Songs of Wars I have seen
Staged Concert with words by Gertrude Stein, 2007
Composed for the London Sinfonietta and the Orchestra in the Age of Enlightenment
(London / Southbank Centre)
conductor Sian Edwards
Composition, stage, direction and light design Heiner Goebbels
A set of table top and standard lamps, illuminating the stage as a living room. The female musicians at the front of the stage performing on both period and modern instruments, playing and then reading text from the wartime diaries of Gertrude Stein. The score carefully mixing Matthew Locke's music of the 17th century with that of today. Other ensemble members set back in the half-light, providing a haunting musical commentary to the drama. All combined, composed and shaped expertly by composer-director Heiner Goebbels.
Commissioned by the Southbank Centre for the London Sinfonietta and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Songs of Wars I have Seen has helped re-invent the listening experience and provide a profoundly moving event for audiences around the world.
Files
pdf: angelica © Helmut Failoni (it)Texts
A hushed late-night performance of Heiner Goebbels (Review, en)
12 August 2024, Richard Fairman, Financial Times
Songs of Wars I Have Seen, - moving portrayal of wartime diaries (Review, en)
Heiner Goebbels' singular take on World War Two has poignant contemporary relevance
13 October 2023, Miranda Heggie, theARTSdesk.com
Nachdenken über den Krieg – «Songs of Wars I Have Seen» (Review, de)
Ein szenisches Konzert des Orchesters 900presente mit «Songs of Wars I Have Seen» von Heiner Goebbels in Lugano.
16 May 2023, Max Nyfeller, Schweizer Musikzeitung
Gertrude Steins krigsdagbok klingar i ”Songs of wars I have seen” (Review, sv)
Den tyske kompositören Heiner Goebbels iscensättning av Gertrude Steins krigsdagbok handlar om den svåra konsten att uthärda vardagen. En musikalisk konversation genom tid och rum.
11 February 2023, Johanna Paulsson, Dagens Nyheter
Promišljanja o kompoziciji kao topografiji memorije: Anahronijski diskurs Heinera Goebbelsa i Gertrude Stein u Songs of Wars I h (Article, bs)
Reflections on Composition as a Topography of Memory: Heiner Goebbels’ and Gertrude Stein’s Anachronic Discourse in Songs of Wars I have seen
2020, Amila Ramovic
Tisto, kar slišimo, ni tisto, kar vidimo (Review, sl)
Nocoj »Uprizoritveni koncert« na besedila Gertrude Stein Pesmi vojn, ki sem jih videla nemškega režiserja in skladatelja Heinerja Goebbelsa.
19 July 2019, Igor Bratož, DELO
Heiner Goebbels na obisku 67. Ljubljana Festivala: Vizionar, ki se nima za vizionarja (Review, sl)
V ljubljanski Operi bodo nocoj v okviru 67. Ljubljana Festivala uprizorili koncert Songs of Wars I Have Seen nemškega skladatelja in režiserja Heinerja Goebbelsa. Eden najbolj inovativnih ustvarjalcev v sodobnem gledališču in glasbi je ob tem obiskal tudi Ljubljano.
