Saturday was busy. We started at 10am with a slow breakfast and a lot of catching up with the news from last year. In the afternoon we visited Bergedorf, a town outside Hamburg where we walked around the castle and came across the delightful little bridge pictured left, with Meggie standing at the end. A brick built section of the castle can be seen in the background. Originally founded in 1220, the moated castle has undergone much change and additions over the centuries. There was a street festival in town and it was very crowded, but we found a little cafe and drank tea, coffee and I ate a nice piece of apple pie. In the evening we went to a concert at Neuengamme, a concentration camp from 1938 to 1945 during the last war.
The concert itself was held in the old brickworks, where slave labour was used to produced bricks. The site is huge and is now a memorial to those who died here. We listened to "Canto General" an oratorio for solists, choir and orchestra. The Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis set to music the words from Pablo Neruda's tenth book of poems, which were published in 1950. The work attempts to be a history of the whole continent of Hispanic America. The South American music was wonderful, it was difficult to keep your feet still, and was sung in Spanish by the solists and the choir.
The concert itself was held in the old brickworks, where slave labour was used to produced bricks. The site is huge and is now a memorial to those who died here. We listened to "Canto General" an oratorio for solists, choir and orchestra. The Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis set to music the words from Pablo Neruda's tenth book of poems, which were published in 1950. The work attempts to be a history of the whole continent of Hispanic America. The South American music was wonderful, it was difficult to keep your feet still, and was sung in Spanish by the solists and the choir.
 |
| The choir to the right with the percussion and timpani foreground. |
The photo above shows the scene at the end of the concert, when the musicians received so many encours, they were forced to repeat two of the cantos. The South American and Chilian music was so exciting, expecially as we sat very near the percussion section. The great gong clanged and the castanet player was wonderful to watch. The four percussionists moved around each other effortlessly, each sharing the playing of the various instruments, and at times in very quick succession. The concert was a very moving occasion, particularly so for being performed at Neuengamme, where it celebrated life amidst the echoes of death.
 |
| Drums, maracas, tubular bells, zylophones, clappers, tambouriens, cymbals and a big gong. |
 |
| The player at the zylophone takes a rest. There's a big gong in the background and cymbals to the left. |
 |
| A view of the old brickworks, with a chimney centre. There must have been an audience of at least 600 people. |
See Wikipedia for more information about "Neuengamme Concentration Camp."
No comments:
Post a Comment