My Ship - Stories of Migration

MY SHIP - STORIES OF MIGRATION

Kurt Weill - Songs in Jazz

Migration has occupied us humans for a long time. We set off, emigrate, flee and emigrate for a wide variety of reasons. War, political upheaval, economic hardship or the search for (more) freedom are just a few of the reasons that motivate people to leave their homeland. Arriving in a new place is often characterized by challenges - foreign languages, unfamiliar cultures and the loss of a familiar home.
At the same time, arriving brings with it the hope of a better life and the opportunity to redefine oneself and gain a foothold in a new community. At its best, migration leads to an inspiring exchange of cultures.
The emergence of jazz and the development of its various forms would not have been possible without the fusion of different (musical) cultures. It therefore exemplifies the potential of (cultural) migration.
Kurt Weill, who himself had to flee Nazi Germany as a Jewish composer, experienced migration as a personal stroke of fate and processed these experiences in his music. Many of his works reflect the themes of displacement, longing for a better life and the search for identity in a world of constant change.
Weill's compositions, which are close to jazz in terms of melody and harmony, such as "Mack The Knife", "Speak Low" and the evening's title song "My Ship", were included in the repertoire of the Great American Songbook early on and are still popular classics today. For this evening, the songs have been rearranged and supplemented with current and historical images, reports and contemporary testimonies - a multi-layered and exciting examination of the topic of migration.