Literature Film Music Art History
Culture@Bertelsmann Culture@Bertelsmann 3
Bertelsmann is a media, services and education company that Dear Readers, operates in about 50 countries around the world. It includes Dear Friends of Bertelsmann, the broadcaster RTL Group, the trade book publisher Penguin Random House, the magazine publisher Gruner + Jahr, the music For over 180 years, Bertelsmann has offered authors and artists company BMG, the service provider Arvato, the Bertelsmann the opportunity to produce creative content and make it accessible Printing Group, the Bertelsmann Education Group and to a broad audience. This creativity entertains and inspires Bertelsmann Investments, an international network of funds. millions of people around the world, every day. For this reason, The company has 119,000 employees and generated revenues Bertelsmann works with creatives to promote numerous cultural of €17.2 billion in the 2017 financial year. Bertelsmann stands projects in the fields of literature, film, music and the arts. for entrepreneurship and creativity. This combination promotes first-class media content and innovative service solutions that The preservation and protection of creative works has always inspire customers around the world. been part of our own company history. So Bertelsmann supports, at various levels, historical and cultural projects that support this cause.
Culture@Bertelsmann is closely linked to Bertelsmann‘s tradition and creative products, because creativity is an engine for diversity and innovation – in the company, as well as in society.
Yours sincerely,
Thomas Rabe Culture@Bertelsmann 5
Contents
Literature 6 Film 14 Music 22 Art & Culture 30 Company History 38 Culture@Bertelsmann Literature
Books are part of Bertelsmann‘s DNA – they are inextricably bound up with the company. What began as a small publishing house in 1835 is now Penguin Random House, the world‘s largest trade book publishing group. With more than 250 publi- shing houses on six continents, it publishes more than 15,000 new releases and sells 600 million books every year.
Literature is a high priority for the company. Ber- telsmann presents its authors and their books at many literary events and readings. The company is regularly represented at book fairs in Frank- furt and Leipzig with the „Blue Sofa“. Promoting literacy and reading among children is also an important concern that is specifically supported by events and sponsorships.
www.bertelsmann.com/culture Michael Tsokos, medical examiner and author, presents his book on the rooftop terrace of Bertelsmann Unter den Linden 1 in Berlin Culture@Bertelsmann | Literature 9
Author Salman Rushdie with presenter Barbara Wahlster at the Frankfurt Book Fair
The "Blue Sofa“ The ”Blue Sofa“ in Berlin – the annual kick-off event for the Book Fair takes place at Bertelsmann Berlin premises, Richard David Precht here with authors and actors from the guest country France Anyone sitting on it has made it. To date, some 2,500 writers have taken a seat on the colorful couch to present their latest works at Germany’s major book fairs. “Blue Sofa” events are also held at other venues and on other occasions. Christine Westermann on The listeners experience the authors up close, immerse themselves in their the ”Blue Sofa“ in Gütersloh works and get to know the personalities behind the books.
For 18 years now, the “Blue Sofa” partners Bertelsmann, Deutschlandfunk Kul- tur, ZDF, and 3Sat have presented influential authors and their books – among them the Nobel laureates Svetlana Alexijewitsch, Mikhail Gorbachev, Günter Grass, Herta Müller, Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard, Orhan Pamuk, Joseph Stig- litz, Mario Vargas Llosa and Mo Yan.
www.das-blaue-sofa.de
Thomas Rabe with the popular author Wladimir Kaminer Culture@Bertelsmann | Literature 11
cbj author Anika Beer giving a reading at a Gütersloh school
The children at Gütersloh daycare facilities are delighted to receive book donations on UNESCO World Book Day
On Read Aloud Day, many Bertelsmann employees read to the children and give away books at Gütersloh daycare centers – Chief Human Resources Officer Immanuel Hermreck takes the time to read to kids every year Promoting Childhood Literacy
Reading is a key competence for acquiring knowledge and finding one‘s bearings in a complex world of information. It has a great influence on the educational and development opportunities of children, young people, and adults and is formative in their social development.
As a media company, Bertelsmann therefore actively promotes literacy among children and contributes in the form of numerous events every year, including on “World Book Day” and Germany‘s nationwide “Reading Aloud Day.” In addition, the company supports school libraries, daycare centers, and schools with books and regularly sponsors reading-related events and initiatives.