19 July 2019, dnevnik
Heiner Goebbels vnovič v Sloveniji (Review, sl)
V ljubljanski Operi bo pod vodstvom dirigentke Žive Ploj Peršuh uprizoritveni koncert slovitega nemškega skladatelja
17 July 2019, Večer
‘Songs of Wars I Have Seen’ at FringeArts (Review, en)
10 September 2018, Kathryn Osenlund, Phindie.com
‘Songs of Wars I Have Seen’ at FringeArts (Review, en)
A strangely consoling piece about turmoil
8 September 2018, David Patrick Sterns, The Inquirer
Behärskat, intensivt och flitigt – Viitasaari imponerar (Review, sv)
9 July 2018, Dante Thelestam, Hufvudstadsbladet
Acht Brücken (Review, de)
1 June 2015, Renate Puvogel, kunstforum
„Die Utopie liegt in der Form“ (Review, de)
Heiner Goebbels sprach im Museum Ludwig über „politische Musik heute“ im Rahmen des „Acht Brücken“-Festivals
4 May 2015, Markus Schwering, Kölner Stadtanzeiger
Im sanften Schein der Stehlampen (Review, de)
Heiner Goebbels bei "Acht Brücken"
5 February 2015, Olaf Weiden, Kölnische Rundschau
MUSIC REVIEW: 'Songs of Wars I Have Seen' (Review, en)
23 November 2014, June LeBell, Yourobserver.com
New sounds from the Sarasota Orchestra (Review, en)
Anu Tali led members of the Sarasota Orchestra and a rapt audience into new artistic territory
21 November 2014, Richard Storm, Herald Tribune
Les guerres de Gertrude Stein revues par Heiner Goebbels (Review, fr)
18 March 2014, Marie-Aude Roux, Le Monde
‘Chants des guerres que j’ai vues’ de Heiner Goebbels (Review, fr)
du 11 au 15 mars au théâtre des Célestins dans le Cadre de la Biennale Musiques en Scène.
13 March 2014, Hervé Laurent, Radio Pluriel
45. BEMUS: Songs of Wars I Have Seen (Review, sr)
Govoreći o svojoj predstavi “Eraritjaritjaka“, Hajner Gebels tvrdi da bi publika u teatru trebalo da bude bez ikakvih predrasuda prema tom komadu, odnosno da bi naprosto trebalo da bude nevina. “Jedino što očekujem, to je da publika bude radoznala."
18 October 2013, RASTKO IVANOVIĆ, B92
Klang Explosion (Review, de)
Goebbels in den Kammerspielen
26 May 2012, Egbert Tholl, Süddeutsche Zeitung
Sange om krigen – Om Komponisten Heiner Goebbels (Interview, da)
Komponisten Heiner Goebbels iscenesætter krigens krybende angst som en fredelig aften ved kaminen.
28 May 2011, Laura Luise Schultz, Peripeti
Heiner Goebbels (Portrait, it)
Il compositore sarà ospite di «Angelica» con 2 lavori in prima esecuzione italiana
24 April 2011, Helmut Failoni, Corriere di Bologna
Wartime Songs for Gertrude Stein (Review, en)
21 March 2011, Raphael Mostel, The Jewish Daily Forward / Blogs: The Arty Semite
A Musical Discourse On Wartime and Cities (Review, en)
Heiner Goebbels Works in Tully Hall / Tully Scope Festival at Lincoln Center, New York
21 March 2011, Anthony Tommasini, NY Times
A Very Different Goebbels Ponders World War II (Interview, en)
Lincoln Center will present an evening devoted to the work of German avant-garde composer Heiner Goebbels, whose mash-ups of past and future sound worlds have resulted in some of the most provocative music of the present.
16 February 2011, Frank J. Oteri, Playbill Arts
What’s 400 years between composers? (Review, en)
10 March 2010, Zach Carstensen, The Gathering Note
Out with the Old, In with the New (Review, en)
Praise for an Obscure German Composer
9 March 2010, Brendan Kiley, The Stranger
A rare and stunning performance of musical poetry (Review, en)
Seattle Chamber Players and Pacific Musicworks put on a striking version of 'Songs of Wars I Have Known'
8 March 2010, Maria Coldwell, crosscut.com Public Media
Varied influences cast a spell in collaboration (Review, en)
'Songs of War' at On the Boards, Seattle
5 March 2010, Michael Upchurch, The Seattle Times
About "Songs of Wars I Have Seen" (Interview, en)
3 March 2010, Jeremy M. Barker, The Sunbreak
...uncannily moving, its emotional reach unexpectedly deep (Review, en)
3 May 2009, Paul Driver, The Sunday Times
London Sinfonietta/OAE/Tali (Review, en)
Queen Elizabeth Hall, London
28 April 2009, Andrew Clements, The Guardian
London Sinfonietta/OAE at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, SE1 (Review, en)
27 April 2009, Geoff Brown, The Times
Classical preview: Heiner Goebbels, London (Review, en)
18 April 2009, Andrew Clements, The Guardian
Gertrude Stein’s Texts as Songs Spoken by Instrumentalists (Review, en)
Music Review 'Songs of Wars I Have Seen'
21 January 2009, James R. Oestreich, NY Times
High contrast (Review, en)
17 January 2009, Rob Hubbard, Pioneer Press
I Went To The House But Did Not Enter (Review, de)
Heiner Goebbels zeigt ein vergnügliches Hohelied des Scheiterns.
