30Years - Vienna Art Orchestra

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cased in her collection of essays Lulu in Hollywood, in which she adeptly ... became her trademark and confirmed her independence vis-à-vis Hollywood trends.
30 Years

ViennaArt

Orchestra For many years, I thought of composing a set of three

thematically-related programs for the Vienna Art Orchestra. Each of these should also be able to stand alone as an independent program. In March 2005, after I had finally decided on the right presentation, I started by doing a lot of research and reading, not fully realizing what I was getting myself into. The intensive work process pushed everyone to the limit, particularly the rehearsals and recording sessions of summer 2006. It extended over a period of 20 months, ending in midNovember 2006. Sit back and enjoy. There's a lot to discover!

The first program,

American Dreams - Portraits of 13 American Women, stands for 100 years of the USA -- the “New World” -- as represented by some of the greatest American film divas of the first half of the 20th century. Each of these icons, who together have written film history, lend her name to one of the pieces, which attempt to capture the essence and effect of these women in music. Aesthetically, they are presented in true American style, that is to say by today’s big band jazz.

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In the second program, European Visionaries - Portraits of 13 European Men, Europe or the “Old World” is symbolized by Thinking; in other words, by a selection of visionaries who have contributed significantly to the progress of civilization over the past 1000 years. Each of these pieces is named after one of these geniuses, whom I have tried to represent abstractly in music as faithfully as possible, by reducing them to symbols (indicated in the subtitles), which serve as the basis for the individual compositions. This program is oriented around the outstanding achievements in European music and therefore the sound of the VAO is more orchestral or symphonic than usual. The themes are introduced in 13 miniatures, or preludes, played by classical music duos.

The third program, Visionaries & Dreams Portraits of 13 Couples, presents 13 fictional encounters inspired by actual quotations, among other things. Musically, each piece contains two separate compositions which are juxtaposed to create a synthesis of the first two programs. The USA and Europe are thus brought together to commingle in the music, producing a mixture of these two worlds: of sensuality and abstraction; of American and European aesthetics; of American and European jazz. In these times, when Europeans and Americans are increasingly unable or unwilling to understand each other, when the gap seems to be growing ever wider, the trilogy “3” strives to add a conciliatory note to promote understanding between these two cultures which are so much the same and yet so different. mathias rüegg

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Note: “Atheists” may feel free to view this whole series simply as a sophisticated, multi-layered musical game.

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30Years

CD 1

American Dreams Portraits of 13 American Women

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Jean Harlow Rita Hayworth Louise Brooks Katharine Hepburn Grace Kelly Judy Garland Josephine Baker Lauren Bacall Mae West Bette Davis Ava Gardner Marilyn Monroe Jayne Mansfield 1.

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CD 1

American Dreams PORTRAITS OF 13 AMERICAN WOMEN

CD 2

European Visionaries PORTRAITS OF 13 EUROPEAN MEN

&Dreams

CD 3 Visionaries

PORTRAITS OF

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BLOND, SHARP & LOUD LATIN TWISTER LULU’S RAGTIME LA GRANDE DAME ONE DAY MY PRINCE DID COME WIZARDS & BLIZZARDS SHE NEED NEVER REGRET* SMILE OF GOLD** BOMBS AND OTHER SHELLS*** SMOKIN’ WITH BETTE GARDENER OF UNREALIZED WISHES BEHIND THE MIRROR OF DESIRE RISES AND FALLS

13 COUPLES

All compositions & arrangements by mathias rüegg Lyrics by Gertrude Stein*, Anna Lauvergnac** and Mae West***

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CD 2

European Visionaries Portraits of 13 European Men 1. Prelude 1 2. Leonardo

da Vinci

LIGHT AND SHADOWS

3. Prelude 2 4. Immanuel Kant S E E T H E O U T S I D E – U N D E R S T A N D T H E I N S I D E 5. Prelude 3 6. Voltaire L A B I B L I O T H È Q U E I M A G I N A I R E 7. Prelude 4 8. René Descartes L E S J A R D I N S G É O M É T R I Q U E S 9. Prelude 5 10. Francesco d‘Assisi B R O T H E R S U N A N D S I S T E R M O O N * 11. Prelude 6 12. Isaac Newton B R O K E N C O L O U R S 13. Prelude 7 14. Albert Einstein T I M E I S W H A T Y O U F E E L 15. Prelude 8 16. Erasmus van Rotterdam W H A T Y O U B E L I E V E B E L O N G S T O Y O U R O W N 17. Prelude 9 18. Nicolaus Copernicus H E L I O C E N T R I C G A M E S 19. Prelude 10 20. Sigmund Freud N I G H T & M A R E S O N A V I E N N E S E C O U C H 21. Prelude 11 22. Galileo Galilei T H E M A G I C P E N D U L U M 23. Prelude 12 24. John Locke P A T T E R N S O F I N D E P E N D E N C E 25. Prelude 13 26. Stephen Hawking B L A C K H O L E S

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All compositions & arrangements by mathias rüegg Adaption of lyrics by Francesco d‘Assisi*

&Dreams

CD 3

Visionaries

Portraits of 13 Couples 1. Jean Harlow meets Leonardo da Vinci 2. Grace Kelly meets René Descartes 3. Rita Hayworth meets Isaac Newton 4. Louise Brooks meets Immanuel Kant 5. Katharine Hepburn meets Voltaire 6. Judy Garland meets Francesco d‘Assisi* 7. Lauren Bacall meets Erasmus van Rotterdam* 8. Josephine Baker meets Albert Einstein 9. Bette Davis meets Galileo Galilei 10. Mae West meets Nicolaus Copernicus 11. Ava Gardner meets John Locke 12. Marilyn Monroe meets Stephen Hawking 13. Jayne Mansfield meets Sigmund Freud 14.

Final Statement

about the past & the future

All compositions & arrangements by mathias rüegg Lyrics by Anna Lauvergnac*

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Born Harlean Carpenter into a well-todo midwestern family, Jean Harlow became an actress almost by accident when, at age 17, she was handed a bit part in the first of her 24 films. In the years to come, her short platinum blonde hairstyle had lasting impact on the fashion of the 1920s and 30s, during which time she staked her place in history as the prototype of all sex bombs. A highly talen1911 (Kansas City, Missouri) – 1937 (Los Angeles, California) ted, well-read actress, unlike Actress, Comedienne, Sex Bomb & Screen Siren most stars of the time, she could neither dance nor sing. Her career started out with a series of “bad girl roles” -the quick-witted gangster girlfriend or unfaithful lover -roles which she played with comic verve and charisma opposite such Jean Harlow leading men as James Cagney, Cary Grant and William Powell. Her serious health problems, stemming from a childhood illness, led to her early death from kidney failure at age 26, as she was planning her fourth marriage.

Jean Harlow

“There is a God, even in Hollywood.”

Main works: Dinner at Eight (1933), Libeled Lady (1936)

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“I used to look at movie magazines and cut out the picture of Jean Harlow. That’s what I wanted to be someday - a Jean Harlow.” M A R I LY N M O N R O E

Leonardo “from Vinci” grew up as an illegitimate child in the house of his father, who recognized his son‘s artistic and intellectual talents at an early age. Leonardo, who considered himself to be a “student of nature”, also approached each artistic problem from a scientific standpoint. In this way, he gave mean1452 (Anchiano nr. Vinci) – 1519 (Château Clos Lucé, Amboise) ing to light and shadows, explored Painter, Sculptor, Anatomist, Architect, City Planner, the laws of perspective and optics, Mechanic, Inventor, Costume Designer, Caricaturist, and produced studies of anatomy, Musician & Universal Genius both human and animal. He lived in Milan, Florence and Rome and in his later years emigrated to France. His astounding creative output included quantities of writings complete with technical drawings, a wide variety of studies in the natural sciences, plus large numbers of invenLeonardo da Vinci tions. Of his many paintings, only 17 remain, including Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. Universal genius of the Renaissance, he also mastered stage and costume design, excelled as a military engineer, played the lyre and taught himself Latin.

Leonardo da Vinci

“All of our knowledge begins with our perceptions.”

Main works: The Last Supper (ca.1495-1498), Mona Lisa (ca.1503-1506)

“He adorned and honored everything he touched, every dishonorable and unadorned place.” G I O R G I O VA S A R I

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Grace Kelly 1929 (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) – 1982 (Monaco) Actress, Dancer, Singer, Academy Award Winner, Princess of Monaco, Head of Charities and Honorary Committees, Mother

“The freedom of the press works in such a way that there is not much freedom from it.” Grace Kelly

The daughter of wealthy parents of Irish-German descent, Grace Kelly took to the stage at the age of 12. When she was 18, she left Philadelphia for New York City, where she went to theater school before quickly scoring her first success on Broadway. As a character actress, she appeared in only select movie roles, embodying the ideal of the talented, stylish and dignified American woman. Through her work with Alfred Hitchcock she became an instant star. Nearly all of her 11 films -- in which she appeared next to James Stewart, Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra, among others -- rank as masterpieces. In 1956, at the height of her movie career, Grace Kelly, who was usually secretive about her private life, enthralled the world with her fairytale wedding to Prince Rainier III, through which she became Princess of Monaco. This final role, which she again performed with bravura, ended much too early, in 1982, when she was killed in a car accident.