On the occasion of Liz Mohn’s 75th birth- day, Bertelsmann gifted the City Library with the “Liz Mohn Children and Parents’ Library” Coconut the Little Dragon visits Gütersloh City Library Culture@Bertelsmann 13
Stephan Schäfer, Uli Pleßmann and Larissa Fuchs present passages Guests at Bertelsmann‘s liaison office in Brussels: from „Der weite Raum der Zeit“ (from left) Dirk Maxeiner, Henryk M. Broder, Michael Miersch
“Reading City Gütersloh” – 30 readings at 20 locations in 10 days! Every two years, Gütersloh presents itself as a city that loves Bärbel Schäfer visits the emergency chaplaincy to share her book to read. Bertelsmann is the main “Ist da oben jemand?” (Is there anyone up there?), published cbj author Ingo Siegner at the City Library during “Reading City Gütersloh” sponsor. by Gütersloher Verlagshaus
Liz Mohn presenting a check to preserve nine school libraries, pictured here with Henning Schulz (r.), Mayor of the City of Gütersloh, Crime Fiction Marathon: author Kai Magnus Sting with Henning Venske and Joachim Martensmeier and Horst Evers on stage at Bertelsmann Unter den Linden 1 in Berlin Martin Fugmann Olympic champion Matthias Steiner at “Reading City Gütersloh” Culture@Bertelsmann Film
Film and television production has been an integ- ral part of Bertelsmann since the 1960s. Since the 1980s, the company has had its own TV broad- caster in RTL. Today, RTL Group is one of the big- gest and most successful private media groups in Europe. In Germany, France, Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Hungary, Croatia, and Spain, it ope- rates more than 60 television channels with an extensive news and entertainment offering. Many of the broadcast formats are produced within the group itself. The same is true for the growing number of online and social media offerings that are being created in cooperation with many crea- tive partners around the world.
With the UFA Film Nights and the digitization of silent films, Bertelsmann creates a connection between its entrepreneurial heritage and today‘s media trends.
UFA Film Nights: “Der müde Tod” (Destiny) Culture@Bertelsmann | Film 17
Ernst Lubitsch‘s 1921 silent film “Die Bergkatze” (The Wildcat) opened the UFA Film Nights
UFA Film Nights Nicola Lubitsch and Wim Wenders at the pre-UFA Film Nights reception at Bertelsmann Unter den Linden 1 Film “patron” Caroline Peters introduces the movies The UFA Film Nights are an international success story. Since 2012, Bertels- mann and UFA have presented selected silent films with live musical accom- paniment. Originally introduced in Berlin as UFA Filmnächte, the UFA Film Nights, as the silent film festival is called internationally, are now also held in Brussels, Paris, Madrid, and even New York.
The screenings of the silent films in unusual settings and as open-air events create a unique atmosphere that captivates thousands of viewers each year. Well-known musicians, renowned orchestras, and international DJs ensure unforgettable film experiences that effortlessly transcend language and age limits.
www.bertelsmann.com/ufafilmnights
The silent movie classic “Metropolis” was musically accom- Actor Daniel Brühl, Thomas Rabe, and producer Wolf Bauer (from left to right) panied by DJ legend Jeff Mills Culture@Bertelsmann | Film 19
The greatest challenge in the restoration of “Destiny”: The existing film copies lacked the colors, and thus an essential component of the film‘s idiom
Digitization of Silent Movies During its heyday, the historic Ufa was one of the most important film pro- duction factories in the world and brought forth some of the greatest stars of German cinema. From Fritz Lang and Erich Pommer to Marlene Dietrich and Hildegard Knef: They all rose to success with unforgotten Ufa classics. The history of Ufa is German cultural history.
Ufa has been part of Bertelsmann since 1964. Its historical film stock was A restoration project begins with international searches for existing film Werner Krauß as Dr. Caligari; transferred to the Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau Foundation in 1966. The Murnau material; once this has been accomplished, the most important thing is Source: German Film Institute – technical craftsmanship and experience. DIF, Frankfurt am Main Foundation works to preserve cinematic heritage and has already extensively restored various silent film classics. Bertelsmann provides significant sup- port for their restoration and digitization. By organizing the UFA Film Nights, the company ensures that the films are once again made accessible to a wide audience.
