Sunday, June 24

In the air. On LH 729. Going west, back to Germany. Exhausted, but happy with all new kin of impressions, academically and culturally. Sometimes I am not sure what kind of an impact we are able to make as academics in the humanities. Especially if we are constantly asked to produce ‘numbers’: in Euros for extra financial support on research or in new students coming to our university. But after my China experience it seems clear how important it is to do the work we are doing: to connect culturally. And not only commercially. Finding ways of communicating with each other is so important. Wagner with his critique of an alienated world is a good medium for this exchange with China. The intellectual and emotional connection to Wagner and his work is big in the East and the West. The general curiosity on both sides amazing. In that sense Wagner is truly universal being able to bring people together with different cultural backgrounds. Yesterday I had my sightseeing day in Shanghai. A warm day, cloudy, with a lot of humidity and rain. My first impression: Other cities of that scope seem to be so dated compared to this… I am getting a quick glance on that hungry and shiny surface of a modern world with all its lights, fancy skyscrapers, high rise freeways, expensive stores and hotels. This is fascinating. But it also leaves a somewhat strange taste at the same time. China here is so much about money. As my friend pointed out the first night at dinner, smiling at me with some slight traces of disgust in his face. Now I understand better what he was referring to. The day before my sightseeing experience at the conference made me believe again that it is important what we are doing in the humanities. Danny gave an excellent talk on Carl Dahlhaus, my first academic teacher in Berlin in the 1980s. She and I agree: Dahlhaus’ work is still amazing, since he connected all kind of historical, aesthetical and cultural information to our field of interest: music. Truly modern in that sense. As for him there are translations available of his books in Chinese by now, which is great. They help to connect. Rémy Campos and Aurélien Poidevin talked about their recent historical reconstruction of the Paris “Meistersinger” production of 1897. Their talk demonstrated that the shift from the Wagner version of the Munich premiere in 1868 to this version done in France at the end of the 19^th century (and its recreation) is quite a big one. The staging of Wagner became somehow its own leitmotif at that conference. One of the questions brought up after my own talk that day on the history of the Bayreuth festival referred to this as well: Will there be some kind of a Chinese version of the “Ring” soon? And what would that look like? The conference was ended with a very lively final discussion. Sitting at tables and facing each other, this was the most stimulating part of the conference. We were discussing topics which had not been touched yet. And somebody suggested – it was meant to be more of a joke – to combine Chinese Opera with Wagner. I ask myself right now: why not? With all of this we missed Nicholas Vazsonyi’s presence in China. The planned presentation and workshop on “Meistersinger” would have been extremely relevant within the context of the other talks and the general topic of how to stage Wagner in the 21^st century. I am very glad I did all of this, and I am looking forward to more cultural encounters between the East and the West. In December 2013 we hope to be able to welcome our new Chinese friends in Thurnau. The big city will be replaced by a remote countryside and the venue of the conference, the castle of Thurnau, could be covered with snow. Another place, another time: helping us to shape up another perspective on Wagner.

