Conversation at #rp23: Jagoda Marinić and Igor Levit

23.05.2023 - A conversation about freedom and standpoint.
Image
Jagoda Marinić und Igor Levit
Photo Credit
Lena Giovanazzi (Jagoda Marinić), Felix Broede (Igor Levit)

As artists, Jagoda Marinić and Igor Levit take a clear stand against group-based misanthropy and oppose all forms of discrimination. What does it mean to take a strong political stance as a public figure? At re:publica 2023, we bring the author and the musician together to talk about the importance of freedom and their position as politically engaged artists.

Jagoda Marinić is a writer and dramaturge. She writes columns, articles and theatre reviews for Stern, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Frankfurter Rundschau, taz and Süddeutsche Zeitung and conducts writing workshops for children and young people. After her debut novel "Die Namenlose" (The Nameless) in 2007, she wrote "Restaurant Dalmatia" in 2013 and "Made in Germany. Was ist deutsch in Deutschland?" (Made in Germany. What is German in Germany?) in 2016, in which Jagoda Marinić explores Germany's identity as an immigration country. In her 2019 essay book "Sheroes. Neue Held*innen braucht das Land" (The country needs new heroines) she demands that Germany should no longer be on the sidelines of the most important feminist debate in recent decades". In her biweekly podcast "Freiheit Deluxe" (Freedom Deluxe), she features personalities to talk about freedom. At the end of May 2023, she was awarded as Journalist of the Year in the category “culture" by Medium Magazin.

Igor Levit is one of the best pianists in the world – and was one of the first to break the gridlock enforced by the Corona pandemic: During the first lockdown in spring 2020, he streamed a series of a total of 53 "house concerts" on Twitter and Instagram, mostly live from his Berlin flat. For this sign of hope and public spirit in times of isolation and despair, as well as for his commitment against anti-Semitism, Igor was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in autumn 2020. The 36-year-old sees himself not only as a citizen, a European and a pianist – but also as a musician with a stance. In an interview in 2019, Igor Levit said he did not want to be "just the man who plays the keys". He regularly speaks out on current issues, plays concerts for refugees and returned his Classical Music Echo in 2018 in protest against anti-Semitism and xenophobia. At the end of last year, "IGOR LEVIT – NO FEAR", an inspiring documentary film, was released, portraying the artist on his course between a traditional career and new paths in the world of classical music, the impulse of political commitment and the constant artistic challenge.

We look forward to the conversation with writer Jagoda Marinić and pianist Igor Levit on the topic of "Freedom and Position" at #rp23.