Quo vadis ars?
The situation in the cultural sector has been
described and discussed in numerous interviews, corona diaries,
comments and reports in the past few weeks. Our annotated
collection
of currently 193 sources
gathers voices from different sectors and media.
This creates a picture of the cultural landscape in crisis,
whose temporal transformation can be explored interactively
via a dedicated
tag cloud.
Ein Jahr ohne Werke . Was es für das Musikleben bedeutet, wenn Verlage um ihr Überleben kämpfen
A year without pieces . What it means for musical life when publishing houses fight for their survival
by Merle Krafeld (03 Feb 2021)
Original source: VAN Magazin für klassische Musik
Music publishers play an important role in the cultural ecosystem. Not only do they promote the work of composers, but they also produce well thought-out sheet music in individual parts, ensure good binding quality of the sheet music and produce new editions of historical works. To do this, they conduct study of sources and work with scientific precision. The publishers therefore generate income not only from the sale of sheet music, but above all from the lending of scores of mostly copyrighted works to orchestras and choirs. The rental fees are made up of various facto rs such as the length and instrumentation of the work, the number of performances and seats available for sale. Last year, the turnover from rental fees for music publishers collapsed by up to 80 per cent. In addition to lending fees, publishers and rights holders also lost income from distributions by the German Performing Rights Society (GEMA) and foreign collecting societies as well as the German Music Edition Society (VG Musikedition). Since royalties are usually only paid out in the following year, the loss of income will not be felt until 2021. Publishers who specialise in choral music are also particularly affected, as it is not foreseeable here when rehearsals can be resumed. In the lockdown, only the purchase of individual parts and chamber music with small ensembles boomed. Henle-Verlag, which serves this segment with an app, among other things, is the only publishing house that recorded an increase in turnover in 2020.
As long as there is no planning security in the cultural sector, the sale and rental of sheet music will not increase. The staff of the publishing houses are therefore currently on short-time work and at the same time working flat out to offer works with a small line-up.
Many publishers are currently falling through the cracks of the aid payments because they are either too small or too big. The Neustart Kultur programme can compensate for turnover losses from the rental sector, but only 30 per cent of the lost turnover from April to November 2020, against which aid already received, such as short-time allowance, must be offset. So in the end, the aid is just a drop in the ocean. Read More Read Less
As long as there is no planning security in the cultural sector, the sale and rental of sheet music will not increase. The staff of the publishing houses are therefore currently on short-time work and at the same time working flat out to offer works with a small line-up.
Many publishers are currently falling through the cracks of the aid payments because they are either too small or too big. The Neustart Kultur programme can compensate for turnover losses from the rental sector, but only 30 per cent of the lost turnover from April to November 2020, against which aid already received, such as short-time allowance, must be offset. So in the end, the aid is just a drop in the ocean. Read More Read Less
tag Musikverlage GEMA Planungssicherheit Chormusik Leihverkehr Kurzarbeit Neustart Kultur Music Bericht
Ein Wort geht um auf deutschsprachigen Bühnen: der »Premierenstau«
A word is circulating on German-speaking stages: the »premiere backlog«
by Bernd Noack (29 Jan 2021)
Original source: Neue Züricher Zeitung
While the theatres had still hoped to reopen soon with the announcement of a lockdown light in November, the date for the start of productions seems to have receded into the distant future. While many theatres were still working on new productions in November and December, rehearsals have now largely stopped. Frustration in the ensembles is growing, as it is even less foreseeable than in the spring when a return to normal operations will be possible. As at the beginning of the season in autumn, audiences can then expect a flurry of premieres, as the new productions are j ust waiting to be presented. Until then, on the one hand, crisis management is in demand at the theatres, which - according to many theatre managers - is basically part of their everyday business. On the other hand, Nicolas Stemann from the Schauspielhaus Zurich asks the justified question of whether one can continue to plan with a theatre repertoire operation or whether the houses should not use the current situation to try out new formats and a new kind of artistic activity.
Read More
Read Less
tag Theater Systemrelevanz Lockdown Premierenstau Quo vadis ars Planungssicherheit Performing Arts/ Cinema Bericht
»Die freien Schauspieler sind überhaupt nicht abgesichert« . Metropoltheater München in der Coronakrise
by Jochen Schölch, Maja Ellmenreich (29 Dec 2020)
Original source: Deutschlandfunk
Independent theatres are particularly affected by the crisis. The Metropoltheater itself, as Jochen Schölch, artistic director and founder of the Metropol, reported in an interview with Deutschlandfunk, will get through the crisis thanks to a grant from the city of Munich. Nevertheless, the theatre is currently short about 450,000 euros, which were financed from reserves from previous years. The shortfall is due to the fact that the theatre pays the actors, all of whom are only booked for individual productions, the equivalent of short-time allowance, to which actor s working on freelance contracts are not entitled. Since actors often switch between permanent employment and freelance contracts, they currently fall through the cracks of state aid. In addition to the city of Munich, the theatre is supported by non-refunded tickets and donations from the Friends of the Theatre.
Even though the theatre has come through the crisis well so far, the artistic director is still worried whether the audience will return to the theatre after the lockdown or whether they have become so accustomed to Netflix and the like that they will no longer leave the house to visit the theatre in the evening. The question of whether actors will still be available is also on his mind. Those who have the opportunity are currently signing a contract for a television series in order to be able to fall back on a permanent income.
In an online presentation with short, associative video clips, the Metropoltheater has reflected on what theatre after Corona could look like. There is no streaming offer, however, as they are convinced that theatre can only be experienced in analogue form. Read More Read Less
Even though the theatre has come through the crisis well so far, the artistic director is still worried whether the audience will return to the theatre after the lockdown or whether they have become so accustomed to Netflix and the like that they will no longer leave the house to visit the theatre in the evening. The question of whether actors will still be available is also on his mind. Those who have the opportunity are currently signing a contract for a television series in order to be able to fall back on a permanent income.
