Beethovenfest's Nike Wagner takes stock

Nike Wagner has been director of the Beethovenfest Bonn since 2014. Her directorship will come to an end with the festival in 2021. DW spoke with her about her time in Bonn, the future of the festival — and the relevance of Beethoven.

DW: Ms. Wagner, people around the world are currently seeing the horrible images coming out of Afghanistan. In light of such dire circumstances, what does Beethoven still have to say in today's world?

Nike Wagner: That question is easy to answer: It is once again about dictatorships, about oppression, about the reactionary "rewinding" of the achievements of civilization. Beethoven stands for the notion of freedom, equality, brotherhood. His work cannot be understood as anything other than as an appeal to humankind about a sense of humanity.

Back to Bonn: You directed the Beethovenfest for seven years. The opening concert on August 20 marks the beginning of your last season. How does that feel?

It feels just right! The number seven is, after all, a biblical, a magical number, and I believe that we have been able to change a lot in seven years. We have worked on a new image of Beethoven, and in the course of this time, that should have become clear.

What is this new Beethoven image?

Beethoven is firmly part of our musical culture. But we must be careful not to do him an injustice by allowing events celebrating Beethoven from becoming routine.

It is always a matter of making Beethoven relevant for the present. How do composers today relate to Beethoven? Does he still mean something to them? How do visual artists deal with Beethoven? Is his music suitable for the performance scene? How does it further our thinking? A lot has happened during my tenure at the Beethovenfest.

In 2020, the 250th Beethoven anniversary year was to be celebrated with a very special Beethovenfest. Then the coronavirus pandemic threw a wrench into everyone's plans. What was your experience then and now?

It is a tragedy. I have never experienced so much effort put in, in terms of organization, financing and also idealism in the preparations made for the anniversary year 2020 — on the part of the federal government, the state, the district and the city. For Bonn, the attitude was: Now or never we will become Beethoven City ... And then everything had to be canceled everything. The shutdown was terrible.

The only consolation is that at least part of the program could be "saved" and carried over into 2021, and will now take place. What can you say about this year's motto and the highlights of the program?

For the Fall Season 2020, I had already planned the theme to be "Auferstehn, ja auferstehn!" (Resurrect! Yes, Resurrect!), and so that remains now for 2021. But given the COVID-19 pandemic, that has acquired a somewhat sinister sense. On the other hand, the motto also expresses a great deal of faith and hope. I got it from Gustav Mahler's Second Symphony, the so-called Resurrection Symphony...

...which, played by the Mahler Chamber Orchestra under Maxime Pascal, together with Beethoven's Ninth at the opening of the festival (in the interpretation by Le Concert des Nations, the famous orchestra conducted by Jordi Savall) forms the framework of the program. What are other highlights?

With the two vocal symphonies, we have built two massive pillars, as it were, for the beginning and the end of our season.

In addition, "all nine" will be heard this year — the entire cycle of Beethoven symphonies, played by various orchestras. Three times in the "original sound," twice by modern, much larger orchestras. In this way, one hears different approaches to interpretation, different sound images — both are exciting and legitimate. 

And that's not all. In addition, all symphonies will be performed in piano transcriptions by Franz Liszt. These are rarely heard and can only be mastered by extraordinary virtuosos.

We have also succeeded in finally bringing the Vienna Philharmonic to Bonn, with conductor Herbert Blomstedt. In 2020 that was not possible — but in 2021, they were suddenly free. In a way, this has become a sort of "gift" resulting from the pandemic. And we were able to win over Romeo Castellucci for a Prometheus installation.

Those are just a few highlights of the program. What do you want to remain from your tenure?

A sense of openness, a breath of fresh air, a sense of connections. And — yes, a desire to engage with the present — with lively culture. It is only from this perspective that Beethoven's extraordinarily creative genius can be understood.

Do you already know what you will do next year in late summer?

I will make a pilgrimage to Bonn to see what colors and shapes the next Beethovenfest will come up with. I hope for a completely different kind of festival because festivals thrive from change and movement, and I'm looking forward to that.

 

This interview has been adapted from German.