LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN 9th Symphony in D minor, op. 125, arranged and recomposed by Uri Caine, Juri de Marco, Alistair Duncan and Bertram Burkert

A film by Stephan Boehme and Victoria Holzwarth

Juri de Marco Musical Direction

David Fernandez Direction, Choreography

Andreas Harder Lighting Design

Sophie Schliemann Costume Design

Soloists of the STEGREIF.orchestra

A live recording from the PODIUM Festival Esslingen 2020

[This text has been translated electronically] Many people see Europe’s specialness above all in the characteristic of open borders. The STEGREIF.orchester goes one step further: in an utopian Europe, borders are not only open, but also fluid. By this the orchestra means countries, languages and musical genres alike. Inspired by Ludwig van Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, the “Europe Symphony”, the musicians combine folk songs from the continent with re-compositions and elements from Beethoven’s monumental work. #bfree is a work about freedom, about the longing for closeness and togetherness and about the fathoming of barriers – a European fantasy.

#bfree was created as part of the #bebeethoven project as a contribution to the Beethoven Year 2020. #bfree is a cooperation project between STEGREIF and PODIUM Esslingen as part of #bebeethoven – funded by the German Federal Cultural Foundation and the State of Baden-Württemberg – also supported by the Karl Schlecht Foundation.

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