A controvérsia em torno da conferência de imprensa de Stockausen em Estocolmo está viva, em sangue, longe de sarar. Decidimos por isso, sem mais comentários, elaborar apenas um pequeno dossier que não tem maior ambição do que fazer um levantamento do percurso dos factos e da discussão. As repetidas transcrições de excertos da conferência de imprensa devem-se ao facto de, no cerne da polémica, estar a discussão em torno das exactas palavras proferidas por Stockhausen.

1 - O texto da agência noticiosa alemã que deu origem à polémica, seguido das repercussões que teve em todo o mundo.

According to the German news agency DPA, Karlheinz Stockhausen said in an interview he gave on account of a concert in Hamburg:

"What happened there is - now you must readjust your brain - the biggest artwork of all times. That spirits achieve in a single act what we in music cannot dream of, that people rehearse ten years long like mad, totally fanatical for a concert and then die. This is the biggest artwork that exists at all in the whole universe... I couldn't match it. Against that, we - as composers - are nothing."

Asked by a jorunalist whether he identified art and crime, Stockhausen replied: "It's a crime because the people were not consenting. They haven't come to the 'concert'. This is evident. And nobody had announced them that they could die in its process. What happened there spiritually, this leap from security, from what's ordinary, from life, that sometimes happens poco a poco in art. Or else it is nothing."

The Financial Times Germany quotes Stockhausen's colleague Gyorgy Ligeti with the following reaction: "Stockhausen has taken the side of the terrorists. [...] If he thinks this atrocious mass murder is an artwork, I am sorry that I have to say that he should be locked up in a psychiatric hospital".

"The composer Karlheinz Stockhausen caused outrage in Germany when he described the terrorist attacks in the United States last week as 'the greatest work of art ever,' Agence France-Presse reported yesterday. Mr. Stockhausen, 73, who made the remark to journalists inHamburg on Sunday, retracted it at once and asked that it not be reported. But two Stockhausen concerts scheduled for yesterday and today in a festival in Hamburg were canceled. 'Out of feeling for the political culture of the city and the federal republic, the concerts had to be canceled,' said Christina Weiss, Hamburg culture commissioner.

Agence France-Presse reported that according to the news agency DPA, Mr. Stockhausen responded to a question about the attacks on the United States by saying: 'What happened there is - they all have to rearrange their brains now - is the greatest work of art ever. 'That characters can bring about in one act what we in music cannot dream of, that people practice madly for 10 year, completely, fanatically, for a concert and then die. That is the greatest work of art for the whole cosmos. 'I could not do that. Against that, we composers, are nothing.' Mr. Stockhausen was reported to have left Hamburg in distress" (The New York Times, September 19, 2001)

Stockhausen suscite de vives polémiques suite à ses propos sur les attentats.

Deux concerts de Stockhausen Karlheinz prévus à Hambourg ont été annulés mardi après la controverse suscitée par des propos du compositeur allemand, qui avait qualifié les attentats perpétrés aux Etats-Unis de "plus grande oeuvre d'art jamais réalisée". Les autorités culturelles de la ville-Etat de Hambourg et la Fondation Die Zeit, qui parraine des concerts prévus mardi et mercredi, ont jugé que la présence de n'était "plus acceptable, même après le démenti apporté". Lors d'un entretien avec la presse dimanche à Hambourg, le compositeur avait déclaré : "Ce à quoi nous avons assisté, et vous devez désormais changer totalement votre manière de voir, est la plus grande oeuvre d'art jamais réalisée : que des esprits atteignent en un seul acte ce que nous musiciens ne pouvons pas concevoir, que des gens s'exercent fanatiquement pendant 10 ans, comme des fous, en vue d'un concert, puis meurent". "Imaginez-vous ce qu'il s'est passé. 5.000 personnes sont concentrées sur une représentation et sont poussées, en un instant, vers la résurrection. Je ne pourrais jamais y arriver. Face à cela, nous autres compositeurs, nous ne sommes rien", avait ajouté M. Stockhausen. Il avait ensuite retiré ses propos et demandé à ce qu'ils ne soient pas utilisés.
Agé de 73 ans, le compositeur d'avant-garde a quitté Hambourg mardi très affecté, selon l'agence allemande DPA. Dans un communiqué publié par les organisateurs du festival auquel il devait participer, il a expliqué que ses propos avaient été "sortis de leur contexte". "Interrogé sur le caractère historique de certains de mes personnages, j'ai répondu qu'ils étaient toujours d'actualité, comme par exemple Lucifer à New York. J'ai rappelé le rôle de la destruction dans l'art. Tout autre mot en dehors de ce contexte n'a pas de rapport avec ce que je pense", a expliqué le musicien, qui depuis 1977 travaille à l'immense cycle "Lumière".

