Fall of the Weimar Republic: Dancing on the Precipice

January–May 2024

The centerpiece of Carnegie Hall’s 2023–2024 season was a powerful exploration of one of the most complex and consequential chapters in modern human history: Germany’s Weimar Republic of 1919–1933. Even with a progressive new constitution and the adoption of democracy, Germany emerged from World War I into a period of overwhelming economic hardship, social inequality and unrest, political polarization, and extremism. These challenges paved the way for the opportunistic rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, ultimately leading to the outbreak of World War II and the horrific devastation and genocide that followed.

Yet despite the turmoil and upheaval of the Weimar period, the arts and culture flourished as artists sought bold and innovative avenues for creative expression and sociopolitical commentary. At the same time, a thriving and decadent nightlife provided desperately needed escapism from the struggles of daily life, becoming an essential part of the social fabric.

In this thought-provoking journey through artistic movements in classical music, jazz, cabaret, opera, art song, and more, we investigated the forces that led to the fall of the Weimar Republic—and the many lessons about the fragility of democracy to be gleaned from its extraordinary collapse. Concerts presented by Carnegie Hall included the Vienna Philharmonic and The Cleveland Orchestra with Franz Welser-Möst, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra with Sir Simon Rattle, Ensemble Modern, Max Raabe & Palast Orchester, and Jason Moran, plus an immersive cabaret series that featured Ute Lemper, Meow Meow, The Hot Sardines with special guest Alan Cumming, and many more.

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Festival Highlights

Relive striking moments from throughout the festival. View photos, listen to high-quality concert recordings, explore visual art and multimedia art exhibitions, and more.

Event Photos

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Concert Broadcasts

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Exhibitions

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Orchestre de Paris: Stravinsky Ballets conducted by Klaus Mäkelä

Rising-star conductor and music director of the Orchestre de Paris, Klaus Mäkelä makes his Carnegie Hall debut leading a program of Stravinsky’s The Firebird and The Rite of Spring, a work that’s thrilled audiences for more than a century.

Articles

Discover fascinating stories behind some of the art forms and cultural movements associated with the Weimar Republic, including musical genres such as jazz, classical, and cabaret. Plus, take a deep dive into the festival’s signature artwork, learn more about the playlists created for the festival, and more.

Explore the complete list of articles.

Classical Music in Weimar Germany

Uncover Weimar Germany’s musical metamorphosis, where societal chaos met the artistic innovations of Schoenberg, Stravinsky, and more.
The Rise and Fall of Jazz in the Weimar Republic

Explore jazz’s post-WWI evolution through the music of James Reese Europe, Josephine Baker, Kurt Weill, and more.
Cabaret in the Weimar Republic

Step back in time to Weimar-era cabaret, where artists pushed boundaries with political satire, gender exploration, and the spirit of 1920s Berlin.
A Guide to Matthew Hancock’s Der Totentanz

Get an inside look at artist Matthew Hancock’s commissioned work, Der Totentanz (Dancing with Death), for Carnegie Hall’s 2024 festival.

Playlists

Listen to curated festival playlists, including Max Raabe’s “A Jazz Age Party,” Meow Meow’s “Women of the Weimar Republic,” and Carnegie Hall’s “Weimar Highlights,” featuring 20 pieces performed during the festival.

Partners

Afrofantastic
Afrofuturism Art and STEM
American Composers Orchestra
AstroSankofa Arts Initiatives
Barbara and Art Culver Center of the Arts, University of California, Riverside
Berlin University of the Arts
Black, Afro-Colombian, Raizal, and Palenquero Movement of Speculative Arts
Black Speculative Arts Movement
Boston University, College of Fine Arts, School of Visual Arts
Brooklyn Institute for Social Research
Cheap Data
The Children’s Art Carnival
Chumir Foundation for Ethics in Leadership
City Winery NYC
Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in New York
Darker than Blue
Death of Classical
Dieselfunk Studios
DoodleAI
First Noble Institute
Fotografiska New York
Gallery Art Bar
Goethe-Institut New York
Harmony: A New Musical
Heuristics
Institute for Black German Arts and Culture

International Black Speculative Writing Festival
Italian Academy for Advanced Studies, Columbia University
The Juilliard School
Julie Keyes Art
Leo Baeck Institute–New York | Berlin
Meeting of the Matriarchs
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Michigan State University, Department of English
Museum of Jewish Heritage–A Living Memorial to the Holocaust
The Museum of Modern Art
New York Classical Players
New York Film Academy
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
New York State Writers Institute
Nitehawk Cinema
NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development
Orchestra of St. Luke’s
Ottawa Art Gallery
Silver Nitrate
Society of Illustrators
Stop That Bangin Productions, Inc.
Studio Visceral
Temple University
Triad Theater
University of Antioquia (Medellín, Colombia)
URB ALT Media
West Harlem Arts
WQXR
Writers Read
YIVO Institute for Jewish Research

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