In the middle
The “Groove Symphony” concert series aims to combine techno and classical music. There was a very special concert in Weimar. Students from a high school contributed their own song.
Goethe and Schiller proudly and dignifiedly look at the audience on Weimar’s Theaterplatz as they stream into the German National Theater on Sunday evening. The square, the city, the theater – it’s all German history in stones and statues.
And yet the more than 100-year-old theater is experiencing something new on Sunday evening: the audience dances in the Great Hall to techno beats, accompanied by the massive sound of the Weimar Staatskapelle and in the middle of it all three students from the Weimar Goethe Gymnasium.
How did that happen? “It’s not every day you play with the Staatskapelle, that’s something special,” says Gustav on Friday, after the technical rehearsal of the concert. Together with Elsa and Johann he attends the 11th grade of the Goethe Gymnasium.
A total of 19 students signed up for the project. Gustav, Elsa and Johann even play with the orchestra on stage for their song with violin, saxophone and trumpet. “I feel a bit underqualified,” says Gustav with a laugh. “They’re all very nice,” adds Elsa.
Students there for the first time
The 16 to 18 year olds wrote a song together with the two techno producers Dapayk and Alec Troniq. “They gave us all the instruments, this big mess of cables. That was super cool. And then we tried it out,” says Johann, describing the workshops lasting several days in which the group of students were able to get to grips with the musical project.
The conductor Christian Dellacher then transferred the electronic sounds into a score for the orchestra. Just like some tracks from Dapayk and Alec Troniq before. All of this was then arranged into a concert lasting around two hours.
The concert series is called “Groove Symphony”. For several years now, there have been concerts across the country in which classical orchestras and electronic music artists make music together. In Weimar, students are taking part for the first time.
Great pleasure in the project
Alec Troniq played at “Groove Symphonie” in Kiel on Wednesday. He is an old hand of the project and yet is always enthusiastic about it. “It’s really fun, especially here in Weimar, because we have all age groups and musical orientations involved. It’s a mutual enrichment,” he says about the collaboration with the Staatskapelle.
Everyone really enjoys the project, especially the young people. “The kids brought in a lot of ideas,” says Alec Troniq.
Students from the Goethe Gymnasium in Weimar compose their own song for the concert.
The big day arrived on Sunday and the audience in the German National Theater is completely different than usual. Especially younger. That is also one of the goals of the “Groove Symphony” – to get younger people excited about classical music, says Babara Volkwein, the initiator of the project. “We want to bring orchestral music to young people and electronic club music to orchestras.”
Off stage, Gustav, Elsa and Johann become noticeably more excited. After the break, her piece is the first to be played. How is it received? Everything goes well? After all, the concert only happens once.
Conductor Dellacher slowly moves the baton. Headphones tame his curls. He consistently hears a beat that holds the two diametrically different styles of music together. Freya operates the electronic instruments on behalf of the group of students.
Big applause
Techno and classical go hand in hand for five minutes, Elsa brings a saxophone solo on stage and the audience’s applause is huge. “It’s somehow overwhelming, but also really beautiful and I feel very honored,” says Elsa backstage after the concert, visibly relaxed.
Overall, the audience is enthusiastic about the show. Two encores are played, at the end the audience stands up and dances to the rhythm. The orchestra also seems more confident and joyful from minute to minute in this unusual genre.
With activities such as the “Groove Symphony”, the German National Theater wants to inspire a young audience and introduce them to its own offerings. More than 600 spectators are there that evening, meaning the large hall is almost sold out. A complete success.
Maybe some visitors will come back even if classical music is played. Or there is more techno in the concert hall. What would the two Weimar classics Goethe and Schiller have said about this?