Main works: To Catch a Thief (1955), High Society (1956)

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“If she had decided to become a nun rather than a princess, there would not have been a distinctive difference in her approach to her vocation.” W I L L I A M F. B U C K L E Y

After completing his education at a Jesuit school, followed by law studies and military service in France, as of 1628 Descartes spent most of his days in the Netherlands. Writing equally well in both Latin and French, he contributed in a major 1596 (La Haye, Touraine) – 1650 (Stockholm) way to the development of analytical Philosopher, Mathematician, Lawyer, Physician, Inventor, geometry and explained such natural Astronomer, Ballet Librettist phenomena as the refraction of light and the secrets of the rainbow. His methodical studies and writings on human physiology and the duality of mind and body opened up new directions in medicine. In 1619, three inspirational dreams led him to the idea of an all-encompassing or “unified science” that would embrace all categories of knowledge, with an underlying philosophy derived through a process of methodical doubt. The goal of this scepticism was to arrive at a truth which can not in any way be doubted, as summed up by his famous saying: cogito, ergo sum -- “I René Descartes think, therefore I am”. In September 1649, Descartes accepted an invitation from Queen Christina of Sweden to move to Stockholm where, in addition to tutoring the Queen, he wrote a ballet libretto which she commissioned.

René Descartes

“If, so to speak, we were to make a virtue of necessity, we should have no more desire […] to have freedom in imprisonment […] than to be equipped with wings in order to fly like the birds.”

Main works: Discours de la méthode pour bien conduire sa raison (1637), Meditationes de prima philosophia in qua Dei existentia et animae immortalitas demonstrantur (1641), Les passions de l’âme (1649) “With the word ‘method’, Descartes threw open the door to the future […].” P E T E R S L O T E R D I J K

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Rita Hayworth 1918 (New York) – 1987 (New York) Film Star, Singer, Dancer, Princess, “Love Goddess”, Oscar Winner, Mother & Alzheimer Victim

Born Margarita Cansino into a family of dancers -- to a father who was a Spanish dancer and a mother who was a dancer of English-Irish origin -- young Rita started dance class at the age of three-and-a-half and soon took to performing in her father’s dance troupe. Her first minor role in the movie Dante‘s Inferno marked the beginning of an unparalleled career over an expanse of 60 films. In the 1940s, at the peak of glamour and success, the whole world lay at her feet. Her most wellknown film was Gilda but her performance in Orson Welles‘ film classic The

“We are all tied to our destiny and there is no way we can Rita Hayworth liberate ourselves.”

Lady from Shanghai assured her lasting fame. The “Love Goddess”, as she came to be known, gained in prominence alongside such film partners as Glenn Ford, Fred Astaire and Orson Welles. In her private life, married five times, she was perpetually watched and pressured by jealous men or producers, the FBI and the Vatican and even by the French Ministry of Justice. In the mid-1950s, when she was no longer able to enjoy her earlier success, she became steadily more radical and eventually succumbed to a case of Alzheimer’s, which was not diagnosed until a late stage. Her second daughter Yasmin Khan has since made a name for herself waging a campaign against this disease. Main works: Gilda (1946), The Lady from Shanghai (1948)

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“Yes, that she is ... the most convincing representative of the ‘Eternal Feminine’, according to the tastes of this half-century [...] a miracle of total femininity.” J E A N A M E R Y

The son of a yeoman farmer who died shortly before Isaac’s birth, the “last of the magicians” as John Maynard Keynes called him, began life with a very modest upbringing. An 1643 (Woolsthorpe, Lincolnshire) – 1727 (Kensington, London) egocentric loner, he went on to Physicist, Mathematician, Astronomer, Philosopher, Inventor, establish new standards for calTheologian, Alchemist, Professor, Member of Parliament, culating and measuring the Royal Mint Director & Society President physical world, becoming the first scientist to earn the title “Sir” for his discoveries. Already in his youth, he was busy inventing, frightening neighbors with the lighted kites he flew in the night-time and even creating devices powered by mice. Later, he defined the laws of universal gravity, expounded the three fundamental laws of motion (the laws of inertia, dynamics and reciprocal actions) and made important discoveries with regard to light and coIsaac Newton lor. In parallel with Leibniz, he made important breakthroughs in infinitesimal mathematics, providing the basis for modern calculus. As Director of the Royal Mint, he pursued his interest in monetary reform and the battle against forgeries. Newton, who never owned his own home and was a workaholic, also dealt intensively with the nature of time, alchemy and theology, although his scientific investigations never led him to really question the existence of God. He ranks as one of history‘s most comprehensive and influential scientists.

Isaac Newton

“Nature is extraordinarily simple and consistent with itself.”

Main work: Philosophiae naturalis principia mathematica (1687/1713) “It has been said that whenever Newton heard spoken the name of God, he would briefly pause and reflect upon it.” I M M A N U E L K A N T

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Daughter of a lawyer father and pianist mother, Louise Brooks began dancing at an early age, at which time she started wearing the signature “flapper” hairstyle or “straight Dutch bob with bangs” which later influenced a whole generation of women of the Jazz Age. At age 19, she started by dancing on Broadway and with the Ziegfeld 1906 (Cherryvale, Kansas) – 1985 (Rochester, New York) Follies before switching to acting in Dancer, Actress, Model, Film Critic, Publicist, Author & Painter silent movies. Waif, vamp or coquette, her rise to stardom came through her stunning rendition of such roles as the Flapper in Howard Hawk’s A Girl in Every Port and, most memorably, as Lulu in Pandora’s Box. Although she was a superb actress, known for her striking beauty and controversial personality, at the beginning of the “talkie era”, she was effectively blacklisted by Hollywood studios largely due to the provocative nature of the films she was making in Europe and to her outspoken defense of actors’ rights at home. Using a host of Louise Brooks threadbare arguments (e.g. that she had no voice), the major studios closed their doors to her and she was soon forgotten. For many years, the twice-married Roaring 20s star managed to eke out a living by doing small jobs before eventually starting a new career as an essayist. Her wit, intelligence and literary style are showcased in her collection of essays Lulu in Hollywood, in which she adeptly shatters the Hollywood myth. In the early 1950s, French film historians rediscovered her legacy (i.e. 23 films with co-stars such as W. C. Fields, Victor McLaglen and Fritz Kortner) and confirmed her status as a great silent film icon.

Louise Brooks “And so I have remained, in cruel pursuit of truth and excellence, an inhumane executioner of the bogus, an abomination to all but those few who have overcome their aversion to truth in order to free whatever is good in them.”

Main works: Beggars of Life (1928), Pandora’s Box (1929)

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“She is the modern actress par excellence because, like the statues of antiquity, she is outside of time.” H E N R I L A N G L O I S

Kant, who came from a modest family background, published his first papers in the field of natural sciences. After ten years of selfimposed silence, his Critique of Pure Reason served as an affirmation of man‘s freedom to think and act as he chooses. In this 1724 (Königsberg, East Prussia) – 1804 (Königsberg, East Prussia) important work, he asserted that a per- Philosopher, Mathematician, Logician, Metaphysician, Daily Walker, son’s will is determined by oneself rather Host, Fashion Expert & Musical Ascetic than by the outside world. He also maintained that things or a “thing-in-itself ” “But sincerity [...] one should could never be truly known, but only its be able to require this of appearances. In the Critique of Practical Reason, he advanced the idea of the everybody, and if it is not our “categorical imperative”: the law of reanatural predisposition to be son, which individuals should use as a honest, if this is a quality we source of orientation and as a means for determining the correctness and morality simply neglect to cultivate, of their behavior. He further developed then the human race must his philosophical system in the Critique of well hold itself, in its own Judgement, in which he maintained that the harmonious coherence of all that is eyes, to be an object of beautiful, and the organized coherence in deepest contempt.” Immanuel Kant nature of all living things, provide a link between theoretical and practical reason. The bachelor Kant, who practically never left his hometown of Königsberg, was also known for the luncheons he hosted, for his fashion awareness, his punctuality and regular daily walks. He considered poetry to be the highest art form and music the lowest. His critiques of knowledge won him a lasting place among the greatest thinkers of the New Age and, by virtue of the emphasis he placed on using one’s own powers of understanding, his name will always be associated with enlightenment.

