Nun hat auch die Mediengestalterklasse 2MT2 das Creative Writing-Projekt mit ihrem Englischlehrer Achim Tennigkeit realisiert, über das wir bereits Ende 2019 bei zwei anderen Berufschulklassen berichtet haben, damals mit einem imaginären Gespräch zwischen Freddie Mercury und Rani Malek (weiter zu diesem Beitrag).

Da bei diesem Projekt ja die realen Grenzen von Zeit und Raum aufgehoben sind, kann es zu bemerkenswerten Begegnungen kommen: zwischen Elon Musk und Carl Benz im Stuttgarter Mercedesmuseum etwa oder auch zu Treffen zwischen Komponisten und Musikern über Jahrhunderte hinweg.

Ein gelungenes Beispiel dafür ist der Imaginative Talk von Vanessa Munk, bei dem Mozart und DJ Zedd im Londoner Hyde Park aufeinandertreffen und ins Gespräch kommen:

London, Hyde Park in autumn. Mozart is sitting on a bench, while the DJ Zedd walks by.

On a nice day in autumn, the composer Mozart is sitting on a bench in the Hyde Park. A couple of people are in the park, having a picnic or playing with their dogs. They don’t find it irritating to watch someone like Mozart in Hyde Park and apparently, they don’t find his old-fashioned clothes strange either.

Mozart is irritated by the strange clothing of the other people around him. However, he does not speak to anyone. Instead, he hums one of his symphonies and looks around.

Zedd, a DJ, is walking through Hyde Park when he sees a strangely dressed person wearing a white wig. He is irritated by this person and approaches the man. As he gets closer, Zedd realizes that he knows this person from somewhere. So, he addresses the man.

Z: ”Excuse me, but do I know you from somewhere? “

Mozart looks outraged.

M: ” Of course you know me! My name is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart!”

Zedd gets big eyes when he hears this.

Z: ”You are Mozart? The one who wrote Symphonies? And played for all the royal people?”

M: ”Yes, that’s me. But how do you know me?”

Zedd looks at him bewildered.

Z: ”Of course I know you! I mean you are famous and I think everyone knows you.”

Mozart looks happily surprised.

M: ”Oh, really?”

Zedd nods.

Z: ”Can I sit next to you?”

M: ”Of course! I would like to continue our conversation.”

M: ”Okay my first question is why you started talking to me?”

Z: ”I started talking to you because you’re strangely dressed!”

Mozart is scandalized at Zedd’s statement.

M: “I’m not strangely dressed, I’m very well dressed! Not like you! Who are you to talk to me like that?”

Zedd laughs about Mozart’s outrage.

Z: ”I’m the world-famous DJ Zedd.”

Mozart looks irritated.

M: ”What kind of name is that?! It sounds horrible.”

Z: ”It’s not my real name, it’s just my stage name. My real name is Anton Zaslavskij.”

M: ”That’s interesting. Well, then it’s not that horrible.”

Zedd smiles.

Z: ”Thank you!”

Z: ”And by the way I think you are the reason my parents taught me to play the piano at an early age.”

M: ”Really? My parents also taught me how to play the piano at an early age. They quickly realized that I had a special talent for this instrument. Of course, they encouraged that and so I became a child prodigy.”

Z: ”I know that. But I always think that wasn’t very good for you. I mean at the beginning you were very successful, but at the end of your life you were not famous anymore. Maybe this was because of your success at a young age. When you got older you weren’t a wonder child anymore. Just an adult playing the piano perfectly.”

Mozart is surprised and sceptical about this statement.

M: ”You think it was because of my parents and my early success?”

Z: ”Maybe. My parents also encouraged me, but not to the extent of you. They wanted a normal childhood for me and my brothers. Maybe because of our musical sponsorship, my brother and I played in a band together when we were teenagers.”

M: ”Okay, maybe you’re right. My sister and me also played together. But we played in concert halls. And what do you mean by normal childhood?”

Z: ”My childhood was very good, because my parents loved me and I had a good relationship to my brothers. They wanted the best for me but we haven’t had much money when I was young, so they gave me anything they could.”

M: ”Your childhood was different than mine. My family had a lot of money when I was born. And they also gave me anything they could, but my parents weren’t so affectionate. Of course, they loved me but they were also very strict in my upbringing. They taught me to play the piano and violin at the age of four. “

Mozart thinks about it.

M: ”And then I played my first concert at the age of six.”

Z: ”That’s another point. It wasn’t my parents’ goal for me to become famous. Even if I had been as talented as you, they wouldn’t have wanted me to play concerts at such a young age.

In addition, the concert halls are much bigger now than in your time. You played in Chapels and Academies where only a few hundred people fit in. Today several thousand people fit in the concert halls.”

Mozart is shocked about this number.

M: ”What? Several thousand people?”

Zedd nods again.

Z: ”And when you played something, everyone was quiet because they didn’t want to miss anything. Today it’s very different. I play in arenas, concert halls and stadiums. When I play something, my fans aren’t quiet they scream and jump because they are so happy to see me and they want to support me with their reaction.”

Mozart is again outraged about Zedd’s answer.

M: ”That sounds to me like they don’t respect you. They scream while you play something… When you ask me, it sounds horrible!”

Z: ”But it’s not. They celebrate the music with me. My fans are often very different in terms of skin colour, religion and origin, and yet they all come together to hear my music. That’s fantastic. When all the thousands of people jump and sing and dance to my music, I feel brilliant.”

M: ”That sounds unbelievable and crazy. But how can so many people afford that? Back in my day, only rich and noble people could go to concerts.”

Zedd tries to suppress his laugher.

Z: ”My fans aren’t noble people. They are normal. It’s not like in your time, most people go to concerts and listen to music.”

Mozart looks surprised.

M: ”Oh that sounds strange but good.”

Z: ”Yeah and not only this changed. My fans know a lot of my private life, because of the paparazzi. It’s sometimes bad, because the paparazzi follow me when I go out. But on the other hand, it is good for me, because my music sells better when my fans think they know me.”

M: ”I’m shocked! That sounds crazy. What even are paparazzi?”

Zedd smiles.

Z: “Well, actually …”

Zedd looks at something behind Mozart.

M: “What is there?”

Mozart looks behind him and sees some people with cameras watching them.

Zedd looks tense at the people.

Z: “These are paparazzi. And they want photos and interviews of me.”

M: “Okay, but do you want them to do this? Because I think that I wouldn’t like this.”

Z: “The most time it’s okay for me, because it’s part of my job. But today I don’t want it. And I think the only way to get rid of them is to leave now.”

Mozart looks disappointed.

M: “Oh… I see. But before you go, I want you to know I really enjoyed our conversation and I hope that we can continue it soon.”

Z: “I hope so too. And I thought our conversation was great, too. But I really have to go now. Goodbye, then.”

M: “Goodbye.”

They nod to each other in parting. After that Zedd gets up from the bench and runs away with his head bowed.

Mozart still looks after him for a short time. Finally, he gets up and walks into the opposite direction. He has to think about this strange but interesting conversation.

Foto: Charito Yap, Bild: Barbara Kraft, Composing: Wolfgang Aust