Nr.20/2008, Esther Boldt, Journal Frankfurt
Songs of Wars I Have Seen (Review, en)
Concert
26 July 2007, Richard Morrison, The Times
Two Worlds Bridged (Review, en)
The first performance of Heiner Goebbels' 'Songs of Wars I have Seen'
19 July 2007, Malcolm Miller, Music and Vision daily
Songs of Wars I Have Seen (Review, en)
Richard Morrison at Queen Elizabeth Hall
16 July 2007, The Boston Globe
Songs of Wars I Have Seen (Review, en)
14 July 2007, Andrew Clements, The Guardian
Brilliant battle cries (Review, en)
13 July 2007, Barry Millington, Evening Standard
Bitte keine Abbilder (Article, de)
Heiner Goebbels gibt Auskunft: "Songs of Wars I have seen" in London uraufgeführt
16 June 2007, Michael Rüsenberg, Frankfurter Rundschau
Past Dates
August 2024
BBC PROMS
Royal Albert Hall, London (Great Britain)
October 2023
Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow (Great Britain)
Concert Hall, Perth (Great Britain)
Queen's Hall, Edinburgh (Great Britain)
April 2023
Conservatorio Svizzera italiana
La Sala Teatro del LAC, Lugano (Switzerland)
February 2023
Kulturhuset Stadsteatern, Stockholm (Sweden)
July 2019
Festival Ljubljana
Slovene National Theatre Opera and Ballet Ljubljana, Ljubljana (Slovenia)
September 2018
Fringe Arts Festival
Fring Arts, Philadelphia (USA)
July 2018
Time of Music Festival
Arena, Viitasaari (Finland)
May 2017
Festival Les Musique GMEM
Theatre de la Criée, Marseille (France)
November 2015
Prague Spring Festival
Archa Theatre, Prague (Czech Republic)
May 2015
Prague Spring Festival
Archa Theatre, Prague (Czech Republic)
Acht Brücken Festival
Schauspielhaus, Köln (Germany)
November 2014
Holley Hall, Sarasota (USA)
June 2014
Kunstfestspiele
Herrenhausen, Hannover (Germany)
March 2014
Biennale Musiques en Scene 2014
Salle Communale de Plainpalais, Genève (Switzerland)
Biennale Musiques en Scene 2014
Opera, St.Etienne (France)
Biennale Musiques en Scene 2014
Théâtre de Célestins, Lyon (France)
November 2013
De Singel, Antwerp (Belgium)
Concertgebow, Brugge (Belgium)
Verkadefabriek Grote Zaal, s'Hertogenbosch (Netherlands)
October 2013
BEMUS Festival
Belgrade Drama Theatre, Belgrade (Serbia)
May 2013
Muziekcentrum De Bijloke, Gent (Belgium)
Nieuwe Luxor Theater, Rotterdam (Netherlands)
October 2012
teatre lliure, Barcelona (Spain)
May 2012
Kammerspiele, Munich (Germany)
September 2011
Warsaw Autumn Festival, Warsaw (Poland)
May 2011
Republique, Copenhagen (Denmark)
Angelica Festival
Teatro Comunale Modena, Modena (Italy)
Festival van Vlaanderen 2011
de Kortrijkse Schouwburg, Kortrijk (Belgium)
March 2011
Alice Tully Hall / Lincoln Centre, New York (USA)
March 2010
On the Board, Seattle (USA)
February 2010
L'Auditori Contemporània, Barcelona (Spain)
April 2009
Southbank Centre, London (Great Britain)
January 2009
Ordway Centre of Performing Arts, Saint Paul (USA)
July 2007
World Premiere
Southbank Centre, London (Great Britain)