Immanuel Kant

Main works: Kritik der reinen Vernunft (1781/1787), Kritik der praktischen Vernunft (1788), Kritik der Urteilskraft (1790) “Kant, on the other hand, lays thought out before him, dissects it and breaks it down to its finest fibers. His Critique of Pure Reason is like the anatomical theater of the mind, wherein he himself remains as cold and dispassionate as a real surgeon.” H E I N R I C H H E I N E

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Katharine Hepburn 1907 (Hartford, Connecticut) – 2003 (Old Saybrook, Connecticut) Grande Dame

Raised in a wealthy, socially progressive family of Scottish noble origins, this extremely ambitious actress enjoyed her Broadway debut at age 21 in the play These Days. As a mature, self-confident and opinionated character actress, she held her own in the man‘s world by virtue of her straightforwardness, sensitivity

“To be loved is very demoralizing.” Katharine Hepburn and people-handling skills. Her unconventional appearance -- she usually wore trousers -- became her trademark and confirmed her independence vis-à-vis Hollywood trends. In her 45 films, she triumphed in partnership with film icons such as Peter O’Toole, Sidney Poitier and Spencer Tracey. Married only once, over the course of her career Hepburn received 12 Oscar nominations and received the coveted trophy four times, with 34 years elapsing between the first (for Morning Glory) and the second prize (for Guess Who‘s Coming to Dinner). In her last picture, filmed when she was already suffering from Parkinson’s, she reinvented herself once again, expertly incorporating her physical infirmity into her performance and thus fully earning her place as the invincible “Grande Dame” of American cinema. Main works: Bringing up Baby (1938), African Queen (1951)

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“Kate is unique -- in her looks, in the way she plays, most of all herself.” H E N R Y F O N D A

Already with the publication of his first work, La Henriade, François Marie Arouet earned a royal arrest warrant and several months of imprisonment in the Bastille. Shortly afterwards, in 1726, the provocative author, who spoke in favor of the right of self-determination as well as homosexuality and suicide, was driven into exile in liberal England by the King’s censors. Eight years later, in Paris, Voltaire reaffirmed his stand against the institution of the church, censorship, fanaticism and intolerance in his Lettres philosophiques (The English Letters). Forced again by circumstances to flee, he took refuge in the Château de Cirey with his lady friend and patron Mme. du Châtelet. At Cirey, the two like-minded thinkers devoted themselves to studying mathematics and the natural sciences while Voltaire also carried on his

Voltaire

1694 (Paris) – 1778 (Paris) Philosopher, Man of Letters, Art Historian, Law Clerk, Private Secretary, Business Man, Womanizer, Lawyer & Traveller

“No other living creature, other than yourself, can know an embrace. […] At any time, you can give in to love […].” Voltaire research into cultural and religious history. His voluminous collected works included 20,000 letters, his Essay sur les moeurs and innumerable historical and scientific treatises. His forty plays and novels give further testimony to his creativity. Voltaire, who was generous with his support and considerable wealth, also joined in numerous legal battles to combat the miscarriage of justice. Later, he acquired a noble residence in Ferney where, as a gentleman farmer with a good head for finances, he established fair pay policies for his farmers. Main works: Lettres philosophiques (1734), Essai sur l’histoire générale et sur les moeurs et l’esprit des nations (1756), Candide ou l’optimisme (1759), Dictionnaire philosophique portatif (1764) “If all we have left in today’s world is two-fifths scoundrels and three-eighths idiots, we largely have Voltaire to thank.” E G O N F R I E D E L L

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Already as a child, Frances Ethel Gumm, the daughter of a vaudeville showman, attracted attention as the singing star of The Gumm Sisters. At age 12, she was put under contract by MGM, at which time she took the name Judy Garland. In her first film, 1922 (Grand Rapids, Minnesota) – 1969 (Chelsea, London, UK) Every Sunday, she conSinger, Actress, Comedienne, Child Star, Dancer, Oscar Winner firmed her talent as a for Best Juvenile Performance & Mother multi-faceted entertainer with a skill for clowning. As Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, she became world famous and forever after has been associated with the song “Somewhere over the Rainbow”. “The Queen of Movie Musicals” (James Juneau) worked with such music greats as Tommy Dorsey and Paul Whiteman, Judy Garland recorded countless records and wowed audiences with her singing in Europe and Australia. In her 35 films, she portrayed mostly light-hearted and morally irreproachable characters opposite co-stars such as Mickey Rooney, Gene Kelly and Buster Keaton. Her five marriages produced three children, one of which, Liza Minnelli, followed in her footsteps. Plagued by frequent bouts of depression, Judy Garland died at age 47 from an overdose of sleeping pills.

Judy Garland “We cast away priceless time in dreams, born of imagination, fed upon illusion, and put to death by reality.”

Main works: The Wizard of Oz (1939), A Star Is Born (1954)

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“She had an innate intelligence to her … She could have you screaming with laughter … She was the most marvelous company.” G E O R G E C U K O R

When he was young, Francis, the son of a prosperous cloth merchant, led a carefree playboy lifestyle. Sent with the military to fight against Perugia, he was taken prisoner and fell seriously ill. Some years later, he experienced a religious conca. 1182 (Assisi) – 1226 (Assisi) version after having an enBon Vivant, Entrepreneur, Dropout, Donor, Hermit, Monk, Crusader, counter with a leper. Vowing Prisoner, Founder of a Religious Order, Environmentalist & Musician to live a life of poverty, he enraged his father by giving away many of the latter’s possessions and eventually broke up with his family altogether. The radical “poverty movement” which he formed was blessed by the Pope. A compassionate Christian missionary, he believed that all living things -- men, women and creatures -- were created equal. To Francesco d‘Assisi this day he is still known as the protector of animals and the environment. In his later years, St. Francis of Assisi frequently felt the need for solitude and as of ca. 1224, often withdrew to a retreat on Mount La Verna, where numerous miracles were attributed to him. He contributed to the development of the Franciscan chants and in his Cantico di Frate Sole (Song of Brother Sun), reminiscent of Old Testament hymns, he expressed the close connection between nature and human beings. The Franciscan Order, named after him, is still one of the principal orders of the Catholic Church.

Francesco d’Assisi

“And afterwards, I lingered little and left the world.”

Main work: Il Cantico di Frate Sole o Cantico delle Creature (1225) “He was a child and poet, a master and teacher of love [...], and even if humans had forgotten him, the stones and springs, flowers and birds would surely have spoken of him.” H E R M A N N H E S S E

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Lauren Bacall 1924 (New York) Actress, Model, Golden Globe Winner, Memoir Writer, Survivor & Mother

Born Betty Joan Perske to middle-class Jewish parents, Lauren Bacall started out training to be a dancer but switched at an early age to formal acting studies at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Determined to make it as an actress, she modeled for major fashion magazines and worked at Bacall various odd jobs in the theater until she had a major breakthrough, engineered for her by director Howard Hawks. Known for her deep, throaty delivery and characteristic sultry “look”, at age 19 she launched her famous partnership with Humphrey Bogart in the film To Have and Have Not. Twice married, to Bogart and to Jason Robards Jr., and mother of three children, in her 42 films she has also costarred with Gary Cooper and Paul Newman among many others. In addition to her ongoing triumphant film career, she has written two autobiographies and has won critical acclaim for her star performances on Broadway.

“Imagination is the highest kite one can fly.” Lauren

Main works: The Big Sleep (1946), Key Largo (1948)

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“Lauren’s special beauty is the reflection of her elegance, her intelligence, and her invigorating will.” B A R B A R A S T R E I S A N D

Erasmus van Rotterdam

1469 (?) (Rotterdam) – 1536 (Basel) Christian Humanist, Monk, Theologian, Philosopher, Publisher, This former Augustinian Editor and Critic, Translator, Grammarian, Educator, Traveller, monk, who was forced Opponent of the “Just War” Theory to enter a monastery because he was an illegitimate child, used words as his only weapon on all fronts of life: in his criticism of the church, in his satires and textual commentaries, in his colorful relations with academia and society. A great scholar, he defended the value of education, refuted the idea of a “just war” and advocated reconciliation Erasmus van Rotterdam between Roman Catholics and Protestants. Although he agreed in broad terms with many principles behind the Reformation, he was an outspoken critic of Martin Luther, who he felt was too radical and vehement. Cosmopolitan by nature, he spent periods of his life in France, Italy, Holland, England, Germany and Switzerland. Of his many works, Desiderius Erasmus produced the first annotated edition of the Greek text of the New Testament. He was the most prominent representative of European Humanism and an enduring symbol of religious tolerance.

