Christian von Borries and Jonathan Aner
Das Ende vom Lied (2020)
Episode 1: Schubert’s Despair
COVID-19 has made us look at singers as superspreaders. Maybe that has something to do with their songs and texts?
Episodes

On Paranoia TV​ starting 27.9.

3 episodes
In German

Credits

Commissioned and produced by steirischer herbst ’20

The lockdown has given us plenty of house concerts on Zoom, as amazing musicians offered intimate renditions of classical masterpieces. There wasn’t much talking in the process, especially not about politics. In fact, there is a lot to say about the political dimension of chamber music, beginning with its role as a projective surface for political desire in the 19th century and ending with its status today as decorative entertainment for the bourgeoisie. Composer and filmmaker Christian von Borries takes us on a journey through musical history in the company of renowned pianist Jonathan Aner. We will hear the Winterreise, the Dichterliebe, Eisler, Heine, Jelinek, Marx, and Brecht. There is a tradition of shutting up one’s enemies by singing, be it under Metternich, Hitler, Waldheim, or Kurz.

Bio

Christian von Borries (1961, Zurich, Switzerland) is a filmmaker, composer, conductor, and flutist. He produces media from other media, focusing on the effect that global neoliberal capitalism and contemporary technologies have upon culture. A recent focus is upon AI and deep learning, both as a means of composing and in their larger social context. He lives in a rooftop greenhouse in Berlin.

Jonathan Aner (1978, Israel) is a pianist who has performed widely as a soloist with some of the leading orchestras and musicians of the world. Described as “a chamber musician par excellence” (Frankfurter Rundschau), he is a member of the Duo Brillaner and the Oberon Trio and is a professor at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler. He lives in Berlin.

Credits

Commissioned and produced by steirischer herbst ’20