Was something there? Did the world dream or was it just a fever dream? – Episode 36 Schallwelten from June 22, 2026
Whoever talks about music in communism is never just talking about sounds. It is always also about power, ideology, control, and the question of whom art is actually supposed to serve. Music provides a particularly clear way of demonstrating how political systems intervene in the private and the artistic. The repression of culture in Soviet communism was not a side issue, but part of […]
Dmitri Shostakovich and his relationship to communism and the Soviet Union – Episode 35 of Schallwelten from June 8, 2026
Dmitri Shostakovich is among the composers whom one must not only listen to, but also read historically. Anyone who takes his music seriously quickly encounters major questions: What does fear sound like? How does political repression affect art? And how much resistance is possible in music when open protest is life-threatening? Precisely therein lies his special significance to this day. […]
Inflation of ideologies – why there are too many of them and why it makes many people take themselves too seriously. – Episode 34 Schallwelten from May 24, 2026
Anyone observing political debates, cultural institutions, or social media today quickly senses a paradoxical climate: never before has the number of stances, identities, "-isms," and moral codes been so vast, and at the same time, genuine understanding seems to be getting harder and harder. This precisely lies at the heart of the inflation of ideologies, as Lyotard already suggested in his reflections on postmodernism. […]
„Pure“ culture and ethnopluralism: Why purity is dangerous - Schallwelten Episode 33 from 5/11/2026
Anyone talking about culture, homeland, and belonging today quickly finds themselves in a politically charged field. Concepts like ethnopluralism, ethnocentrism, or the idea of a “pure” culture are long no longer just appearing in fringe debates. They show up in social media, in political campaigns, in pop-cultural codes, and sometimes even in seemingly harmless conversations about tradition. Because [...]
Feminism, music, and self-determination: The „rebellious sister“ of liberalism in focus – Insights from „Schallwelten“ Episode 32 of April 27, 2026
The 32nd episode of ‘Schallwelten’ addresses a theme that goes far beyond a classical debate on equality: feminism appears here as a critical companion to liberalism, as a force for self-determination, and as a corrective to cultural power relations. For self-determined people of all stripes, this perspective is productive because it does not view political intellectual history, music, and culture separately, but rather […]
What happened to liberalism – Does it still exist? Schallwelten Episode 31 from April 14, 2026
Liberalism was long considered the invisible foundation of the Western order. For many politicians, it had become as self-evident as parliamentary democracy itself. Yet precisely this self-evidence has vanished. Authoritarian systems are gaining in appeal, liberal parties are losing their cohesive power, and cultural debates are increasingly conducted in an illiberal manner. The question of whether we are witnessing the end of liberalism, […]
American exceptionalism – a dying breed? Schallwelten Episode 30 from March 30, 2026
TLDR; The article shows how American music acts as a mirror of ideology, history, and social self-perception, both confirming and questioning the myth of American exceptionalism. In addition, diversity shapes the „melting pot“: jazz, African-American music, avant-garde, and minimal music emerge from exchange, conflict, and global influences. Therefore, music becomes a political and cultural resonance space, […]
What is absolute music? Schallwelten, episode 29 from March 16, 2026
At first glance, the question of absolute music seems academic, almost detached from reality. Yet anyone who delves deeper into music, society, and politics quickly realizes that behind this term lies a central tension of modern culture. Absolute music stands for the claim to understand music as an autonomous art form, beyond function, purpose, or immediate utility. […]
Work Without Author – if it were only that simple! Schallwelten Episode 28 from March 2, 2026
The question of whether a work can be viewed independently of its author seems academic at first glance. In practice, however, it determines how theaters stage productions, museums curate, orchestras program, and educational institutions impart history. At the latest since the intense debates surrounding art under National Socialism, the abuse of power in the cultural sector, or current controversies such as the one […]
When Music Becomes Nations – Sonic Worlds Episode 27 from February 16, 2026
Music often accompanies political upheaval more quietly than slogans, but more lastingly than many words. In Europe in particular, a look at history shows how closely sound, language, and power are interwoven. Anyone who wants to understand how nations emerge, why people emotionally bind themselves to political ideas, and how music can help in the process—or be abused—must [...]
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