“I wish to be a citizen of the world, to belong to everyone, or better yet, to be a non-citizen with regard to everyone.”

Main works: Adagia (1500), Moriae encomium / Praise of Folly (1511), Querela pacis / The Complaint of Peace (1517) “He knew all about the weaknesses of wisdom and the strengths of foolishness - and smiled.” U W E S C H U LT Z

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Josephine Freda McDonald, daughter of a Spanish-American street musician, grew up in conditions of extreme poverty in the slums of St. Louis, where she had first-hand experience with serious racial unrest. By age 18, however, she had already made her début on Broadway in 1906 (St. Louis, Missouri) – 1975 (Paris, France) the production Chocolate Dancer, Singer, Actress, Music Hall Star, UNICEF Ambassador, Dandies. The following year, she Resistance Fighter, Civil Rights Activist, Chevalier de la Légion went with La Revue Nègre to d’Honneur, Castle Owner & Mother of the “Rainbow Tribe” Paris, where she became an overnight sensation. Full of temperament and sensuality, she conquered Paris with her new dance style, “Le Jazz Hot”. Kurt Weill, Adolf Loos, Gertrude Stein Josephine Baker and other intellectuals and artists of the time expressed fascination with her charisma, her dark skin and exotic outfits (e.g. her famous banana costume). She made quantities of vocal recordings and starred with Jean Gabin in the first of her three sound movies. Despite her success abroad, due to her skin color, she was never really accepted in the United States. During World War II, she used her popularity as a Folies Bergère star to play an active role in the French Resistance, for which Charles de Gaulle gave her the Cross of the Legion of Honor. She also took part in the American Main work: Her Life civil rights movement (in the March on Washington). Married six times, the emancipated artist adopted 12 children of various races and religions and lived with her “Rainbow Tribe” in the Château les Milandes. She continued performing until the very end of her life, at which point she became the first American-born woman to be buried with French military honors.

Josephine Baker “You can achieve more with love than with hate. Hate is the downfall of every race and nation.”

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“We salute her, this idol of bronze, shining steel, ivory and gold. We all salute and thank her.” J E A N C O C T E A U

Einstein advanced the theory that space and time are not independent entities but rather that they are two dimensions of a single coordinate system or continuum, which he called space-time. In his Theory 1879 (Ulm) – 1955 (Princeton, New Jersey) of Relativity, he described a fourPhysicist, Researcher, Educator, Civil Servant, Pacifist, dimensional universe, which Socialist, Zionist,Vegetarian & Musician includes three spatial dimensions and a time dimension. Recipient of the 1921 Nobel Prize for his explanation of the photoelectric effect, he began his career working as a technical expert in the Swiss patent office, among other things. As a Jew, he emigrated for political reasons from Germany to the United States in 1933 and became a U.S. citizen in 1940. As a violinist, he admired Mozart and Bach. As

Albert Einstein

“If all effort should be in vain and humans should end up destroying themselves, the cosmos would not mourn a single one of its thralls.” Albert Einstein an anti-war advocate, he promoted the concept of a world government and exchanged letters with Freud (in 1932) on the theme “Why War?” In 1952, then-prime minister David BenGurion offered him the presidency of Israel, which he declined. One of the most popular and misunderstood scientists of all time, he is still remembered not only for his famous E = mc2 equation, but also for his familiar dishevelled appearance and unmistakable smile. Main works: Zur Elektrodynamik bewegter Körper (1905), Die Grundlage der allgemeinen Relativitätstheorie (1916), Mein Weltbild (1934) “With Albert Einstein’s passing, we lost one who worked to save the honor of humankind, whose name will never be forgotten.” T H O M A S M A N N

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Daughter of a patent lawyer of English-Welsh origin and mother whose roots could be traced back to the Huguenots, young Ruth Elizabeth was nicknamed Bette after the heroine from the Balzac novel La Cousine Bette. She studied dance 1908 (Lowell, Massachusetts) – 1989 (Neuilly-sur-Seine, France) with Martha Graham, among others, Stage and Character Actress, Dancer, Oscar Winner, and debuted on Broadway in the proChairperson & Mother duction Broken Dishes. Her first Hollywood triumph came with the film Of Human Bondage. Although she quickly developed from a naive girl into a brilliant character actress, she had to struggle her whole life long (especially at Warner) to be given serious roles, high-standard scripts and decent technical conditions; in short, to be treated with respect. She made a total of 89 films opposite Hugh Marlowe, Henry Fonda and Peter Ustinov, among others. Her 1950 comeback in All About

Bette Davis

“A sure way to lose happiness, [...] is to want it at the expense of everything else.” Bette Davis

Main works: Jezebel (1938), All about Eve (1950)

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Eve was another huge success. A serious actress with impeccable mastery of the art, married four times, she typically portrayed female characters who suffered from a loss of connection with other people because of their personal strength and ambition. Her legendary expressive eyes and distinctive smoking style became her trademarks. To this day, a foundation named after her gives scholarships to gifted young actors and actresses.

“We remember Bette Davis smoking because she smoked, as she did everything, in an inimitable fashion.” A N G U S E . C R A N E

Galileo, whose father was a musician and fabric trader, lived and studied in Pisa, Padua and Florence. By giving priority to observation and experimentation, “the father of science” excluded speculative thinking from the realm of physics and helped establish the natural sciences as an independent discipline. Many highranking church officials, believing he posed a threat to the dominance of theology, subjected him to many trials. Eventually the Inquisition condemned him to house arrest until the end of his life. Through methodical use of the telescope, Galileo discovered four of Jupiter’s moons, often referred to afterwards as the Galilean satellites. He also identified the phases of Venus, which provided support for the heliocentric worldview

Galileo Galilei

1564 (Pisa) – 1642 (Arcetri nr. Florence) Philosopher, Mathematician, Physicist, Astronomer, Inventor, Professor, Instructor, Private Tutor & Exile

“But where is my passion leading me?” Galileo Galilei proposed by Copernicus. Other important discoveries stemmed from his work on dynamics -- the pendulum swing and the law of free fall affecting falling objects -- as well as his observations of sunspots and calculations of the speed of light. Although his works were continually banned, he struggled throughout his whole life to defend his theories, without ever totally rejecting the Church. Late in life, he managed to take revenge on the Inquisition by having his most important treatise, Discourses and Mathematical Demonstrations concerning Two New Sciences, published abroad. In order to make his writings accessible to laymen, he published them in Italian, the language of the people, rather than in the customary Latin. Main works: Dialogo sopra i due massimi sistemi del mondo, tolemaico e copernicano (1632), Discorsi e dimostrazioni matematiche intorno a due nuove scienze attenenti alla mecanica e i movimenti locali (1638) “Even when Galileo errs, he thinks more scientifically than his opponents.” E M I L W O H LW I L L

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Mae West

1893 (New York) – 1980 (Hollywood, California) Comedienne, Feminist, Sex Goddess, Vaudevillian, Writer, Camp Icon, Vamp, Rebel, Impresario

“To err is human, but it feels ” divine. Mae West

Mae West, born Mary Jane West, the daughter of an American prize boxer and German mother, already appeared as “The Baby Vamp” in burlesque productions at age 5, then went on to become a highly visible vaudeville performer, reaching the apex of her career in the 1930s. With her tough talk, famous one-liners, independent spirit and disregard for sexual taboos, she made herself into a major box office success for Paramount, which saved the studios from financial ruin. She produced the majority of her films, coauthored or rewrote most of the screenplays and penned many of the song lyrics. She married once, in her 12 films, paired up with the likes of Timothy Dalton, Louis Armstrong and Ringo Starr. Counting Duke Ellington among her admirers, she spoke out for free love and equality of the sexes and defended the rights of homosexuals. Victimized by the American censors, she retired for nearly 30 years before enjoying a comeback at the age of 77.

Main works: I’m No Angel (1933), Belle of the Nineties (1934)

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“Unlike glamour girls and sex goddesses before and after, she was nice-tough, good humored and forthright -- which made her invulnerable.” W I L L I A M S A F I R E

After studying astronomy, mathematics, Greek, canon law and medicine in Krakow, Bologna, Padua and Ferrara, Nicolaus Copernicus returned to his native Ermland, never to leave it again. 1473 (Torun on the Vistula) – 1543 (Frauenburg) Supported by ancient Astronomer, Mathematician, Physician, Church Canon, theories, such as those of Administrator, Cartographer Aristarchus of Samos, and above all by his own mathematical calculations, he concluded that it is not the earth, but rather the sun that lies at the center of the universe and that the earth and planets revolve around it. In this new world view, man no longer occupied the central place. It was chiefly for this reason that Nicolaus Copernicus Copernicus kept his theories to himself for nearly forty years, only publishing them just before his death, at which time he dedicated his treatise to the Pope. In addition, he served as a church canon and as a physician. His work on the reform of the Prussian coinage had lasting impact on monetary theory. He also worked as a cartographer, producing maps of Poland, Lithuania and Prussia. The turning point he brought about in the history of science is called the Copernican Revolution in his honor.

