Handel on the Wayside - a scenic oratorio
(ffm) Refugees, students and Frankfurt residents of different origins and religions will present their version of "Messiah" based on Handel's oratorio in March. The Art-Q art and culture association will present the multicultural music-theater piece on a total of seven dates in the Heiliggeistkirche at the Dominikanerkloster starting Friday, March 8.
In times of cultural and political tensions between religions, this project brings differences and similarities into focus: Faith, love, hope - here believers, atheists and seekers meet on the arduous path to enlightenment.
Students of the UAS Frankfurt and musicians of the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst (HfMDK) meet refugees and people with a migration background in Frankfurt and set a visible sign of openness for cultural and religious diversity. Based on Handel's oratorio, the performers project the diversity of the participating faith communities. "The 'Messiah', as a prime example of occidental musical culture, forms the basis for bringing people of all religions together on stage," says theatre pedagogue Timo Becker.
By using new arrangements of Handel's classic work and musical influences from different cultures, the participants have succeeded in developing a contemporary and rousing piece of musical theatre that includes the major themes of religion and philosophy. From questions of meaning to meaninglessness - from Handel to Highway to Hell!
In the current debate about flight and migration, it is clear that especially the topics of culture and religion make integration difficult in many cases. On the other hand, religious affiliation also plays a major role for refugees, both in obtaining a residence permit and in everyday life in Christian-influenced Germany. Against this background, this cultural-aesthetic stage play deals with different faiths and world views and aims to help break down prejudices and fears of contact, to promote mutual respect and integration - on stage and in the audience.
According to its tradition, the Heiliggeistkirche at the Dominican Monastery offers a place of communication and understanding of different world views and opens its doors for the revival of Handel's "Messiah" in an interreligious new production.
The 20 theatrical performers of different nationalities and religions will be musically accompanied by a 50-member choir and an orchestral band.
Cooperation partner of the Art-Q project is, besides the University of Music and Performing Arts (HfMDK) and the Frankfurt University of Applied Science (FUAS), the Protestant Church Frankfurt and Offenbach. The patron of the project is Uwe Becker, Mayor and City Treasurer of the City of Frankfurt am Main.
"Frankfurt is a place of togetherness. Christians, Jews, Muslims, people of other faiths, but also people who are not affiliated with any religion, experience a togetherness in Frankfurt that is so pronounced in hardly any other German city. We can be proud of this. But it is precisely this togetherness that we must advocate on a daily basis. Because even here there are groups that would rather drive our society apart than bring it together. This is precisely why projects that connect people and call for respectful togetherness are so important," explains Mayor and Church Director Uwe Becker. "I am proud to be part of this project as a patron."
Admission costs twelve, reduced eight euros. The start is always at 7.30 p.m., admission opens from 6.30 p.m.
Tickets and further information are available on the Ticketholtine 0180/6050-400 and at http://www.art-q.net
More information on events: http://art-q.net/messiah/
