Crusades

The opera Crusades commissioned by Theater Freiburg focuses on the long-term effects of the Crusades. It also involves a passionate love story transcending religious borders which could take place in the diverse societies of any large European city of today. Can emotional ties withstand potential differences in origin and religious orientation? Jerusalem, for centuries the centre of ancient religious conflict between the monotheistic religions, and the history of the destructive Crusades provide the background for this story of a terror attack which can only be averted by love and spiritual insight. Historical figures such as Pope Urban II, Bernhard von Clairveaux, Rabia of Basra, Walther von der Vogelweide and choruses of Crusaders and their children repeatedly emerge from the echo chamber of ancient times, demonstrating that highly topical current problems frequently result from extended chains of violence entwined through the history of both East and West!

The central theme of my opera Crusades is the abuse of religion and its violent consequences. During work on this composition, the danger of condemning a particular religion as the guilty party repeatedly manifested itself in great clarity. In order to combat this risk, I separated the issue 'abuse of religion' from the topic 'religion in itself' to highlight the historical consequences of violence which have led to the current situation of war, terror and hate in the name of God in meticulous detail. The root causes of religious violence are of a non-religious nature: on the one hand, they are triggered off by the messianic claim to leadership of individuals who see themselves as being equipped with the divine competence of power and develop structures permitting them to assert this power ('What God wills, I will decide!' Maciel, Crusades). An additional cause is the flourishing arms trade on the part of global companies which gain their wealth through religious strife – with the support of Western governments – by supplying weapons to ALL fronts.

The locations in which I composed my opera are representative 'hot spots' for the cultural and musical emphases of this work: during the composition of Crusades I spent substantial time in Jerusalem, Weimar und in Mantamados on the Greek island of Lesbos.

I see my music as a language in which I am able to communicate with my audiences on an emotional level, permitting me to illuminate relationships between people and trace psychological processes. My musical roots do not exclusively lie within the tradition of European modernity, but also possess greater historical depth and breadth. For this reason, I give my compositions vitality and flexibility through the inspiration of melodic and rhythmic techniques with which I have become familiar through my extensive studies of non-European and ancient European music.

I was awarded a work scholarship by the Free State of Thuringia which permitted me to work on Crusades in Jerusalem where I was able to undertake research into Jewish and classical Arabic music at institutions such as the Jerusalem Academy for Music and Dance. The musical dramaturgy of the opera manifests itself in its proximity to film in response to the aesthetic needs and forms of communication of my fellow human beings of today with fast cuts, intensive images, stark contrasts and dramatic changes in tempo and location. Ludger Vollmer