Escalier du chant

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How do songs reflect political events? How does a song become a political song? Artist Olaf Nicolai invited 11 international composers to write songs referencing political events of current relevance to them. Without prior announcement, a total of 58 songs were performed as a cappella pieces on 12 Sundays in 2011 on the central staircase of the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich. Visitors to the museum found themselves as actors in a staged performance for brief instances of time. A smartly designed three-volume boxed set, Escalier du Chant, works almost like a scrapbook of the event. Included are excerpts from the songs and commentaries by the composers in the form of 58 music sheets along with a booklet featuring photographs of the performances. Including songs by Tony Conrad, Georg Friedrich Haas, Georg Katzer, Liza Lim, Samir Odeh-Tamimi, Enno Poppe with Marcel Beyer, Rolf Riehm, James Saunders, Elliott Sharp, Mika Vainio and Jennifer Walshe.