www.bertelsmann.com/culture
Negative for making 35mm black-and-white rental copies Camera negative (1919/1920) Culture@Bertelsmann 21
An eerie atmosphere at the Working together for silent film (from left to right): Gottfried Langenstein UFA Film Nights : Richard Oswald‘s (Vice President ARTE), conductor Frank Strobel, conservator Anke Wilkening, 1919 silent anthology film “Unheim- Rainer Rother (Director of the Berlinale Retrospective), Ernst Szebedits liche Geschichten” (Uncanny Stories) (Chairman Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau Foundation), composer Reception for the German Oscar® nominees at Villa Aurora in Los Angeles was on the program. Cornelius Schwehr, and Bertelsmann Chairman & CEO Thomas Rabe
The Metograph Theatre provided Thomas Rabe (Chairman and CEO of Bertelsmann), Ernst Szebedits (Chairman of a spectacular backdrop for the Murnau Foundation), Monika Grütters (German Culture Minister) and Dieter Koss- silent film classic “The Cabinet of Werner Krauß as Dr. Caligari; film still (1920) lick (Head of Berlinale) at the premiere of ”Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari” in Berlin Dr. Caligari” Source: German Film Institute – DIF, Frankfurt am Main
Raphaël Marionneau, one of the most famous European chillout DJs, provided the musical accompaniment for the screening of the silent film “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari in Manhattan’s Lower Before the screening, some 400 guests attended a reception The new Philharmonie de Paris has only been open since January 2015. East Side hosted by Bertelsmann at the Brussels Palace of Fine Arts (Bozar) Culture@Bertelsmann Music As long ago as 1956, Bertelsmann entered the music business with the “Schallplattenring.” The label “Ariola” was born: It gradually added great artists to its program, others were developed into stars. After selling its entire music business, Ber- telsmann completely re-launched BMG in 2008 with rights management for artists and authors, with a focus on the creatives. After ten years, BMG is the world‘s fourth-largest music company, with many well-known musicians and songwriters.
Music as a creative field is deeply anchored in Ber- telsmann‘s businesses. The company is involved in a wide range of cultural activities involving the archives of the music publisher Ricordi, musical sponsorship, and numerous music events.
Sheet music from the Ricordi Archive Culture@Bertelsmann | Music 25
The exhibition “The Making of Verdi’s ‘Othello’ – A glimpse into the Archivio Storia Ricordi” at Madrid’s Teatro Real
The Archivio Ricordi contributes valuable exhibits to the “Madama Butterfly” Portrait of Giuseppe Verdi exhibition at Milan’s La Scala. © Teatro alla Scala Archivio Storico Ricordi
The Ricordi Archive is regarded as one of the most important music collec- tions in the world. The archive contains the estate of the Ricordi publishing house, which was founded in Milan in 1808 and acquired by Bertelsmann in 1994. Its holdings include about 7,800 scores, more than 15,000 letters, 5,000 photographs, magazines, librettos, and documents on Ricordi‘s corporate his- tory. The focus of the collection of Casa Ricordi, the publisher in which the
“La Bohème” by Giacomo Puccini, premiere works of the “great five” composers of Italian opera – Giuseppe Verdi, Gia- at the Teatro Regio in Turin, Italy. Stage sets como Puccini, Gioachino Rossini, Vincenzo Bellini and Gaetano Donizetti – by Adolf Hohenstein. were published, lies on the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Bertelsmann‘s aim as the owner of the archive is to make the documents avai- lable to the general public in digital form. In addition, individual aspects of music history are repeatedly presented in exhibitions.
www.bertelsmann.com/ricordi digital.archivioricordi.com
Screenshot from the Archivio Ricordi’s “Collezione Digitale,” which makes thousands of historic stage Exhibits from the exhibition “The Making of Verdi’s ‘Othello’ – and costume designs available online for the first time A glimpse into the Archivio Storia Ricordi” Culture@Bertelsmann | Music 27
The BMG band Fools Garden performing at Gütersloh‘s “Week of Cabaret”
Liz Mohn initiated the establishment of Bertelsmann has supported the Gütersloh Bach Choir since 1998 the Gütersloh Boys‘ Choir in 2007
Music Sponsorship
Music is something that should be experienced live or, better yet, something you make yourself. Bertelsmann supports and encourages numerous groups, schools and choirs in their musical efforts. The spectrum is wide – from play- ful first introduction to music, to the purchase of instruments, to professional choral music.
At the same time, Bertelsmann also strives to present its own artists – which is why the company regularly supports events featuring BMG musicians. Thus, Bertelsmann shows that music is part of the company‘s identity.
