Event

Berlin & Beyond - La Paloma

You know the tune, but you probably cannot
remember where you heard it. Perhaps you remember
lugubrious Spanish lyrics or the breezy
English lyrics Elvis sang in BLUE HAWAII. The song
is Sebastin de Iradiers La Paloma, which he
composed in the Basque country in the 1860s.
La Paloma has traversed the globe since its composition,
and while the original music has survived
the trek, the lyrics have not. Each culture
that adopts the song transforms its meaning,
and this malleability is the cornerstone of Sigrid
Faltins staggering contemplation on the
power of music.
Faltin investigates the rich history of La Paloma
by taking us to Cuba, Mexico, Hawaii, Romania,
Germany, the Basque Country, and finally Tanzania.
Archival footage, clips of films in which
the song appears, and interviews with the people
who keep La Paloma alive have a remarkable
effect on the storytelling: historical and
geographical distances disappear, and we get
to see the songs meaning shift instantaneously
and continuously.