In an online presentation with short, associative video clips, the Metropoltheater has reflected on what theatre after Corona could look like. There is no streaming offer, however, as they are convinced that theatre can only be experienced in analogue form. Read More Read Less
tag Theater Schauspieler*innen Streaming Unterstützung Finanzierung Kurzarbeit Quo vadis ars Performing Arts/ Cinema Interview
Entwarnung klingt anders . Chorsingen und Corona: Studie macht Aerosole sichtbar
It doesn't sound like the all-clear . Choral singing and corona: Study makes aerosols visible
by Tobias Stosiek (03 Jul 2020)
Original source: BR Klassik
At the beginning of the Corona pandemic there were some cases of mass infection in choirs and so it is reasonable to assume that the risk of infection is particularly high when singing. In a study conducted by the LMU Munich and the Friedrich-Alexander-University in Erlangen, the voice physician Matthias Echternach and the fluid mechanic Stefan Kniesburges conducted a series of experiments to make the spread of aerosols visible.
Singers of the Bavarian Radio Choir were available as test persons. They had the hope that the study would send a positive signal for an early resumption of concert activities.
The all-clear hoped for by the study did not come true, the hygiene rules that have been in force up to now are quite sensible, since aerosols do not only spread forward but also sideways. The degree of propagation depends on the existing ventilation system. A whole series of questions still remain unanswered: Does deep breathing while singing contribute to an increased probability of infection? How large is the amount of aerosol that is formed when singing and what is the corresponding concentration of aerosols in the air? Questions that still need to be answered in order to further trace the dangers of choral singing.
Read More Read Lesstag Chorsingen Aerosole Spucketröpfchen Hygieneregeln BR-Chor Matthias Echternach Stefan Kniesburges Music Bericht
»Es gab keine Kommunikation zwischen Theater und Politik« . Öffnung von Theatern und Opernhäusern
»There was no communication between theatre and politics« . Opening ot theatres and opera houses
by Barbara Behrendt, Michael Schmitz-Aufterbeck (31 May 2020)
Original source: Deutschlandfunk
Around 30 employees at the Aachen Theater had Covid 19 in March. Even though the state government of NRW allows the theaters to reopen on May 31, a regular program will only be played in Aachen in compliance with the hygiene rules at the beginning of the new season. Then only smaller productions will be shown in front of a significantly reduced audience.
The general director Michael Schmitz-Aufterbeck is irritated in the conversation that the politicians have not previously sought a dialogue with the persons engaged in the cultural sector. He describes in great de tail the difficulty of implementing the requirements for his employees, as the rooms are particularly limited on back stage and are sometimes very narrow. Read More Read Less
The general director Michael Schmitz-Aufterbeck is irritated in the conversation that the politicians have not previously sought a dialogue with the persons engaged in the cultural sector. He describes in great de tail the difficulty of implementing the requirements for his employees, as the rooms are particularly limited on back stage and are sometimes very narrow. Read More Read Less
tag Theater Oper Öffnung Hygieneregeln Kommunikation Spielplan Ulrich Khuon Performing Arts/ Cinema Interview
In Zeiten der Abstandsästhetik . Theater unter Corona-Bedingungen
In times of distance aesthetics . Theatre under corona conditions
by Stefan Grund (26 May 2020)
Original source: Welt
In Hamburg, the theatres are currently not yet allowed to reopen. However, in preparation for the new season, the Deutsches Schauspielhaus and the Thalia Theater have resumed rehearsals. Here, too, the rules of hygiene are strictly observed. This has an impact on the plays, in which more distance must now be maintained between the actors. Jan Bosse, director at the Thalia Theater, understands the alienation, which he did not choose himself, as an aesthetic challenge, which produces new solutions during rehearsals. These are also understood by the audience, since everyone can understand and interpret the collective narrative Corona. As an unique experience, he considers the Corona conditions as a challenge. However, the rules of hygiene should not be set in the long run, because especially the distance on stage can quickly lead to boredom.
Read More
Read Less
tag Theater Probenbetrieb Hygieneregeln Hamburg Jan Bosse Performing Arts/ Cinema Bericht
Zurück aus dem Netz: Theater unter Corona-Auflagen
Back from the Web: Theatre under Corona Constraints
by Susanne Burkhardt, Elena Philipp (22 May 2020)
Original source: Deutschlandfunk Kultur
In the »Theatre podcast« by Deutschlandfunk, Susanne Burkhardt and Elena Philipp, theater critic Cornelia Fiedler and actor Matthias Wuttke investigate the limitations of the crisis and the opportunities that the reopening of houses can bring. Few houses have found ways to show current productions under the conditions of the lockdown. It turns out that theaters in Germany have developed many formats in recent decades that now enable corona-compatible forms of theater.
tag Theater Theaterformen Onlineangebote Hygieneregeln Cornelia Fiedler Matthias Wuttke Performing Arts/ Cinema Podcast
So könnte Theater . Kultur in München
This is how theater could become »Corona-compatible« . Culture in Munich
by Egbert Tholl, Reinhard J. Brembeck (08 May 2020)
Original source: Süddeutsche Zeitung
In Munich, Christian Stückl, the director of the municipal Volkstheater, and Anton Biebl, head of the cultural department of the city of Munich, presented a concept for a theater in corona times. They want to protect visitors and employees with corona-compatible pieces, little equipment, conversions in the auditorium and performances without breaks. The new season should start again at the end of July at the Volkstheater. In this way, loss of revenue from past spring could be compensated. After all, theaters, opera houses and orchestras will not survive another dry spell until autumn.
Read More
Read Less
