Sonntag

With the third performance of DSDL, today featuring the protagonist Patrizia, and the world premiere of the KinderStücke, Uwe Rasch’s trilogy Mit Ach und Krach comes to an end. For Musik der Jahrhunderte, Pony Says, and the Neue Vocalsolisten, however, it is a beginning–an invitation to approach people who have not yet found their way to contemporary arts, and to create new spaces of perception together. More of this throughout the year and at ECLAT 2026.

 

The programme SurRealities by the Berlin ensemble mosaik, a discovery of three strong young artistic voices addressing the worldview and future perspectives of their generation, is dedicated to Bettina Junge, the long-time, wonderful artistic director of the ensemble, who passed away last year and who had a major influence on this programme.

 

At the end of this final festival day, the award ceremony for the 69th Composition Prize of the City of Stuttgart will take place. This year, the city will award the prize for the 70th time. Through this prize, Stuttgart not only supports composers of all generations and »paves their way into the public’s consciousness,« but it also promotes the freedom of the arts and their significance for an open society. We thank the city of Stuttgart and the state of Baden-Württemberg for their continued support of ECLAT and contemporary arts in the city and region–and for this clear commitment!

 

It is wonderful that today we will hear three laudations for the three awardees, from three different jury perspectives! This provides a bit of insight into the work of the jury, which, as I see it from the outside, requires careful, responsible, and–I would say–empathetic deliberation, with a great deal of time invested in choosing the prizewinners. For the recipients, this not only means (important) money but also, for over 30 years, a performance at ECLAT. Tomorrow, the newly constituted jury will meet for the first time. By tomorrow evening, I will know which programme items will »fall into my lap« for next year, and as always, these will have an impact on the overall programme.

 

I hope that in 2026, we will joyfully meet again and that we will have had a year of vibrant societal discourse, upheld by tolerance, diversity, openness, and mindfulness!

 

Christine Fischer