LE MONDE.FR - 19.09.01 - 12h13

2- Reacção de Stockhausen depois da polémica mundial:

Mensagem do professor KarlHeinz Stockhausen:

Depois de regressar de Hamburgo encontrei falsas e difamatórias notícias na imprensa. Eu estou tão consternado como toda a gente com os ataques na América. Na conferência de Imprensa em Hamburgo, perguntaram-me se MICHAEL, EVE e LUCIFER eram figuras históricas do passado e eu respondi que elas existem agora, por exemplo LUCIFER em New York.
No meu trabalho, eu defini Lucifer como o cósmico espirito da rebelião, da anarquia. Ele usa elevados níveis de inteligência para destruir a criação. Ele não conhece o amor. Depois de mais algumas questões sobre os acontecimentos na América eu respondi que tal plano parecia ser a maior obra de arte de Lucifer. É claro que utilizei a expressão "Obra de Arte" para significar o trabalho de destruição personificado em Lucifer. No contexto dos meus outros comentários isto era inequívoco.
Não consigo encontrar um nome apropriado para tal "satânica composição". No meu caso não era minha intenção magoar alguém. Desde o inicio do ataque que senti solidariedade com todos os seres humanos que sofreram esta atrocidade. Em nenhum momento pensei ou senti da maneira como as minhas palavras estão agora a ser interpretadas pela imprensa.
O jornalista em Hamburgo extraiu completamente as minhas declarações fora do contexto, que ele não gravou na totalidade, para as usar como um vil ataque contra a minha pessoa e o Festival de Musica de Hamburgo. Esta situação é lamentável e estou profundamente arrependido se as minhas observações foram adulteradas para ofender as famílias enlutadas pelos brutais ataques em New York e em Washington D.C. Continuo a rezar pelas vitimas deste atentado.

Karlheinz Stockhausen
September 19, 2001

3 - Transcrição da parte polémica da conferência de Imprensa colocada no site oficial de Stockhausen. Também esta versão provocou polémica porque evita os momentos essenciais do que foi dito.

http://www.stockhausen.org/the_true_story.html

Here are the facts.
Eye and ear witness report of Stockhausen's experience in Hamburg by Suzanne Stephens (American).

Sunday, September 16th

To the question (posed from the other side of the room): "Are MICHAEL, EVE and LUCIFER historical figures of the past…(Stockhausen: "No, no!) or are they real apparitions?" Stockhausen answered: "I pray daily to Michael, but not to Lucifer - I do not allow myself to do that - but he is very present, like in New York at the moment."
Q: Do you have visions of angels?
Stockhausen: Yes of course.
Q What do they look like?
Stockhausen: Similar to what you are all familiar with in paintings and the other visual arts of the last 1000 years. And sometimes also in a human being.
There was a moment of silence, until the journalist in front of me broke the silence: "Now that the city of New York' has been mentioned: In your notes to HYMNEN, you write of a harmonious humanity made musically audible"
Stockhausen: Yes
The same journalist: You have also just spoken about the languages, in which you are composing, you have just said that Lucifer is in New York - I believe that I have not misunderstood you -
Stockhausen: No
The same journalist: How do you feel personally about the recent events and above all, how do you now view such notes about a harmonious humanity as in HYMNEN, which is going to be performed?

Another moment of silence.
Stockhausen was biting his lip, which means he is close to tears. This had happened a few minutes earlier, when he had said that he sometimes saw an angel in a human being.
Then he said - in the context of his previous statement "for instance Lucifer in New York" - "So: What happened there is - now all of you must adjust your brains -, the biggest work of art…" This statement and only part of what Stockhausen then actually said is ALL that was broadcasted by the NDR, i.e. there was none of the previously quoted context, thus no mention of Lucifer. We will transcribe the press conference in its entirety and make its translation available as soon as possible.
In what followed, Stockhausen expressed his amazement at the deadly efficiency involved in (Lucifer's) art of war, of destruction.
Then, the same journalist asked Stockhausen if he considered Lucifer's "work of art" to be a criminal act. Stockhausen replied that of course it was a criminal act beacuse the innocent who were killed had not been given a choice.
The next-to-last sentence that was broadcast was "But what happened SPIRITUALLY, this jump out of security, out of the self-evident, out of the every day life, this sometimes also happens in art…or it is worthless. "
As I remember, it was at this point that Stockhausen then said, "But - please - do not publish this, people might not understand this." And there was a general nodding of heads. It was a moment where the division Stockhausen / journalists = you / me was swept away, and "mankind is in a crisis, but crisis can bring renewal" remained, without words.
Then after this silence, Stockhausen looked the journalist in front of me (who had asked the question) straight in the eye and asked, reflecting: "Where did you want to lead me? Lucifer… Are you a musician?" (Answer: "I used to be.")
A few more reflective sentences followed, then Stockhausen smiled slightly at Johannes Schulz and kidded, "Maybe you are Lucifer."