Nicolaus Copernicus “In the middle of everything, reigns the sun. Who would wish to put this light in another ‘better’ place in this marvellous universe, other than in this place, from which all things can be simultaneously illuminated?”

Main work: De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (1543) “Since Copernicus, man seems to have wandered onto an inclined plane - he is rolling away, always faster, from the midpoint - and where to? into nothingness? into the ‘penetrating sense of his own nothingness’?” F R I E D R I C H N I E T Z S C H E

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Ava Gardner

As one of seven children of a southern farm family, Ava Gardner was placed under contract by MGM, where she was mostly featured as a decorative beauty. Privately, she continued with self-improvement, was well-read and a fan of art and classical music. She reached fame at the side of Gregory Peck in The Snows of Kilimanjaro and played opposite such other illustrious coAva Gardner stars as Charlton Heston and Richard Burton. She lived for a long period in Spain and was married three times, to musicians Artie Shaw and Frank Sinatra, as well as to Mickey Rooney. Though popular as a vamp, she continually doubted her own abilities and only had the opportunity to display her true acting talents in a few of her 42 films. Constantly pursued from all sides and surrounded by scandal, the legendary beauty with the trademark husky voice spent her final years leading a secluded life in London.

1922 (Grabtown, North Carolina) – 1990 (London, UK) Movie Actress, Flamenco Dancer, Pinup, Self-Doubter, Beauty, Love Goddess

“The night is company. It clarifies the mind.”

Main works: The Killers (1946), The Barefoot Contessa (1954)

Born into a Puritan family, John Locke received his education in philosophy, history, medicine and natural sciences at Oxford. As founder of the British school of empiricism, he refuted the concept of innate ideas, fav1632 (Wrington, Bristol) – 1704 (Oates, Essex) ored by Descartes, arguing Philosopher, Physician, Political Scientist and Economist, that the mind is “born Educator & Political Adviser blank”; that it begins as a tabula rasa, a blank slate upon which “ideas”, derived from experience, are written. In the field of economics, he maintained that monetary values and capital interest should not be subject to state regulation but rather should follow the rules of the free market. As an educator, he favored liberal education and stressed the importance of character development in children, as well as the necessity that teachers and John Locke parents act as good role models. In his political writings, he spoke out against the ruling hierarchies and supported empowerment of the people. His arguments against the feudal system and in favor of separation of powers laid the groundwork for the birth of democracy and the movements leading to the American Declaration of Independence and French Constitution.

John Locke

”Light, true light, in the mind is or can be nothing else but the evidence of the truth of any proposition […].”

Main works: An Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1690), Two Treatises of Government (1690)

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“She was a very feisty, fiery, warm, deeply feminine, tough person.” K AT E B E C K I N G S A L E

“After so many Great Thinkers had written ‘the romance’ of the soul, a sage came, who modestly wrote its history.” V O LTA I R E

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Raised by foster parents, Norma Jean Baker, as she was known back home, first took to the spotlights as a photo model before venturing onto the silver screen in the John Huston film Asphalt Jungle. Renamed Marilyn, she studied acting with Lee Strassberg, pursued an active interest in literature, Russian art, music and psychoanalysis, and went to the 1926 (Los Angeles, California) – 1962 (Los Angeles, California) wedding altar three times, with Actress, Comedienne, Dancer, Jazz Singer, Photo Model, playwright Arthur Miller, among Producer, Art Collector, First Playmate, Sex Symbol & Victim others. Influenced by Mae West and Jean Harlow, her talent for comedy came to the fore under director Billy Wilder in Some Like It Hot. When playing serious roles, as in The River of No Return, she garnered less approval from the public and production houses. As a dancer, Marilyn Monroe singer and actress, she was in fact a highly talented artist who suffered her whole life from the loss of love and affection. In 1955, after spending numerous years as one of Hollywood‘s worst-paid actresses, she formed her own production company with the photographer Milton Greene. In the 30 films that she made alongside such leading men as Robert Mitchum, Jack Lemmon and Yves Montand, she fashioned herself into an “art product” and rose to enduring fame as an unsurpassable icon and legend. She died under tragic circumstances of an unintentional overdose.

Marilyn Monroe

“People had a habit of looking at me as if I were some kind of mirror instead of a person.They didn’t see me, they saw their own lewd thoughts, then they whitemasked themselves by calling me the lewd one.”

Born on the 300th anniversary of Galileo’s birth, Stephen Hawking grew up in the intellectual environment of his parents’ home, later studying at Oxford and Cambridge. His research into “black hole” phenomena led to the discovery of “Hawking Radiation”. On the 1942 (0xford) basis of mathematical calculations using Physicist, Mathematician, Cosmologist, Best-Selling Author, imaginary (as opposed to real) numbers, Sufferer of ALS Syndrome, Father he introduced the idea of “imaginary time” which led to the concept of a selfcontained universe with no edge or boundary. To the present day, he is still searching for a comprehensive understanding of the universe, a “universal formula” which unifies Stephen Hawking Einstein‘s General Theory of Relativity and the laws of quantum mechanics. Hawking, who has won numerous awards and gained nearly pop star status (Hubert Mania) for his extraordinary scientific leaps, has authored several books, one of which, A Brief History of Time, has sold more than 10 million copies. At around age 20, he was diagnosed with the degenerative muscular disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig‘s disease), which has left him increasingly disabled. In addition, he lost his voice after a respiratory emergency. In human terms, his greatest achievement is that he continues to lead a successful life despite his extreme disabilities, which keep him bound to a wheelchair. He is a declared admirer of Marilyn Monroe, who gazes at him from a poster hanging in his work place.

Stephen Hawking

“One has to be grown up enough to realize that life is not fair.”

Main works: A Brief History of Time (1988), The Universe in a Nutshell (2001) Main works: Some Like It Hot (1959), The Misfits (1961)

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“She has a certain indefinable magic that comes across, which no other actress in the business has.” B I L LY W I L D E R

“He was becoming the black hole cosmonaut trapped in a crippled body, piercing the mysteries of the Universe with the mind of a latter-day Einstein, going where even angels feared to tread.” M I C H A E L W H I T E A N D J O H N G R I B B I N

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Jayne Mansfield

Born Vera Jane Palmer, raised in a good middle-class home, the future trash icon grew up obsessed with becoming a 1933 (Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania) – 1967 (US Highway 90, Louisiana) Hollywood star. A hard workActress, Singer, Glamour Girl, Pinup Queen, Barbie, er, she learned already at the Trash Icon, Object of Lust, Nightclub Singer & Mother beginning of her career as a pinup girl about the power of the press and sex appeal. In 1956, she won the Theatre World Award for her publiclyacclaimed performance in the Broadway comedy Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? From then on she always contrived to stay in the limelight, appearing in 26 films (a.o. with Tony Randall, Maurice Chevalier and Walter Matthau) and reveling in her muchJayne Mansfield publicized decadent lifestyle, all plush and pink. She was married three times and had five children. Whereas Mae West used sex to provoke society and Marilyn Monroe was forcibly typecast as a sex object, Jayne Mansfield enthusiastically embodied free sex, in the sex-kitten role that she crafted for herself. Caught up in her effort to stay in the public eye, she hardly noticed when her fortunes began spiraling downwards and thus eventually sank to greater depths than any of her peers. After numerous flops and a passionate interlude with a satanic church in San Francisco, she died nearly destiMain works: The Girl Can’t Help It (1956), tute in a car crash. The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw (1958)

“I’m a girl with an IQ of 163 and I need someone with whom I have an intellectual attachment ... Nobody cares about a figure like 163; they’re more interested in 40-21-35.”

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“[T]here exists, indeed, a good taste of bad taste.” S U S A N S O N TA G

As a child, Sigmund Freud was brought by his parents to Vienna where he later studied medicine. In 1885, he moved briefly to Paris where he worked on studies of hysteria with the neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot. Having begun his career as a zoologist, publishing papers on such topics as the sexual 1856 (Freiberg, Moravia) – 1939 (London) organs of the eel, he soon changed his Psychologist, Physician, Zoologist, Neurologist, focus to explorations of the psyche and Cocaine Researcher, Dream Interpreter, soul, which included experiments with Sexual Analyst & Atheist cocaine. At his practice at Berggasse 19, he gained fame for his discoveries regarding the unconscious mind and for the changes he provoked in the prevailing sexual morality, whereby he was the first to see the fundamental importance of sexual repression in the development of psychosomatic disturbances. As the father of psychoanalysis and modern dream interpretation, his theories had widespread impact on all aspects of early 20th century Sigmund Freud life. Many of the terms he coined, such as “oedipal complex”, “transference”, “libido”, “sublimation” and “the pleasure principle” have remained in common usage in the Western World. His theories have also provided inspiration for art, most notably for surrealism. As a Jew, he was forced to flee to London in 1938 with his family. His work was continued after his death by several of his students, including Carl Gustav Jung, Alfred Adler and his daughter Anna Freud.