Primary school pupils from Gütersloh‘s Josefschule at the concert “We Are The World” with 1,000 schoolchildren Culture@Bertelsmann 29
“Passion, Power and Politics” – Bertelsmann and Archivio Ricordi supported the major opera exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London as sponsors and lenders The “Enterprise of Opera” exhibition traveled to Gütersloh Theater, © Victoria and Albert Museum among other venues
The audience loved the Berlin premiere of Verdi‘s “Stiffelio” at the Konzerthaus Berlin
Sylvano Bussotti, “Raragramma,” 1982; Autograph of the score from Bertelsmann was the main sponsor of the performance of “Giovanna d‘Arco,” a rarely performed Verdi opera, the Ricordi Archive by conductor Felix Krieger’s Berliner Operngruppe
Jazz trumpeter and BMG artist The Archivio Ricordi contributed valuable exhibits to the “Madama Butterfly” Nils Wülker giving an exclusive BMG artist Y‘akoto performing at Gütersloh‘s Dreiecksplatz exhibition at the Scala in Milan (2016/17) © Teatro alla Scala concert in Gütersloh during the “Week of Cabaret” Culture@Bertelsmann Art & Culture
Creativity is a core component of Bertelsmann. Many of the company‘s business activities are based on the creative work of employees, part- ners, and artists – which is why Bertelsmann is dedicated to creating stages for creative people and their works.
Bertelsmann makes culture visible, tangible and accessible for people with exhibitions, readings, and art events, and by sponsoring theater and music performances. Thomas Rabe with Neal Preston: Photo exhibition “Neal Preston – In the Eye of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hurricane“ at the Gütersloh Theater Culture@Bertelsmann | Art & Culture 33
The artists behind the “Last Folio” exhibition in Sao Paulo: photographer Yuri Dojc and filmmaker Katya Krausova
School building, Bardejov (2006) © Yuri Dojc The “Last Folio” exhibition at the Berlin State Library (Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin)
Last Folio
Bertelsmann brought the extraordinary exhibition “Last Folio,” about the his- torical traces of Jewish culture in Slovakia, to Germany. Photographer Yuri Dojc and filmmaker Katya Krausova found places that had remained virtually untouched since the mass deportations of Slovak Jews in 1942. The result of their work are photographs of decaying books, abandoned buildings, and reli- gious artefacts in a haunting aesthetic. They convey an idea of the destroyed From left: Thomas Rabe with Katya Krausova, Yuri Dojc Jewish world of Slovakia and remind us to draw lessons from the past and and the Director of the Berlin State Library, Barbara Schneider-Kempf keep remembrance alive. Bertelsmann financed the exhibition, played a major role in its implementation and marketing, and supported a bilingual exhibition catalog published by Prestel (Random House publishing group).
With Bertelsmann‘s support, “Last Folio” also traveled to South America for the first time – the exhibition was shown in São Paulo, Brazil.
www.bertelsmann.com/lastfolio
© Yuri Dojc: Synagogue, Košice (2006) Impression from the exhibition Culture@Bertelsmann | Art & Culture 35
Actor Benno Fürmann visited the exhibition following his reading from the Heyne Hardcore The Gütersloh Theater provided an atmospheric setting for the book: “Hunter S. Thompson – Die Rolling Stone exhibition “Neal Preston – In the Eye of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hurricane” Jahre” (The Rolling Stone Years)
The multimedia exhibition “Neal Preston – In the Eye of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hurricane” at the Neal-Preston-Exhibition Freddie Mercury, London (1986) Gütersloh Theater attracted 10,000 visitors Photographer Neal Preston’s pictures were taken over a period of 40 years. During this time, he captured the musicians’ attitude to life, and sometimes their suffering, on and off stage. The exhibition “Neal Preston - In the Eye of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hurricane” had already been shown to great acclaim in Montreux, Las Vegas, Stockholm, and Frankfurt and made a month-long stop in Gütersloh as well.
Neal Preston portrayed many legendary musicians and bands with his camera: Carlos Santana, Alice Cooper, Bob Marley, Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin, David Bowie, Deep Purple, Roger Waters, Janis Joplin, Prince, Madonna, Frank Zappa, and many more.
The music rights of many of the artists portrayed by Preston are managed by Bertelsmann‘s music subsidiary BMG, such as those of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards’ most important works, of Pink Floyd songwriter Roger Waters, Iggy Pop, and David Bowie. So supporting the exhibition made excellent sense and brought together different protagonists from the world of music.
