„Letter to the Americans“

Literary-musical collage as part of Klangbrücken

Saturday, 18 April 2026 - 12-13 h
Marschnersaal, Hanover State Opera
Admission: Pay what you can

„Americans! I am writing to you from the aeroplane that is taking me back to France. I have spent twenty days in New York. But I encountered so many things, so many people, that I have trouble telling whether it was twenty days or twenty years.“
- Jean Cocteau

With these emphatic words begins Letter to the Americans - a text that has lost none of its topicality to this day. In view of the current political developments in the USA and the global debates on democracy, responsibility and cultural identity, the question of the role of art and intellectuals in turbulent times arises once again. What does transatlantic dialogue mean today? What responsibility does art bear in times of social upheaval?

Based on Cocteau's book of the same name, Ensemble Megaphon develops a literary-musical collage that brings words and sound into a lively dialogue. Music of different styles is combined with reading passages to create a multi-layered concert experience between reflection and emotion, between historical perspective and contemporary urgency.
Cocteau's text is at once a travelogue, a diagnosis of the times and a passionate appeal. It reflects on the relationship between Europe and America, on artistic freedom in times of political tension and on the unifying power of culture. These thoughts will be placed in a new, contemporary resonance space in the Marschnersaal of the Hanover State Opera. Several commissioned compositions will be created especially for this project, complemented by new interpretations of socially critical pop songs.

„Letter to the Americans“ is an invitation to listen, to think and to question - a concert as a bridge between continents, times and artistic forms of expression.

Compositions by:

Tatjana Prelevic (UA) „...how many times...?“ Performance for piano, violin and two actors 
Arsalan Abedian (UA) “He didn't want to know what he was doing “ for violin, piano, voice and playback
Marijana Janevska (UA) „Persona torrent“ for three performers and feed
Lenka Zupkova (UA) „Superwoman“ for voice, electronics, piano and violin
Philipp Glass - “The poets act” for piano and violin

Contributors:

Lenka Zupkova - Violin
Tatjana Prelevic - piano, concept
Andre Bartetzki - Sound direction                         
Christiane Ostermeier and Klaus Angermann - Language

Burkhard Scheller, Franz Betz - Light object

Excerpts from the book “Letter to the Americans“
from Jean Cocteau © 1949 and 2025 Karl Rauch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, Düsseldorf ; Translated by Paul Celan

Patrons:

In co-operation with: