Symphony of Sorrowful Songs
A project by Ross Birrell & David Harding
“The 3rd Symphony of Henryk Gorecki, performed by members of the Athens State Orchestra and the Syrian Expat Philharmonic Orchestra at Megaron – the Athens Concert Hall, offers a response to the widespread suffering caused by the Syrian Civil War.
It is important that the concert is hosted in Greece, a country which has borne witness,
more than any other country in Europe, to the devastating humanitarian impact of the Syrian conflict, a challenge it has met with dignity and generosity whilst simultaneously facing its own economic hardships and political tensions. As artists we humbly respond to weapons of brutality and bloodshed with works of solidarity and beauty. In common with other aesthetic forms, classical music has the capacity to combine emotional power, intellectual vitality, and political resonance and, as such, this concert might offer a legitimate response to an ongoing war. We are grateful to the Athens Concert Hall and the Athens State Orchestra whose hospitality provides a platform for fellow musicians to perform as creative individuals and professionals as opposed to being cast in the collective role of a political problem. We are grateful to the several Syrian musicians who have travelled from across Europe for their generous commitment to the development of this concert. The concert is not offered as a solution to an intractable conflict. But, in the spirit of hospitality, collaboration and co-existence which has shaped its development, we might find the seeds of such solutions in the future. Music is the groundwork of a politics of listening.”
Ross Birrell, David Harding,
invited artists – documenta 14
More information: www.documenta.de
office@documenta.de
documenta 14 ‘ E ( .r ‘,–r. lliil‘:,T‘,-MEGARON