www.bertelsmann.com/preston
The internationally renowned documentary photographer Neal Preston exhibited his works in Gütersloh for one month Culture@Bertelsmann 37
Christopher Lehmpfuhl and Thomas Rabe in front of an art star, designed by Lehmpfuhl, which was Bertelsmann is one of the hosts of the European Cultural Heritage Congress auctioned to benefit the German Culture par excellence at the Gütersloh Theater: Celebrated pianist in Madrid Stroke Foundation Lang Lang visited Gütersloh © “Die Glocke”/Steinecke
Johannes Jacob, head of C. Bertelsmann Verlag, with Christian Schäfer of the Gütersloh Theater: “The Centenarian Who Climbed Out of the Window and Original documents in a Dietrich Bonhoeffer exhibition as part of the music and literature festival “Wege durch Thomas Rabe at the music photography exhibition Vanished”–- from bestselling das Land” at the Gütersloh Theater: Actor Klaus Maria Brandauer recited excerpts from Bonhoeffer’s works, “Jim Marshall: Jazz Festival” in the forum of Gütersloh City Hall novel to stage play which were published by Gütersloher Verlagshaus
Poetry Slam: High-school student “My pictures give insights into other layers of time and other imaginative Aaron Schmitt won a poetry contest spaces,” says the artist/photographer Michael Wesely initiated by Bertelsmann Exhibition of photos by Jim Rakete Thea Dorn and Denis Scheck visit Thomas Rabe Culture@Bertelsmann Company History
In order to continue its success and growth story, Bertelsmann has kept embracing or even initiating changes and new developments. Founded in 1835, the company is now run with the involvement of the seventh genera- tion of the Bertelsmann/Mohn family. At every stage of its history, Bertelsmann has success- fully tackled new technological developments, changing user habits, and market upheavals. The company once revolutionized book distribu- tion, significantly expanded commercial televi- sion in Germany, and introduced profit sharing for employees very early on. For decades, Ber- telsmann was shaped and developed by Rein- hard Mohn. He took over the Gütersloh plant, which had been destroyed in the Second World War, and turned it into a successful global media company.
www.bertelsmann.com/history
Reinhard Liz and Reinhard und Liz Mohn (October 2008) Culture@Bertelsmann | Company History 41
Founded on July 1, 1835 in Gütersloh, Bertelsmann celebrated its 180th anniversary with an exhibition in the foyer of the Corporate Center in Gütersloh and a new history website
Kirchstrasse 3 in Gütersloh, where Carl Bertelsmann lived and 1950s aerial shot of the rebuilt did business from 1829 on Corporate Center Corporate Archive
Since its foundation in 2003, Bertelsmann’s corporate archive has been dedicated to documenting the Group‘s history. It serves as the company’s memory. Historical exhibits from the Gütersloh Corporate Center and the Group’s units are collected in the archives. As the central point of contact for all historical matters within the company, the team searches for, secures, and documents sources that are relevant to the company‘s history: files, corre- spondence, photos, presentations, posters, and much more. The oldest archi-
The general ledger of C. Bertelsmann Verlag for the years 1852-1923 ved records are family papers from the 18th century.
The corporate archive is open to the public and offers students, doctoral can- didates and scientists the opportunity to conduct research into the company’s history.
www.bertelsmann.com/corporate-archive
With around 40,000 records, the Corporate Archive possesses a one-of-a- “The Clever Three” – 1958 advertising kind documentation of its music history after World War II poster for Bertelsmann Lexikothek Culture@Bertelsmann | Company History 43 Zeit Raum
Digital History
A wealth of information and material on Bertelsmann‘s history is now available online. Although our Corporate Archives deals with the past, they are state- of-the-art and highly digital.
The Bertelsmann Chronicle website presents the milestones in the compa- ny‘s history: from the founding of the Protestant publishing house in the 19th century to the development of today‘s modern media, services and educa- tion group.
history.bertelsmann.com
The ZeitRaum app takes users on a trip through the living rooms of past deca- des to discover the products and offerings that Bertelsmann was present with in these decades. All objects are presented with additional information, videos and photos.
The (iPad) app can be found under “ZeitRaum Bertelsmann” on iTunes.
The Bertelsmann Vinyl Collection website gives the public access to parts of the Bertelsmann Club’s collection of records, which were distributed over five decades. Thousands of record covers can be browsed online, and com- prehensive information is available about the records’ performers and com- posers as well.
vinyl.bertelsmann.com Covers (clockwise from top right): 1. Fritz Lang’s masterpiece “Der müde Tod” (“Destiny”) at the UFA Film Nights 2. Actor Milan Peschel giving a scenic reading of “Der weite Raum der Zeit” in Berlin 3. Arrigo Boito, Mefistofele/Mephisto, 1881; Stage set design by Carlo Ferrario, from the Archivio Storico Ricordi 4. Bertelsmann’s premises at Unter den Linden 1 in Berlin
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Photo credits Kai-Uwe Osterhelweg, Jan Voth, Thorsten Scherz, Thomas Kunsch, Thomas Ecke, Stefan Maria Rother, Torsten Elger, Didier Vandenbosch 08/2018