Philosophical think tank
Objective
The Nikolaus Harnoncourt Zentrum establishes a cultural-philosophical think tank curated by Florian Boesch. Nikolaus Harnoncourt was not only a musician but also a great thinker on the social issues of our time and never missed an opportunity to point out to politicians or other decision-makers the shortcomings in education and cultural life. Nikolaus Harnoncourt saw the promotion of artistic understanding and artistic sensibility in all social strata as one of the most important tasks of cultural policy, a task whose fulfilment he demanded as a human right for all. In this sense, Nikolaus Harnoncourt made it clear in a review of his life’s work for performers and receptive listeners alike: not complacent enjoyment, but lifelong work is necessary in order to be able to answer the questions about what remains in art with Robert Musil: ‘We, as the changed, remain.’
For these events, Florian Boesch will invite personalities of our time to discuss current burning issues. These symposia or panel discussions take place in St. Georgen im Attergau and are streamed online.
Dates
Fourth Philosophical discussion “Resonance of Time – How to breathe new life into the past”
The philosopher Dieter Thomä in conversation with Florian Boesch
20 November 2025, 7 pm
What present do we give our cultural heritage?
How do we carry on something that consists precisely of constantly seeking and finding new paths?
Dieter Thomä: “The American writer and Nobel Prize winner William Faulkner famously said: ‘The past is not dead. It is not even past. It’s not easy to come to terms with this statement, because when the past intrudes so intrusively into the present, it makes you feel cornered. The past should not be a shackle, but neither should it be dead wood; it should serve as a source of strength. However, modern society struggles with the past – and that’s not a good sign. Some people only look ahead and believe that anything is possible. Some consider tradition to be something outdated, while others want to cultivate and protect it as if it belonged in a museum. Still others make themselves mentally dependent on what was and interpret the present as a continuation of a past era (for example, as postmodernism or post-democracy). Whether we have a future depends not least on whether we can come to terms with the past. I would like to find out how we can successfully deal with the past in conversation with Florian Boesch and in memory of Nikolaus Harnoncourt.”
Florian Boesch: “I sometimes think of cultural history as a building with floors. Just as we say in technology and science: we stand on the shoulders of giants who have already left us these books, and we don’t have to start from scratch again. Cultural history can’t always start from scratch either. A young artist, whatever they are working on, cannot start from scratch. That would be a horror vacui of a dimension that would be impossible to overcome. In other words, generations and epochs are like floors on which the next ones stand. And much of the work we do in classical music, for example, seems to me to be like maintaining the building. Yes, we maintain the floor from the 14th to the 20th century—we make sure that it is so solid that we also examine the relevance of this architecture in our work, so that the present can build on it in a connected, conscious, rooted, and strong way.
When you have worked with Harnoncourt, you realize where this pillar we are currently dealing with comes from and where it is going. And the pillar’s journey is always astonishingly far-reaching. You always realize that it carries on into the present day, not only as a work of preservation and restoration, but that the present is inextricably linked to it.”
As part of the 10th UNESCO Long Night of Philosophy
https://www.langenachtderphilosophie.at
ADMISSION FREE
Please register here https://register.bruckneruni.at/e/denkwerkstatt
The event will be streamed live.
First think tank discussion: “What is labour/work?” – Wolfram Eilenberger
The first topic of the Think Tank on 4 May 2024, 11.00 a.m. was ‘What is labour/work? – The importance of art and culture as work for society’. This question, which preoccupied Harnoncourt greatly, is relevant for people worldwide and at all times. Philosopher Wolfram Eilenberger and Prof Florian Boesch discussed this topic, moderated by Judith Hoffmann.
Second think tank discussion: Investigative singing and poetic proof – Peter Sloterdijk
Peter Sloterdijk in conversation with Florian Boesch. 10 May 2025 at 11 am
As part of the International Nikolaus Harnoncourt Days
Panel discussion on the topic of ‘Investigative singing and poetic proof’
Florian Boesch, curator of the Denkwerkstatt: ‘Everything that can be thought at all can be thought clearly. Everything that can be expressed can be expressed clearly. Much that can be said can be said poetically. Some things can only be said poetically. And what you can’t talk about, you can sing about.’
