses turn blue. Tomorrow. Tomorrow belongs to me and you.’