Sigmund Freud

“The great question, that has never been answered and which I have not yet been able to answer, despite my thirty years of research into the feminine soul, is ‘What does a woman want?’”

Main works: Die Traumdeutung (1900), Zur Psychopathologie des Alltagslebens (1901), Jenseits des Lustprinzips (1920) “For him, the world was a stage upon which the drama of the psychoanalytic movement and its mission were played.” E R I C H F R O M M

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30Years Mae West My Man Friday lyrics by Mae West Got a guy I see Sunday Some kind of a Greek Got a guy for each Wednesday Won’t you ease his technique But Friday’s really my day Cuz the guy I see on Friday Sends me for the rest of the week. Got a goofer for Tuesday With a load of appeal Got a stiffer for Thursday Drives a slow steady wheel But Friday's apple pie day Cuz the guy I see on Friday Serves me with a seven course meal. Oh oh oh My Man Friday He can really fill me Guaranteed to thrill me Every Friday I get my favorite dish and it's delish. Got nobody for Saturday But I never get bugged. My door is open on Saturday That’s the day I take pot-luck. What luck!

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Josephine Baker She need never regret lyrics by Gertrude Stein She need never regret that she had it Around it around it she had it. She need never regret that she had it Around it she need never Regret that around it she had it around it.

Lauren Bacall meets Erasmus van Rotterdam

It’s not the mind That is bound to know What’s a boundless love. To the fool, not the wise Heaven is closer. Free from the oppression of your judgement And your cold erudition Imagination can flow.

Now my Sunday man is like milk and honey My Monday man has plenty of money My Tuesday man is as soft as My Wednesday and Thursday Brent & Brian My Man Friday He can hypnotize me Really mesmerize me I mean he satisifes me His loving is the kind That drives me out of my mind Yes, out of my mind.

3

lyrics by Anna Lauvergnac How could a man’s mind Possibly conceive a God-man that has to die to be reborn?

I am a wizard, And imagination Is my magic wand. I’m a fool, but not blind, My eyes are wide open. Call me insane, I won’t defend myself, I can see passion, love and compassion For all. I am the Wizard, In my magic mirror. I can see A smile of gold.

Lauren Bacall Smile of gold lyrics by Anna Lauvergnac There’s a secret in her smile of gold, A never given kiss that no one knows. There’s a shadow like a cloud passing by In the blue skies of her eyes. She’s a dream that doesn’t fade with daylight, The distant promise of a midsummer night. She’s a shiver running down your spine, Ice and fire intertwined. Each of her movements is so full of grace As she lights up another cigarette. You taste the bitter pleasure of regret, You’ll never forget. There’s a secret in her smile of gold As she slowly walks outside your door. You remember she once said “Imagination is the only kite That flies high”.

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30Years

Francesco d'Assisi Brother Sun and Sister Moon adaptation of lyrics by Francesco d‘Assisi

Most High, all powerful, good Lord, Yours are the praises, the glory, the honor, and all blessing. To You alone, Most High, do they belong, And no man is worthy to mention Your name. Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon And the stars, in heaven you formed them Clear and precious and beautiful. Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Wind, And through the air, cloudy and serene, And every kind of weather through which You give sustenance to Your creatures. Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Water, Which is very useful and humble and precious and chaste. Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Fire, Through whom you light the night and he is beautiful And playful and robust and strong. Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Mother Earth, Who sustains us and governs us and who produces Varied fruits with colored flowers and herbs. Praised be You, my Lord, Through those who give pardon for Your love, And bear infirmity and tribulation. Blessed are those who endure in peace For by You, Most High, they shall be crowned. Praised be You, my Lord, Through our Sister Bodily Death, From whom no living man can escape. Woe to those who die in mortal sin. Blessed are those whom death will find In Your most holy will, For the second death shall do them no harm. Praise and bless my Lord, And give Him thanks And serve Him with great humility.

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Judy Garland meets Francesco d’Assisi lyrics by Anna Lauvergnac

There was a time I had a dream And at this time It seemed so real. There was a time I could believe I was a queen I was waiting for a king I could be a bird Flying high up in the sky. Oh, yes I could, If I had wings to fly. The years have gone by Showing that dreams Are born of imagination Fed with illusion Then put to death by reality. My precious dream could never ever live. I never had a king, I’ve never been a queen. Look in my cage, And you will see What I’ve been: A bird with broken wings.

Anna Lauvergnac Tobias Weidinger Matthieu Michel Thomas Gansch Jurai Bartós Adrian Mears Robert Bachner Georgui Kornazov Ed Partyka Mauro Negri Joris Roelofs Harry Sokal Andy Scherrer Herwig Gradischnig Martin Koller Georg Breinschmid Mario Gonzi Ingrid Oberkanins mathias rüegg

voice lead trumpet trumpet trumpet trumpet trombone trombone trombone bass trombone & tuba clarinet & alto sax alto sax, flute & clarinet soprano & tenor sax, flute, piccolo tenor & soprano sax baritone sax, bass clarinet & clarinet guitar bass drums percussion (CD2 & CD3 only)

3

conductor

Line Up

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CD 1

American Dreams

Jean Harlow Solos by Georg Breinschmid & Mario Gonzi 2. Rita Hayworth Solo by Herwig Gradischnig 3. Louise Brooks Solo by Robert Bachner 4. Katharine Hepburn Solo by Andy Scherrer 5. Grace Kelly Solo by Joris Roelofs 6. Judy Garland Solo by Adrian Mears 7. Josephine Baker Solos by Anna Lauvergnac & Martin Koller 8. Lauren Bacall Solos by Anna Lauvergnac & Andy Scherrer 9. Mae West Solos by Anna Lauvergnac & Harry Sokal 10. Bette Davis Solo by Matthieu Michel 11. Ava Gardner Solo by Mauro Negri 12. Marilyn Monroe Solo by Thomas Gansch 13. Jayne Mansfield 1.

04:26

Original Quotes:

06:22

Jean Harlow: “You just don’t appreciate art”, taken from Libeled Lady (Warner Bros) Rita Hayworth: “Very exciting”, taken from Gilda (Columbia Pictures) Katherine Hepburn: “It sounds like dancing, doesn’t it?”, taken from The Philadelphia Story (Warner Bros) Grace Kelly: “A juke box hero”, taken from High Society (Warner Bros) Judy Garland: “I somehow feel most alive when I’m singing”, taken from A Star Is Born (Warner Bros) Josephine Baker: “Jodel“, taken from Das fabelhafte Leben der J.B. (Hörbuch-Duophon-Rec.) Lauren Bacall: “You just put your lips together and blow”, taken from To Have and Have Not (Warner Bros) Mae West: “I am very quick in a very slow way”, taken from I’m No Angel (Universal) Bette Davis: “A mess of music and fire, that’s me”, taken from All about Eve (20th Cent. Fox) Ava Gardner: “And the guitar is the gardener” taken from The Barefoot Contessa (MGM) Marilyn Monroe: “That’s music. Very high-toned and fancy”, taken from River of No Return (20th Cent. Fox) Jayne Mansfield: “Ask my agent!”, taken from The Girl Can’t Help It (20th Cent. Fox)

69:36

All original quotes are imitated by Natalie Gross

05:09 04:52 06:32 06:03 05:11 04:47 04:01 05:08 05:43 04:54 06:28

Solo by Adrian Mears

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26.

European Visionaries

Prelude 1

Leonardo da Vinci Prelude 2

Immanuel Kant Prelude 3

Voltaire Prelude 4

René Descartes Prelude 5

Francesco d’Assisi Prelude 6

Isaac Newton Prelude 7

Albert Einstein Prelude 8

Erasmus van Rotterdam Prelude 9

Nicolaus Copernicus Prelude 10

Sigmund Freud Prelude 11

Galileo Galilei Prelude 12

John Locke Prelude 13

Stephen Hawking

Paul Gulda (p) & Hans Gansch (trumpet) Solo by Andy Scherrer Paul Gulda (p) & Clemens Böhm (bassoon) Solo by Georgui Kornazov Paul Gulda (p) & Ernst Weissensteiner (bass) Solo by Herwig Gradischnig Paul Gulda (p) & Flip Phillip (vibes) Solo by Matthieu Michel Paul Gulda (p) & Claudia Nöhammer (flute) Solo by Anna Lauvergnac Paul Gulda (p) & Vasile Marian (oboe) Solo by Harry Sokal Paul Gulda (p) & Sabine Nova (violin) Solo by Robert Bachner Paul Gulda (p) & Linde Gansch (cello) Solo by Joris Roelofs Paul Gulda (p) & Othmar Gaiswinkler (trombone) Solo by Georg Breinschmid Paul Gulda (p) & Levente Pàl (viola) Solo by Thomas Gansch Paul Gulda (p) & Thomas Fischer (horn) Solo by Mauro Negri Paul Gulda (p) & Hubert Kerschbaumer (clarinet) Solo by Adrian Mears Paul Gulda (p) & Klaus Meyer (timpani) Solos by Martin Koller & Mario Gonzi TOTAL TIME

TOTAL TIME

Dominik Stöger (trb) replaces Georgui Kornazov in “Judy Garland”. Choir on “Josephine Baker” by Tobias Weidinger.

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CD 2

All Preludes composed & arranged by mathias rüegg. Alegre Corrêa also plays percussion in “Isaac Newton” & “Stephen Hawking”. Dominik Stöger (trb) replaces Georgui Kornazov in “Immanuel Kant”. Wolfgang Puschnig plays piccolo in “Nicolaus Copernicus”.

01:10 05:52 01:11 04:27 00:50 04:51 01:18 04:31 01:16 05:42 01:32 04:29 00:44 05:07 01:17 04:57 00:58 04:18 01:23 05:19 01:14 04:36 00:53 03:57 00:58 04:51 77:41

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CD 3

&Dreams

Visionaries

Jean Harlow meets Leonardo da Vinci 2. Grace Kelly meets René Descartes Solos by Matthieu Michel & Joris Roelofs 3. Rita Hayworth meets Isaac Newton Solos by Harry Sokal & Herwig Gradischnig 4. Louise Brooks meets Immanuel Kant Solos by Georgui Kornazov & Robert Bachner 5. Katharine Hepburn meets Voltaire Solos by Herwig Gradischnig & Andy Scherrer 6. Judy Garland meets Francesco d‘Assisi Solos by Anna Lauvergnac & Georgui Kornazov 7. Lauren Bacall meets Erasmus van Rotterdam Solos by Anna Lauvergnac & Joris Roelofs 8. Josephine Baker meets Albert Einstein Solos by Martin Koller & Robert Bachner 9. Bette Davis meets Galileo Galilei Solos by Mauro Negri & Matthieu Michel 10. Mae West meets Nicolaus Copernicus Solos by Harry Sokal & Martin Koller 11. Ava Gardner meets John Locke Solos by Mauro Negri & Adrian Mears 12. Marilyn Monroe meets Stephen Hawking Solos by Martin Koller & Thomas Gansch 13. Jayne Mansfield meets Sigmund Freud Solos by Thomas Gansch & Adrian Mears 1.

04:37

Solos by Andy Scherrer & Mario Gonzi

TOTAL TIME

40

05:17 05:13 05:29 05:11

30Years

3

04:42

Thanks to the additional production team: Gernot Bernhaus, Hannes Gebeshuber, Jelena Poprjan,Vesna Stephanovic, Nicholas Ostis & Esko Townell.

04:48

Concept & texts: mathias rüegg* Text revision: Karin Kaminker (writer and translator, Geneva),

04:02 04:56 04:23 06:07

David Wagner (freelance illustrator, Vienna), Violetta Waibel (philosopher, University of Vienna), Anja Weiberg (philosopher, University of Vienna) Quotation research and verification: Mitch Fidel (writer and historian, L.A.), Karin Kaminker, David Wagner, Anja Weiberg Translation: Karin Kaminker * Text on Lauren Bacall by Karin Kaminker

00:09

Thanks to the following people who have faithfully supported the Vienna Art Orchestra over the past 30 years and without whose help the Orchestra would not be where it is now: Robert Rüegg, HHC Stoller, Werner X.Uehlinger, Burkhard Hennen, J.E. Berendt, André Francis, Wulf Müller, Reinhold Stremitzer, Urszula Pasterk, Hans Temnitschka, Alfred Koll, Peter Marboe, Andreas Mailath-Pokorny, Gerhard Randa und Anton Kolarik.

67:51

Last but not least, a little kiss for my daughter Naima …

07:31

:

14 . Final statement about the past & the future composed and performed by Jojo Gansch

05:26

All VAO tracks recorded at Porgy & Bess, Vienna, July 29 - August 4, August 6 - 9 and 11 - 13, 2006. Recording engineer: Jürg Peterhans Musical supervision: Heinrich v.Kalnein & mathias rüegg Assistant recording engineer: Martin Vetters Computer editing: Natalie Gross Assistance: Eva Salfellner Staging & mix set up: Ronald Matky All Preludes recorded by Uli Goebel at Konzerthaus Vienna, September 28 & 29, 2006 under the musical supervision of Paul Gulda & mathias rüegg Editing: Natalie Gross, Martin Vetters & mathias rüegg Mastering: Jürg Peterhans Art direction & graphic design: Sebring & Leroy at O/R/E/L Produced by mathias rüegg Executive producer: Harry Gruber /Universal Music

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Bibliography JEAN HARLOW: http://www.allstarz.org/~jeanharlow/quotes.html (12.12.2005). MARILYN MONROE: Cited from: David Stenn: Bombshell, the Life and Death of Jean Harlow. New York: Doubleday 1993, p. 244. LEONARDO DA VINCI: “Ogni nostra cognizione prencipia da sentimenti.“ In: Leonardo da Vinci: Philosophische Tagebücher. Italian and German. Compilation, translation and essay by Guiseppe Zambioni and bibliography. Hamburg: Rowohlt 1958, p. 27. GIORGIO VASARI: “Leben des Malers und Bildhauers Leonardo da Vinci aus Florenz“. In: Leonardo da Vinci. Eine Biographie in Zeugnissen, Selbstzeugnissen, Dokumenten und Bildern. Edited and with commentaries by Marianne Schneider. München: Schirmer/Mosel 2002, pp. 11-27; this quotation p. 27. GRACE KELLY: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/g/gracekelly134587.html (5.12.2005). WILLIAM F. BUCKLEY: Cited from: Robert Lacey: Grace. New York: Putnam 1994, p. 382. RENÉ DESCARTES: Abhandlung über die Methode, richtig zu denken und Wahrheit in den Wissenschaften zu suchen. Transl. by Julius Heinrich von Kirchmann, 1870, p. 31. Die digitale Bibliothek der Philosophie, p. 23540 (cf. Descartes-PW Abt. 1, p. 40). PETER SLOTERDIJK: “Mit dem Wort Methode stieß Descartes die Fenster zur Gegenwart auf […].“ Peter Sloterdijk: “Vorbemerkung“. In: Descartes. Selections by Stephan Meier-Oeser. München: Diederichs 1997, p. 10f. RITA HAYWORTH: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/r/ritahaywor127216.html (5.12.2005). JEAN AMÉRY: “Die weibliche Offenbarung.“ [1955] In: Apropos Rita Hayworth. With an essay by Marli Feldvoß. Frankfurt am Main: Verlag Neue Kritik. 1996, p. 96f. ISAAC NEWTON: Unpublished Scientific Papers of Isaac Newton. A Selection from the Portsmouth Collection in the University Library, Cambridge. Chosen, ed. and transl. by A. Rupert Hall and Marie Boas Hall. Cambridge: University Press 1962, p. 333. IMMANUEL KANT: “Man sagt, daß Newton immer, wenn er den Namen Gottes ausgesprochen, eine Weile innegehalten, und nachgedacht habe.“ Immanuel Kant: “Über Pädagogik“. In: Schriften zur Anthropologie, Geschichtsphilosophie, Politik und Pädagogik 2. Werkausgabe Vol.12. Ed. by Wilhelm Weischedel. Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp 1978, pp. 691-761; this quotation p. 757. LOUISE BROOKS: Lulu in Hollywood. Introduction by Kenneth Tynan. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press 2000, p.6. HENRI LANGLOIS: Cited from: James Card: “The Intense Isolation of Louise Brooks“, http://www.geocities.com/silentfilmbuff/articles/isolation.html (12.12.2005). IMMANUEL KANT: “Aber Aufrichtigkeit [...] muß man von jedem Menschen fordern können, und wenn auch selbst dazu keine Anlage in unserer Natur wäre, deren Kultur nur vernachlässigt wird, so würde die Menschenrasse in ihren eigenen Augen ein Gegenstand der tiefsten Verachtung sein müssen.“ Immanuel Kant: Die Religion innerhalb der Grenzen der bloßen Vernunft. Akademie-Textausgabe Bd.VI. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter 1968, pp. 1-202; this quotation p. 190 (footnote). HEINRICH HEINE: “Kant hingegen legt den Gedanken vor sich hin, und seziert ihn, und zerlegt ihn in seine feinsten Fasern, und seine ‘Kritik der reinen Vernunft‘ ist gleichsam das anatomische Theater des Geistes. Er selber bleibt dabei kalt, gefühllos, wie ein echter Wundarzt. “ Heinrich Heine: Zur Geschichte der Religion und Philosophie in Deutschland [1834], http://gutenberg.spiegel.de/heine/religion/religion.htm (21.11.2005). KATHARINE HEPBURN: http://en.thinkexist.com/quotes/with/keyword/demoralizing/ (4.12.2005). HENRY FONDA: Cited from: The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts: “Biography of Katherine Hepburn“, http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/index.cfm?fuseaction=showIndividual&entitY_id=3740&source_type=A (4.12.2005). VOLTAIRE: In: Voltaire – Gedanken regieren die Welt. Eine Auswahl. Ed. by Wolfgang Kraus. Selections and transl. by Claudia Kraus. Zürich: Diogenes 1987, p. 112. EGON FRIEDELL: “Wenn die Welt heute nur noch zu zwei Fünfteln aus Schurken und zu drei Achteln aus Idioten besteht, so ist das zu einem guten Teil Voltaire zu verdanken.“ Egon Friedell: Kulturgeschichte der Neuzeit. Vol. 1. München: dtv 2003, p. 640. JUDY GARLAND: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/judygarlan163364.html (12.12.2005). GEORGE CUKOR: Cited from: http://www.thirteen.org/pressroom/release.php?get=1049 (12.12.2005). FRANCESCO D‘ASSISI: “Testament“. In: Lothar Hardick and Engelbert Grau: Die Schriften des heiligen Franziskus von Assisi. Kevelaer: Verlag Butzon & Bercker 2001, pp. 217-220; this quotation p. 217. HERMANN HESSE: “[E]r aber war ein Kind und Dichter, ein Meister und Lehrer der Liebe [...] und wenn die Menschen ihn vergäßen, so müßten Steine und Quellen, Blumen und Vögel von ihm reden.“ Hermann Hesse: Franz von Assisi. Frankfurt am Main: Insel 1988, p. 33.

