The People United Will Never Be Defeated

What would the world be like if people everywhere were truly united? In thought and deed, in heart and soul?
El pueblo unido jamás será vencido! - a united people will never be defeated - is the first line of the most famous fight song of the leftist resistance in South America. This Chilean protest song became a masterpiece of the 20th century.

In 1975, the American Frederic Rzewski composed the monumental work The People United Will Never Be Defeated for solo piano. It consists of a simple and powerful theme with 36 variations on the above protest song. With this work of variations, Rzewski has created a masterpiece that deserves its place alongside the classic Goldberg, Diabelli and Paganini variations by Bach, Beethoven and Brahms.

Uniting people does not happen without struggle, and struggle is an inherent part of our humanity. This is also reflected in the music: pianist Emmy Wils has to whistle, bang on the piano lid, catch the echo of the sound in the pedal ... Unusual techniques are interspersed with very recognisable harmonies of the past. This piece is undoubtedly a monument in the recent history of music, a tour de force with a theme that is always topical.

The young pianist Emmy Wils is up to the challenge. Versatility is key, as she founded the Koi Collective with saxophonist Maarten Vergauwen, which focuses on contemporary music and was the winner of Supernova 2023. She is also no stranger to the theatre, making her debut with TG Stan in Toulouse (2023). Both as a soloist and in groups, Emmy has performed all over the world and won many awards. For her, the most important thing is to convey her message through music and emotion.

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with Emmy Wils (piano) photo Kevin De Borger