Tag Archives: classical

DSOB Symphonic Mob – Verdi’s ‘Va, pensiero’

Before coming on this trip, I developed an unrelated obsession with Verdi’s “Va, Pensiero”. I had it on perpetual loop once we got here, and then later learned that it had been adopted as a sort of anthem in East Germany about how they yearned to be reunited with their homeland. My computer finally blew up and I couldn’t do any work until I got a new power supply, so my flatmate and I went to the Tiergarten to bum around nature since it was a holiday and nothing was open. On the way back, I saw that the Mall of Berlin was busy and decided to stop and see if the Saturn was open (Saturn is like the German “Best Buy”.) It turned out they were having a “symphonic mob”… and the second they started playing I recognized it. I almost cried. Literally one of the most unreal and beautiful moments of my entire life.

RELATED: Urban Folklore: “Va, pensiero” and East Germany

Gallery: Altes Museum (Old Museum)

The Altes Museum was built in the early 19th century to contain the Prussian royal family’s collection of art. As lovely as it looks in photos, in real life it is stunning. My traveling companion and I toured the museum for hours, studying the Ancient Greek, Roman, and Etruscan works. At 6pm the bells of the Berlin Cathedral began to ring the call to Vespers, so we ran outside to listen. Once out there, we saw a Syrian wedding party arrive in the Lustgarten out front. They danced and played music while the crowds gathered around and clapped. Later in the trip, I discovered that this exact location was used by the Nazi’s for rallies during WWII. In the image below, I would have been standing about where Hitler is standing as I filmed the New Berlin being celebrated.

Berlin Kundgebung zum 1. Mai 1936 am alten Museum im Lustgarten. Attribution: Bundesarchiv, B 145 Bild-P022065 / CC-BY-SA 3.0
Berlin
Kundgebung zum 1. Mai 1936 am alten Museum im Lustgarten. Attribution: Bundesarchiv, B 145 Bild-P022065 / CC-BY-SA 3.0

Syrian Wedding Party, Lustgarten, Berlin. Photo by Scarlett Messenger
Syrian Wedding Party, Lustgarten, Berlin. Photo by Scarlett Messenger