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LAUREN BACALL: http://www.laurenbacall.com/about/quotes.htm (19.11.2005). BARBARA STREISAND: Cited from: The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts: “Biography of Lauren Bacall“, http://www.kennedycenter.org/calendar/index.cfm?fuseaction=showIndividual&entitY_id=3691&source_type=A (5.12.2005). ERASMUS VAN ROTTERDAM: Letter to Ulrich Zwingli at the beginning of September 1522, Basel. In: Erasmus von Rotterdam: Briefe. German transl. and ed. by Walther Köhler. Expanded version by Andreas Flitner. Bremen: Carl Schünemann Verlag 1956, p. 310. UWE SCHULTZ: “Er weiß um die Schwäche der Weisheit sowie um die Stärke der Torheit – und lächelt.“ Uwe Schultz: “Nachwort“. In: Erasmus von Rotterdam: Das Lob der Torheit. Transl. and ed. by Uwe Schultz. Frankfurt am Main: Insel Verlag, pp. 157-171; this quotation p. 166. JOSEPHINE BAKER: Cited from: Bryan Hammond and Patrick O’Connor: Josephine Baker. Die schwarze Venus. Transl. by Annekatrin Gudat. München: Wilhelm Heyne Verlag 1988, p. 207. JEAN COCTEAU: Cited from: Bryan Hammond and Patrick O’Connor: Josephine Baker. Die schwarze Venus. Transl. by Annekatrin Gudat. München: Wilhelm Heyne Verlag 1988, p. 247. ALBERT EINSTEIN: “Wenn aber alle Bemühung nicht hilft, und die Menschen in Selbstzerstörung enden, so wird ihnen der Kosmos keine Thräne nachweinen.“ Cited from: Gero von Boehm: E=mc2. Wer war Albert Einstein? München: Collection Rolf Heyne 2005, p. 152. THOMAS MANN: “In Albert Einstein starb ein Ehrenretter der Menschheit, dessen Namen nie untergehen wird.“ Thomas Mann: “Zum Tode von Albert Einstein“. In: Reden und Aufsätze I. Stockholmer Gesamtausgabe der Werke von Thomas Mann. Vol. 8. Frankfurt am Main: Fischer 1965, p. 277. BETTE DAVIS: http://en.thinkexist.com/quotation/a_sure_way_to_lose_happiness-i_found-is_to_want/171047.html (22.5.2006). ANGUS E. CRANE: “Smokescreen. Bette Davis and the Cigarette“ [1997], http://www.reelclassics.com/Actresses/Bette/bette-article.htm (12.12.2005). GALILEO GALILEI: Letter from Galileo Galilei to Ladislaus IV., King of Poland, July/August 1636. In: Galileo Galilei. Schriften, Briefe, Dokumente. Vol.2. Ed. by Anna Mudry. München: Beck 1987, p. 151. EMIL WOHLWILL: “Selbst im Irrtum denkt Galilei wissenschaftlicher als seine Gegner.“ Emil Wohlwill: Galilei und sein Kampf für die Copernicanische Lehre. Vol. II. Leipzig: Leopold Voss 1926, p. 18. MAE WEST: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/mae_west.html (5.12.2005). WILLIAM SAFIRE: “I Remember Mae“, The New York Times, 22 May 2000, http://www.nytimes.com/library/opinion/safire/052200safi.html (12.12.2005). NICOLAUS COPERNICUS: De revolutionibus orbium coelestium primus. [1543] In: Nicolaus Copernikus. Das neue Weltbild. Transl., ed., introduction and annotations by Hans Günter. Zekl.Hamburg: Meiner 1990, pp. 59-153; this quotation p. 137. FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE: “Seit Kopernikus scheint der Mensch auf eine schiefe Ebene gerathen – er rollt immer schneller nunmehr aus dem Mittelpunkte weg – wohin? ins Nichts? ins ‘durchbohrende Gefühl seines Nichts‘?“ Friedrich Nietzsche: Zur Genealogie der Moral. Kritische Studienausgabe Vol.5. Ed. by Giorgio Colli and Mazzino Montinari. München: dtv 1980, pp. 245-412; this quotation p. 404. AVA GARDNER: Cited from: Roland Flamini: Ava. New York: Coward McCann & Geoghegan 1983, p. 267. KATE BECKINGSALE: “Kate Beckinsale on ‘The Aviator‘ and Playing Ava Gardner“ (Interview with Kate Beckingsale), http://movies.about.com/od/theaviator/a/aviatorkb121904.htm (8.12.2005). JOHN LOCKE: Essay on Human Understanding. Works of John Locke. Vol. III. Aalen: Scientia Verlag 1963, p.155. VOLTAIRE: ”13. Brief: Über Herrn Locke”. In: Philosophische Briefe. Ed. and transl. by Rudolf von Bittner. Frankfurt am Main: Ullstein 1985, pp. 52-58, this quotation p. 53. MARILYN MONROE: http://womenshistory.about.com/cs/quotes/a/marilyn_monroe_2.htm (8.12.2005). BILLY WILDER: http://www.marilynmonroe.com/about/quote_about.html (8.12.2005). STEPHEN HAWKING: Cited from: http://www.nap.edu/books/0309084105/html/304.html (Michael White and John Gribbin: Stephen Hawking: A Life in Science. Second Edition (2002).) MICHAEL WHITE AND JOHN GRIBBIN: http://www.nap.edu/books/0309084105/html/117.html (Michael White and John Gribbin: Stephen Hawking: A Life in Science. Second Edition (2002).) JAYNE MANSFIELD: Cited from: Martha Saxton: Jayne Mansfield and the American Fifties. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin 1975, p. 29. SUSAN SONTAG: “Notes on Camp“ [1964], http://pages.zoom.co.uk/leveridge/sontag.html (12.12.2005). SIGMUND FREUD: Conversation with Marie Bonaparte. Cited from: Ernest Jones: Das Leben und Werk von Sigmund Freud. Vol. 2. Transl. by Gertrud Meili-Dworetzki with Katherine Jones. Bern and Stgt.: Verlag Hans Huber 1962, p. 493. ERICH FROMM: “Die Welt war für ihn eine Bühne, auf der das Drama der psychoanalytischen Bewegung und seiner Mission spielten.“ Erich Fromm: “Der Mensch Freud“. In: Ders.: Schriften über Sigmund Freud. Ed. and annotated by Rainer Funk. Stuttgart: Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt 1989, pp. 205-208; this quotation p. 207.

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