GOETHESERBEN Oswald Henke is angry. Angry and disappointed. In the pandemic, the cultural sector was used as a scapegoat. Everything about culture had to be closed, while sporting events and travellingwere allowed to continue.His income was severely reduced for two years as a result. Nevertheless, Goethes Erben released two beautiful recordsduring thepandemic:'FlüchtigeKüsse'in2020and 'Elemente' in 2021. The live CD and DVD'Das gestohlene Konzert' will soon be added. Enough reasons to listen to UncleOswald oncemore. In July2021 you released'Elemente'. It is not just a CDbut a collection of singles about the four elements of nature: air, earth, water and fire. There is also a CD with some bonus tracks.What inspiredyou toworkwith this concept? Oswald Henke : In times of pandemic, we had to adapt our way of working.We haven't been able to rehearse much in 2020.We discussed a lot through Skype meetings or on the phone because you couldn't get together,even as a band.So I thought to myself: let's put together in one box everything that Goethes Erben has produced as creative work and content. Past, present and also future. For this reason the 7" box'Elemente'has also been released as vinyl + CD + soap + other extras. My creative work doesn't includes one single thingbutmanysmall elements that then result ina complete work.'Seelenbalsam' (the soap collection that Oswald Henke helped create,xk) for example onlyexists because during the pandemic I lost almost everyopportunitytomakemoneyand then I implemented the idea of vegan cosmetics based on pieces byGoethes Erben,Erblast or Artwork.We then created it and offered it as a product. The soap 'Rebel' – one of the designed soaps from the 'Seelenbalsam'collection–is the representativeof this in the box. The music consists of the chamber ensemble and the regular band and the box contains old and newpieces…you will find all kinds of memories on the pins.All these things recall what makes Goethes Erben so special. All elements together result in my work. Even though Goethes Erben is always an ensemble performance, I am the artistic director and I try to collaborate with other creatives and thus set up artisticprojects.I amnot afraid to trynewthings out andhave also tried to overcome the limitations imposed by the pandemic as part of the box concept. On the release, Goethes Erben plays in two different ensembles: as a rock band on 'Spiel mit mir' and as a chamber ensemble on most of the other songs. The two ensembles also lead to several live concerts, completely independent of each other. How do you combine the two versions ofyour project? I am the crossroads and at some concerts of the chamber ensemble,Markus Koestner of the regular band is also there www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be - 4 - as a percussionist. They are simply two different live ensembles rehearsing at different times and working independently on new pieces. So it is not really a combination.Rather:we can stageGoethes Erben indifferent ways.Whether as a band,as a chambermusic ensemble or as amusic theatre production. 'Elemente' also includes 'Ölberg' versions of several older pieces performed by the chamber music ensemble. I love them. They appear to be leftovers from the recordings of your previous record,'FlüchtigeKüsse'.Whydidyou include themon'Elemente'? That's right, they were recorded in Ölberg church as part of the recordings for 'Flüchtige Küsse'. For 'Elemente' these pieces represent the past,which at best is an important part of the present and should alsobe anoption for the future.We keep changing the live versions to keep them in the present. Arrangements can be made smaller or larger, or they can be left as they are.That's the exciting thing.The only important thing is that you don't destroy the"magic"of a piece. In the song'Zeit zu gehen', but also in the CD booklet, you criticize the measures surrounding the corona pandemic. You even say that 'society has failed'. What made you so angryabout themeasures?Whyhas societyfailed? Politics and society have generally used the arts and the cultural sector aswhippingboys in thepandemic.Inprinciple, we as a band and I as a musician have not been able to give concerts at any time since the outbreak of the pandemic in Europe. We always had restrictions and conditions, while people attended footballmatches in stadiums or travelledall over the world to enjoy their holidays and then wondered why the number of infections increased again after the holidays.Culture was the first thing that kept getting turned off and one of the last things allowed to be reactivated. Thepandemicalsohadamajor impact on theartisticworld. You complain that both record sales and concert ticket sales have suffered greatly from the pandemic. What do you thinkare the causes and solutions? I have no idea. After two years of not being able to plan anything, I decided to avoid a third year in this regard and only plan and offer concerts byGoethes Erben in and around Bayreuth. Only the festival in October (Autumn Moon in Hamelin) is at a distance.All other concerts take place in our neighbourhood. I also think it will take months if not years after the pandemic to get people back to concerts.Some will probably not come at all because after two years of uncertainty and fear they are used to staying at home.
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