Thursday, June 21

The conference in Shanghai starts this morning. It is taking place in the newest building of Shanghai Conservatory which is only a few years old and very well equipped. The class room is full of people: mostly the speakers of the conference and also lots (!) of students. There are film cameras set up, and many photos are shot during the whole day. Opening addresses are being given. Than we take a picture outside of the building with everybody posing in front of the blue conference poster which has all the information on the event. The next thing will be my own presentation: an introduction to WagnerWorldWide. Danny is helping out with the Chinese version of my paper. And again I have a good feeling talking and being translated. She is doing a great job. There is that very quiet and concentrated atmosphere to be observed in the room, but – again – because of the ‘indirect’ communication, it is hard to tell what people think. But this time too, as in Huangzhou: after my talk, there are lots of questions. And, we have time to get to talk. Professor Yang wants to know my personal areas of research which are linked to the five topics. There is an interesting question on the general situation on German musicology today, how the discipline contextualizes the areas of research we are dealing with. Another question is: Are there specific ways of looking at Wagner in the academic reception to be distinguished in Europe depending on the national point of view? All of this shows the wide range of interest. As also do the papers of this first conference day. But despite the fact that there are a lot of different areas of interest being tackled in these papers, I would like to point out a couple of special topics where Chinese scholars seem to focus on: one is Mythology and the other one is Wagner’s Antiquity reception. The famous music critic and head of the Wagner Society China Liu Xuefeng reflects on options of directing Wagner today. He uses his huge treasure of performances he experienced in Europe and elsewhere. According to him Wagner’s work could be looked at as ‘not perfect’ – while the music actually is. Which makes me think: that could be the reason, why Wagner still stimulates all these different new approaches. Exactly the creative impulse he brings out is probably his major legacy. Professor Tao Xin from Shanghai conservatory delivers a brilliant analysis of Robert Carsen’s “Ring”-production from Cologne opera house which was performed at the World Expo in Shanghai in 2010. As I hear, not everybody liked this interpretation. But the wide range of opinions on this and the arguments to prove these opinions seem as diverse as in Europe. There can be no doubt: the appreciation for Wagner, the knowledge of Wagner and the critical thinking on Wagner is tremendous in this country.

Wednesday, June 20

Today was temple and travel day. Hangzhou is a Buddhist center to China. In the morning Jessica took me to the Lingyin Temple area which is a major tourist attraction and also – at the same time – a place for worship. People come here to pay their respect to Buddha. They also communicate their wishes to Buddha in front of one of the statues. Jessica teaches me, how to do this. Thinking of a Buddhist temple one might imagine a quiet place which (hopefully) provides some time you have for yourself and do some thinking or mediation. But people come her as well just to visit the site as tourists. So, the place is packed. Mostly with Asians. It is the first time that I am realizing I must be exotic to them. The site is extremely busy and it is one of the most important temples in China. We got to experience a service with chanting, which was lovely. More ‘musical’ entertainment was delivered some time later. We took a walk along the beautiful Western Lake, a romantic place in the middle of the city, a huge lake surrounded by forests, gardens and mountains, with little bridges all over the place and many love stories related to it. We sat down in one of the little hats on the lake and watched a little boy. He was probably 1 ½ or 2 years old and wearing these special shoes, which, as Jessica told me, are quite common in China. They help to let parents know, what they children are doing, whre they are. The boy was of that age where he seemed still fascinated by himself with the fact that he was able to walk around. With each tap he was doing, the shoes would make a funny noise: like if you pushed the belly of one of those plastic ducks. Walking and running in all kind of different styles created its own music in a John Cage like manner. For the ride home we used one of those high speed trains. China here is so perfect, like a clock work, which the German rail could use as a model.

Tuesday, June 19

Arriving with the car at the place where my first lecture is going to take place, I got almost got knocked out! At the gate: ‘I don’t believe my eyes’, as we say in German (and maybe not in English…). Right after the entrance where the car comes in, there is a little square with trees and lot of greenery. On top of this – to my complete surprise – I see that big, long red banner with Chinese characters in yellow. These characters are framing my own name to be found in the middle which everybody can see entering the school that day: “Anno Mungen”. What a welcome with the announcement of my being at the Music school that day. The Music school at the University of Hangzhou is beautiful. The buildings are situated in a campus which looks like a garden. It is quite hot today. The doors of the practice rooms are left open. I love that cacophonic sound experience of coincidence: some piano playing here, some opera singing there, and a chorus somewhere else in the far background. The campus has a nice concert hall as well as a gym, a sports field, dormitories and other buildings. Students strolling along, greeting us. They must be realizing that this peaceful village-like school is not a bad place to study music and musicology. What a great and almost perfect situation. The idea of 1905 peace nobel prize laureate Bertha von Suttner of a festival of education for the 21^st Century replacing or extending the Wagner festival idea comes to my mind. This is my example I will be finishing my lecture on the Bayreuth festival this afternoon. The Musicology department is part of the school, and Professor Yang Jihua invited me to talk in front of his students. Jessica is translating my paper in little sections. She does an excellent job. At least that is my impression. Being translated this way is a new experience to me. Only a few of the students seem to understand my English. It feels a little strange to be not able to get in touch with them directly through my speaking. But, as the questions they are asking after my talk indicate: it did work. These question also prove the general appreciation for the topic. Theoretically I knew this before, but now I can feel it for the first time in this class room full with Chinese students in their late teens and early twenties: Wagner seems a big deal in this country. A very big deal.