4- A polémica e os boicotes que Stockhausen sofreu na Alemanha ( a estação de televisão alemã ZDF, por exemplo proibiu qualquer emissão de obras do compositor ) e um pouco por toda a Europa , levaram a que fosse disponibilizado no site oficial o texto, em alemão, de toda a conferência de imprensa. Este excerto talvez seja o que permite um melhor avaliação do sentido e da intenção das palavras de Stockhausen:

Stockhausen - Surely, why not
Jornalist - For you rather figures from a common culture history are...
Stockhausen - No, no!
Jornalist - or [ one ] is materiale feature for you?
Stockhausen - No, no!
I pray each day to Michael, but not to Luzifer.
Jornalist - Thus that I malfunctioned myself.
Stockhausen - But that is very present, thus in New York at present.
Jornalist - Do they have visions of angels?
Stockhausen - Yes, certainly.
Jornalist - How look?
Stockhausen - Not dissimilarly what you all know, for more than thousand years in the painting and in the bildnerischen art, and [ hesitates ] sometimes also in humans.
Jornalist - Now the name of the city is nevertheless pleases, New York.
In the notes to "Hymnen" you write from a musical audible making of harmonious humanity,
and you spoke also straight of the world languages, in which you compose, for which you
compose. They spoke straight of Luzifer in New York, I you wrongly understood, do not believe I.
Stockhausen - No.
Jornalist - The events of the last days, how that affects you personally and above all, how you regard
then such notes to the harmonious humanity in "Hymnen", which are also specified, again?

Stockhausen - Thus which happened there, is natural - now you must change all over your brain - the largest work of art. What has happened is - now you all have to turn your brains around - the greatest work of art there has ever been. That minds could achieve something in one act, which we in music cannot even dream of, that people rehearse like crazy for ten years, totally fanatically for one concert, and then die. This is the greatest possible work of art in the entire cosmos. Imagine what happened there. There are people who are so concentrated on one performance, and then 5000 people are chased into the Afterlife, in one moment. This I could not do. Compared to this, we are nothing as composers... Imagine this, that I could create a work of art now and you all were not only surprised, but you would fall down immediately, you would be dead and you would be reborn, because it is simply too insane. Some artists also try to cross the boundaries of what could ever be possible or imagined, to wake us up, to open another world for us

5 - Diversas leituras das palavras de Stockhausen.

Zlavov Zizek in Desert of The Real

(…) And was the bombing of the WTC with regard to the Hollywood catastrophe movies not like the snuff pornography versus ordinary sado-maso porno movies? This is the element of truth in Karl-Heinz Stockhausen 's provocative statement that the planes hitting the WTC towers was the ultimate work of art: One can effectively perceive the collapse of the WTC towers as the climactic conclusion of the XXth century art 's "passion of the real" - the "terrorists" themselves did not do it primarily to provoke real material damage, but FOR THE SPECTACULAR EFFECT OF IT. The authentic XXth century passion to penetrate the Real Thing (ultimately, the destructive Void) through the cobweb of semblances which constitute our reality thus culminates in the thrill of the Real as the ultimate "effect", sought after from digitalized special effects through reality TV and amateur pornography up to snuff movies. Snuff movies which deliver the "real thing" are perhaps the ultimate truth of virtual reality. There is an intimate connection between virtualization of reality and the emergence of an infinite and infinitized bodily pain, much stronger that the usual one: do biogenetics and Virtual Reality combined not open up new "enhanced" possibilities of TORTURE, new and unheard-of horizons of extending our ability to endure pain (through widening our sensory capacity to sustain pain, through inventing new forms of inflicting it)? Perhaps, the ultimate Sadean image on an "undead" victim of the torture who can sustain endless pain without having at his/her disposal the escape into death, also waits to become reality.

Pablo Helguera in Haciendo Himnos entre Ruinas (Sobre el sentido de la obra de arte y el valor de la poesía a partir del 11 de septiembre.)

