{"id":2896,"date":"2017-05-01T18:54:41","date_gmt":"2017-05-01T16:54:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/allover-magazin.com\/?p=2896"},"modified":"2017-05-03T17:11:59","modified_gmt":"2017-05-03T15:11:59","slug":"european-unison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/allover-magazin.com\/?p=2896","title":{"rendered":"European Unison"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201eMy fingers have always been much braver than my voice\u201c, says the young British artist Ruth Spencer Jolly when asked about her artistic approach. She therefore feels more comfortable to use them as a transmitter to channel her ideas and make them become expressional. Playing the piano since a young age she more recently has extended this into her artistic practice, be it playing the piano only with her thumbs in Text for Thumbs<\/em> (2016) \u2013 in response to their increasing superiority over the other fingers she detects because of current technological developments \u2013 or We can work it out <\/em>(2014) which highlights another aspect of new forms of communication: debating on social media.<\/p>\n

Now, explicitly, it is a time to be brave. Thursday, 23rd<\/sup> June 2016, has marked a historical changing point for Great Britain. Politics handed over their responsibilities to the people: the Damocles\u2019 sword has divided the nation, the<\/em> majority voted to withdraw from the European Union and then again Dionysius return to his throne. Demographically speaking it\u2019s been patronizing senior citizens who have voted upon a future they do not have to come to terms with. Idealized nostalgia tipped the scales. Born as European citizen, Ruth Spencer Jolly and so many of her generation who now have to redefine their identity feel like subjects without a voice, even though they have had taken on their chance to speak up. And yet those unheeded ask again: What is to be done?<\/p>\n

Ruth Spencer Jolly has written her most extensive play to this day. A piece composed for 28 pianos that re-tells the history of the European Union from its beginnings in the early fifties to the day when Great Britain decided to resign from the European Union, seemingly oblivious to its founding ideas: peace, freedom, solidarity and cultural diversity. Then, following the idea to symbolize diversity, national anthems remained, and solidary and peace is expressed by also introducing a unifying, the <\/em>European anthem: Friedrich von Schillers\u2019 Ode to Joy<\/em> scored in Beethoven\u2019s Ninth Symphony.<\/p>\n

In Spencer Jolly\u2019s composition European Unison<\/em> six pianos, representing the founding nations Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands by playing their national anthems, merge to celebrate an Ode to Joy!<\/em><\/p>\n

Freude, sch\u00f6ner G\u00f6tterfunken,
\nTochter aus Elisium,
\nWir betreten feuertrunken
\nHimmlische, dein Heiligthum.
\nDeine Zauber binden wieder,
\nwas der Mode Schwerd getheilt;
\nBettler werden F\u00fcrstenbr\u00fcder,
\nwo dein sanfter Fl\u00fcgel weilt.<\/p>\n

Seid umschlungen Millionen!
\nDiesen Ku\u00df der ganzen Welt!
\nBr\u00fcder \u2013 \u00fcberm Sternenzelt
\nmu\u00df ein lieber Vater wohnen.<\/p>\n

Wem der gro\u00dfe Wurf gelungen,
\neines Freundes Freund zu seyn;
\nwer ein holdes Weib errungen,
\nmische seinen Jubel ein!
\nJa \u2013 wer auch nur eine Seele
\nsein nennt auf dem Erdenrund!
\nUnd wer\u2019s nie gekonnt,
\nder stehle
\nweinend sich aus diesem Bund![1]<\/a><\/p>\n

Leading up to an uncertain present, the play denotes significant moments in the European history, focusing especially on moments that could be read as a premonition of \u2018Brexit\u2019: Britain\u2019s ECC in\/out referendum in 1975 and \u2018Black Wednesday\u2019 in 1992 always recurring to The Ode to Joy<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Like the European anthem Jolly Spencer\u2019s composition is purely instrumental; written for 28 pianos \u2013 independent and self-sufficient, commonly used as solo instruments \u2013 playing together. Music again is being recognized as a unifying language understood across borders, spoken far beyond the European Union and occasionally echoing beautifully and unexpectedly the unknown as herald of a brave new world.<\/p>\n

\n
[1]<\/a> Joy, beautiful spark of divinity,
\nDaughter from Elysium,
\nWe enter, drunk with fire,
\nHeavenly One, thy sanctuary!
\nYour magics join again
\nwhat the sword of custom divided; Beggars become brothers of lords,
\nWhere your gentle wing abides.
\nWho has succeeded in the great attempt,
\nTo be a friend’s friend,
\nWhoever has won a lovely woman,
\nAdd his to the jubilation!
\nIndeed, who calls even one soul
\nTheirs upon this world!
\nAnd whoever never managed, shall steal himself
\nWeeping away from this union.All creatures drink of joy
\nAt nature’s breast.
\nJust and unjust
\nAlike taste of her gift;
\nShe gave us kisses and the fruit of the vine,
\nA tried friend to the end.
\n[Even] the worm has been granted sensuality,
\nAnd the cherub stands before God!<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201eMy fingers have always been much braver than my voice\u201c, says the young British artist Ruth Spencer Jolly when asked about her artistic approach. She therefore feels more comfortable to use them as a transmitter to channel her ideas and … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[129,51],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2896","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ausgabe-12","category-bildstrecke"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/allover-magazin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2896","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/allover-magazin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/allover-magazin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allover-magazin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allover-magazin.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2896"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/allover-magazin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2896\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2915,"href":"https:\/\/allover-magazin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2896\/revisions\/2915"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/allover-magazin.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2896"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allover-magazin.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2896"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allover-magazin.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2896"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}