Donemus Webshop — (un)mensch

Author(s):
Veldhuizen, Rick van (Composer)
Description:
(un)mensch is a piece about radicalisation, and the tendency of humans to seek extremes. In current times, as in times past, people have dismissed radical or extreme behaviours as ‘inhuman’ or ‘evil’ behaviour, in the process distancing our humanity from it. This refusal to accept extremes as naturally human leads us astray, ‘Othering’ people we perceive to be different, and losing our concept of a shared humanity.
This piece takes the biggest villain in history, Adolf Hitler, as its starting point. Often considered ‘inhuman’ so one doesn’t have to associate oneself with him, portrayals of this historical figure paradoxically also paint him as a madman, plagued by amphetamine addiction, tinnitus and mental disorder. In short, his evil is often portrayed as both inhuman and quintessentially human.
(un)mensch, in turn, seeks to radicalize existing musical styles and ideas. From Ligeti-like micropolyphonies to Glass’s arpeggios and the unofficial anthem of the Third Reich, everything gets turned into a blurred, topsy-turvy version of itself. At the centre of this is an extensive quote from Richard Wagners Das Rheingold: the emerging and explosion of an idyllic, nationalistic dream, the fair copy of which perished with Hitler in his bunker in 1945.

Rick van Veldhuizen
26 March 2015

Sheet Music
If you are going to perform this composition, you can enter your concert information here. We will publish this information in the Donemus Concert Agenda.
You can buy the parts or other related products online. If you choose a downloadable product you will receive the product in digital form. In all other cases the product is sent to you physically. For more information, check our FAQ.
Product	Description	Price/piece	Count
Score	Download to Newzik (A3), 64 pages	EUR 40.44
	Download as PDF (A3), 64 pages	EUR 48.52
	Hardcopy, normal size (A3), 64 pages	EUR 80.88
	Hardcopy, study size (A4), 64 pages	EUR 56.96