Monday, June 18

Another line from a song: “Shanghai, ach was bist Du alt…”. I remember the recording I had with the German chanteuse Ingrid Caven who sang that song so beautifully. About the old Shanghai. The first impression once you arrive here is different. The airport, ultra modern, nice and clean, a big city, skyscrapers, Manhattan-like. Nothing seems old. Danny and Jessica, two musicology PhD students from the Conservatory, picked me up at the airport. Very interesting talks in the cab with the two. Danny is writing her PhD on Carl Dahlhaus, my teacher at Technical University of Berlin in the late 80s. They pointed out on our taxi ride into town, that Shanghai is not as Chinese as many other places in this country. Used to big cities I feel comfortable though. This is one of the global advantages of this world where one can feel “home” very easily. My first taste of China offers the nice lunch for which Professor Yang joins us. What a great welcome and more interesting conversations on our music and cultures. My second taste of China is the fact that I got lost. A cab driver drops me off at the wrong place. I have no idea where I am. A little confused with my phone in the one hand and the little note my hotel wrote down for me in the other, I approach the locals. My little adventure: Everybody is very sweet. What I get is a lot of nodding and smiling but no sense of direction. My friend with whom I am supposed to have dinner with gets on my cell phone and explains the new taxi driver where to go. To a nice modern restaurant overlooking the river. It works. With the result of more wonderful Chinese food! Getting comfortable for work this first day was not bad at all. No Wagner business for me in China yet. But tomorrow. My first lecture of this trip which will be taking place at the University of Hangzhou. Going to sleep now. The train leaves at 9.00 o’clock.

Sunday, June 17

“All my bags are packed … “. The famous line from the John Denver song pops into my head. Sitting on my suitcase and waiting for the flight to leave. Off to China, this late afternoon from Frankfurt, on LH 728. So exciting. Years ago when I started the initiative WagnerWorldWide I was not sure where this would be heading. I did send out many emails to a lot of people all over the world asking: Are you interested in a collaborative academic project on Wagner for the anniversary 2013? I got many answers. But not all of the email conversations would go on. Some did. With Professor Yang Yandi and Shanghai Conservatory for Music the communication will be taken to the next level now. Which is wonderful. I will meet with him and all the people who prepared for this trip and I have been emailing with over the last months tomorrow. Finally. In China, a country which seems so far away. I kept saying to my friends: It feels more like going to a different planet. Having no clue about the language (which just looks so beautiful), never been there before, and not knowing too much about Chinese culture anyway. As somebody who academically specializes in European Music and Opera, I realize how narrow our perspectives are. On the other hand: How much information and stimulation are we able to consume and to work with in these times of endless knowledge and communication through phones, the internet, travel etc.? Anyhow. One goal – for sure – of this project is to extend our horizon in times where cultures are growing closer together. Richard Wagner, composer, writer, philosopher and traveller, the phenomenon we are dealing with in this project, gains the quality of a medium, a medium to stimulate communication. Between Bayreuth and China. I guess, I do know one thing about Chinese culture: This language must be so very very difficult to learn. Fortunately we will be having English, which is great.  Still, I was taught my first Chinese lesson yesterday. My Chinese friend Changfeng who lives in Germany taught me one expression: SUI YI. That’s what people say when they toast to each other. The expression implies that you are not supposed to finish your drink, and meaning: Follow your thoughts. That is nice. Sitting on my suitcase, getting hungry, I am starting to look forward to my Asian vegetarian dinner in LH-coach, combining this with a nice little bottle of German air white, taking little sips and let my thoughts wander: SUI YI…