Edward W. Said sought to understand the world through culture and its dynamic relationship with political and economic power. Culture is used often by authority to suppress, control, and dominate. But culture is also a tool of resistance and subversion and has its own immanent power. In its third annual Edward W. Said Days, the Barenboim-Said Akademie will examine the relationship between culture and power. Through music, lecture, art, and film, students and faculty will embark on an unflinching and critical exploration of, as Said quipped aphoristically, “the power of culture and the culture of power.” Musical performances will explore the binary of resistance and subservience to power—and often the shades in between—in works of German, Soviet, Italian, and American composers.

Tickets for this event are currently available only as part of the Weekend Package offer for the Edward W. Said Days. Individual tickets go on sale with the publication of full program details for all events in November 2019.