Bertold Hummel work commentaries

The idea of coming to terms with and commenting on the events of September 11, 2001 through art came from Cornelia Grossmann. Reiner Taudien’s thought-provoking lines in "Black Tuesday", which I came across by chance in the magazine "Der Gesundheitsberater" (The health advisor), seemed to me well suited for setting to music. The result was 110901 for speaker and percussion, composed in November 2001.

The introduction leads to an initial cluster of chords, followed by the first passage of text. A second cluster of chords is built up, followed by the second passage of text. The vibraphone dominates the middle section with the third passage of text and allows the final passage, with its three questions, to fade out. This is followed by a short instrumental summary of the musical material. In the coda, the first seven notes of Bach's chorale ‘O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden’ are quoted. The work fades away in extreme pianissimo.

(Introductory text by Bayerischer Rundfunk 2002)

Reiner Taudien

Black Tuesday September 11, 2001

Shattered the myth
of omnipotence.
Terror on iron wings pierces
the heart of our capitals
Manhattan shaken
to the core.
Mass murder spills from
Madness.

III a

Determined grief between
profit and loss.
The free world sends flowers.
Horrified, protesting innocence,
bewailing
the dread deeds of evil men.

Open-mouthed, in naked fear
the world is frozen,
speechless,
one heartbeat long
A shout goes up from the wicked
and the brokers
lament as the share prices
plummet.
Greed pumps the price
of oil.
The President announces:
Government and business
as usual.

III b

As if the vipers of
religious mania had never
sat down at the table of the righteous,
to barter for power and oil.
The arrogance of capitalism
is forced to its knees

And now? Onward to the
Middle Ages?
Crusades in the name of our gods?
Wall Street against Babylon?

commentary to opus 107d	Back to work register