With music through the Corona crisis: #FETEBerlin presents the best online experiences

Ausschnitt eines Manns mit Gitarre

Life has already changed dramatically due to the coronavirus and there is not a lot to be said for the current situation. Nevertheless, every crisis also brings positive aspects. As far as Corona is concerned, the Italians singing from their balconies are a perfect example. The great wave of solidarity and mutual support has been impressive – whether it’s that young people go shopping for elderly people, that guests support restaurants with “buy now, eat later” voucher sales or that clubs and musicians join forces and organise diverse activities in an effort not to let sources of income dry up completely.

After all, the culture industry is suffering from the current crisis. Many organizers fear for their existence, while the public miss out on an important aspect of their quality of life. How do culture freaks and music lovers deal with the situation? We’d like to present to you a range of diverse musical offerings that for us perfectly reflect the “spirit of the Fête de la Musique”.

We would like to use our channels to support you and your creative ideas to make culture more tangible!

Click here for a detailed list of streaming, cooperation and solidarity offerings (which we will be constantly updating).

If you know of any other action or activity or if you are involved in one yourself, please email us at news@fetedelamusique.de and we will list your project as well.
Some nice actions in the FETE spotlight:

Balcony Concerts

There was once the funny video format “Balcony TV”. Musicians from the pop, folk or hip-hop scene played songs on a balcony and defied the street noise. And what if a whole country does the Madonna and warbles from the balcony? Last Friday (13.03.) in Italy, in view of the curfew there, young and old used their balconies to make music “apart but together”. From a safe distance you could enjoy the music and be amazed at the hidden talents of your neighbours.

The “Flashmob sonoro” was taken as an example by the Austrians two days later. All over the country people sang and played on their balconies on Sunday evenings to overcome fear, isolation and boredom (“United Voices”).

I have a stream

Now that almost all concerts are cancelled in the next few weeks, musicians are increasingly using streaming possibilities to reach their fans. James Blunt played in front of empty seats in the Hamburg Elbphilharmonie on 11.03. and streamed the concert. Since then, a bunch of his colleagues have recorded intimate living room concerts and broadcast them live via Twitter, for example Chris Martin, John Legend, the classical musician Igor Levit or the Italian rock singer Gianna Nannini. In addition to live streams via its “Digital Concert Hall”, the Berliner Philharmonie also offers free access to recorded concerts from 60 years ago.

Since the dance floors also have to remain empty for the time being, the Berlin club scene has launched the “United we stream” program. Live DJ sets have been available via this streaming service every day from 19:00 to 00:00 since 18 March. This offering is being expanded to include concerts, performances, discussions, lectures and films. Watergate, Sage, Tresor and Griessmühle are just some of the participating clubs. Even if the atmosphere is not the same, there will certainly be dancing to live streams in many Berlin kitchens and living rooms soon.

The show must go on

For most of us music is an important part of our lives. In addition to concert and club courses, many people take music or singing lessons or pursue music-related studies. In some places digital distance learning is possible, but many courses and rehearsals have to be cancelled and semester starts postponed.

Without music of course, something is missing. We can still enjoy it at home but, as we can now clearly see, this is only a complement to the unique experience of live music. Good music demands that we go to a concert, stand in line, get good seats and enjoy the moment. And for the musician, playing a concert, as they themselves say, is definitely the most fun part of their career.

25 Years of FETE

We are working to ensure that the Fête de la Musique can take place in its anniversary year on its usual date at the beginning of summer. Follow us on social media and blog and stay up to date!

@FETEBerlin on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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