¿Qué yerba, que agua de vida ha de darnos la vida,
dónde desenterrar la palabra, la proporción que rige
al himno y al discurso, al baile, a la ciudad y a la balanza?

Octavio Paz
Himno entre Ruinas

En una cita que causó una controversia internacional, Karlheinz Stockhausen dijo que el incidente del World Trade Center había sido mayor obra de arte jamás hecha. Cualquiera que haya sido el contexto del comentario del compositor alemán (y que le ha causado muchos problemas), seguramente se refería al hecho que el impacto de este acto terrorista sobrepasó la magnitud de cualquier otra experiencia, ya fuera artística o no. De cualquier manera, este terrible atentado evidenció más que nunca el papel marginal del quehacer artístico en nuestra sociedad. Después de casi una década de virtualidad, un golpe de realidad nos obligó a reconocer la caída de nuestra torre virtual de idilios con experiencias imaginarias.

Date: Thu, 20 Sep 2001 21:36:07 +0200
From: "Michael Benson" <michael.benson@pristop.si>
Subject: Stockhausen/beauty/terror

Stockhausen's (mis)quote underlines that like courage, 'creativity' is a
morally neutral (re Susan Sontag, who in this week's New Yorker states
that whatever they were, the terrorists were not cowards). Ok, so it
turns out that Stockhausen was speaking of Lucifer as an artist of
terror - Lucifer the fallen angel. But "Every angel is terrible"
(Rilke). One thought after the events of last week was how incredibly,
skillfully ingenious - how creative in destruction - the masterminds
of what happened were. Also in the NYer is a line by Jonathan Franzen:
"Somewhere - you can be absolutely sure of this - the death artists
who planned this attack were rejoicing over the terrible beauty of the
towers' collapse." Death artists. Benjamin states that there is no
document of civilization which is not at the same time a document of
barbarism. The technology propelling those civilian jet airplanes turned
into terror weapons was first developed in its early form under the
impetus of the need to protect the Third Reich from air-raids (the first
production jet was the Messerschmitt 262). Leonardo spent a good part of
his time designing weapons systems. One source of the fascination of
fascism (described by Sontag among others), lay of course in its
aestheticization of terrible power, its appropriation of the morally
neutral means of artistic expression. In the 80's Ljubljana's NSK group
went a long way in exploring this aestheticized fascination. Rilke spoke
of beauty being "but the start of terror, which is beautiful because it
serenely disdains to destroy us." (Another translation has it like this:
"For the beautiful/ Is nothing but a terrible beginning that we continue
to endure. And we cherish it, its calm refusal. To destroy us. A single
beautiful idea fills us with terror.") In his book Inside The Third
Reich, Albert Speer recalls writing a book called "A Theory of Ruin
Value" (1938), which argued that Third Reich structures should be built
in such a way as to look good when they lay in ruins (by which he meant
to look like Roman ruins). Speer thought that modern materials and
methods of construction wouldn't make aesthetically pleasing ruins.
Instead of considering Speer's depictions of Third Reich monuments like
the wrecked, ivy-covered reviewing stands at the Zeppelin Field to be
blasphemous, Speer writes, Hitler "accepted my ideas as logical and
illuminating. He gave orders that in the future the important buildings
of his Reich were to be erected in keeping with the principles of this
'law of ruins.'" (Speer, Inside the Third Reich, quoted by V. A.
Podoroga in his essay Machines of Disorder).

Rainer Maria Rilke: Duino Elegies

Who, if I cried out, would hear me among the angels' hierarchies?
and even if one of them pressed me suddenly against his heart:
I would be consumed in that overwhelming existence.
For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror, which we are still just able to endure,
and we are so awed because it serenely disdains to annihilate us.
Every angel is terrifying.
And so I hold myself back and swallow the call-note of my dark sobbing.
Ah, whom can we ever turn to in our need?
Not angels, not humans, and already the knowing animals are aware
that we are not really at home in our interpreted world.
Perhaps there remains for us some tree on a hillside, which every day we can take into
our vision;
there remains for us yesterday's street and the loyalty of a habit so much at ease
when it stayed with us that it moved in and never left.
Oh and night: there is night, when a wind full of infinite space gnaws at our faces.
Whom would it not remain for - that longed-after, mildly disillusioning presence,
which the solitary heart so painfully meets.
Is it any less difficult for lovers?
But they keep on using each other to hide their own fate.
Don't you know yet?
Fling the emptiness out of your arms into the spaces we breathe;
perhaps the birds will feel the expanded air with more passionate flying

Stockhausen, Abril 2001, consultando a Homepage