Nikolaus Harnoncourt: ‘Art is a different language, always beyond the practical, often beyond the logical; one of its foundations of thought is the imagination, perhaps the “thinking of the heart” as Pascal contrasts it with logic, “arithmetical” thinking.’
FREE ADMISSION
The event will be streamed live.
Fourth Philosophical discussion “Resonance of Time – How to breathe new life into the past”
The philosopher Dieter Thomä in conversation with Florian Boesch
20 November 2025, 7 pm
What present do we give our cultural heritage?
How do we carry on something that consists precisely of constantly seeking and finding new paths?
Dieter Thomä: “The American writer and Nobel Prize winner William Faulkner famously said: ‘The past is not dead. It is not even past. It’s not easy to come to terms with this statement, because when the past intrudes so intrusively into the present, it makes you feel cornered. The past should not be a shackle, but neither should it be dead wood; it should serve as a source of strength. However, modern society struggles with the past – and that’s not a good sign. Some people only look ahead and believe that anything is possible. Some consider tradition to be something outdated, while others want to cultivate and protect it as if it belonged in a museum. Still others make themselves mentally dependent on what was and interpret the present as a continuation of a past era (for example, as postmodernism or post-democracy). Whether we have a future depends not least on whether we can come to terms with the past. I would like to find out how we can successfully deal with the past in conversation with Florian Boesch and in memory of Nikolaus Harnoncourt.”
Florian Boesch: “I sometimes think of cultural history as a building with floors. Just as we say in technology and science: we stand on the shoulders of giants who have already left us these books, and we don’t have to start from scratch again. Cultural history can’t always start from scratch either. A young artist, whatever they are working on, cannot start from scratch. That would be a horror vacui of a dimension that would be impossible to overcome. In other words, generations and epochs are like floors on which the next ones stand. And much of the work we do in classical music, for example, seems to me to be like maintaining the building. Yes, we maintain the floor from the 14th to the 20th century—we make sure that it is so solid that we also examine the relevance of this architecture in our work, so that the present can build on it in a connected, conscious, rooted, and strong way.
When you have worked with Harnoncourt, you realize where this pillar we are currently dealing with comes from and where it is going. And the pillar’s journey is always astonishingly far-reaching. You always realize that it carries on into the present day, not only as a work of preservation and restoration, but that the present is inextricably linked to it.”
As part of the 10th UNESCO Long Night of Philosophy
https://www.langenachtderphilosophie.at
ADMISSION FREE
Please register here https://register.bruckneruni.at/e/denkwerkstatt
The event will be streamed live.
First think tank discussion: “What is labour/work?” – Wolfram Eilenberger
The first topic of the Think Tank on 4 May 2024, 11.00 a.m. was ‘What is labour/work? – The importance of art and culture as work for society’. This question, which preoccupied Harnoncourt greatly, is relevant for people worldwide and at all times. Philosopher Wolfram Eilenberger and Prof Florian Boesch discussed this topic, moderated by Judith Hoffmann.
Second think tank discussion: Investigative singing and poetic proof – Peter Sloterdijk
Peter Sloterdijk in conversation with Florian Boesch. 10 May 2025 at 11 am
As part of the International Nikolaus Harnoncourt Days
Panel discussion on the topic of ‘Investigative singing and poetic proof’
Florian Boesch, curator of the Denkwerkstatt: ‘Everything that can be thought at all can be thought clearly. Everything that can be expressed can be expressed clearly. Much that can be said can be said poetically. Some things can only be said poetically. And what you can’t talk about, you can sing about.’
Nikolaus Harnoncourt: ‘Art is a different language, always beyond the practical, often beyond the logical; one of its foundations of thought is the imagination, perhaps the “thinking of the heart” as Pascal contrasts it with logic, “arithmetical” thinking.’
FREE ADMISSION
The event will be streamed live.