BRECHT / EISLER / DESSAU: SONGS FROM EXILE

Solo performance based on songs by Austrian Hanns Eisler (1898 – 1962) and German Paul Dessau (1894 – 1979) composed to the texts of Bertolt Brecht (1898 – 1956). The songs were created between 1933 and 1948 while the writer and composers were in exile across Europe (including Brecht in Finland) and the United States. They comment sharply and touchingly on the rise of the Nazis, fascism, war, and exile – and are terrifyingly relevant again today.

As a German-Finnish musician this project is very important in me in many ways. Besides enabling me to dig deep into the incredibly strong and powerful songs by Brecht, Eisler and Dessau, the project is associated with a strong personal agenda: Through it I aim to explore the intergenerational feelings of guilt, shame, and sorrow related to Germanness, as well as Finland’s embellished role as an ally of Nazi Germany. 

The performance follows Brecht’s journey from early 1930s Berlin through Denmark to Finland, from Finland to the United States, and then back to post-war East Germany. Between the songs, I ponder, among other things, why the Nazis were long considered merely laughable and harmless in the Weimar Republic. Are there parallels to be found in present-day Europe, where radical right-wing parties have once again become socially and politically acceptable?

Brecht’s escape route to Finland in the spring of 1940 serves as a bridge in the performance, allowing me to examine Finland’s involvement as an ally of Hitler’s Germany. It is time to question the narrative that Finland, although it fought alongside Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union because there were no other options, had nothing to do with German war crimes, the Holocaust, and National Socialism.

The music of Hanns Eisler and Paul Dessau, along with the texts of Bertolt Brecht, create a powerful framework for these and other pressing questions.

The performance language is a mix of German and Finnish. A travel harmonium built in 1930s Germany serves as the minimalist orchestra. In its simplicity and starkness, this beautiful instrument fits well with the atmosphere of Brecht’s songs. Additionally, the instrument conveniently transforms into a travel trunk, symbolizing escape. The performance adapts to different lengths based on the venue. Its full length is approximately 65 minutes without intermission or 2 x 40 minutes with an intermission.