- Title: Music and applause - German balconies are center stage against coronavirus
- Date: 22nd March 2020
- Summary: NEIGHBOURS APPLAUDING ON BALCONY (SOUNDBITE) (German) MUSICIAN, BETTINA WAGNER, SAYING: "I think right now in this difficult situation everyone should try to contribute what they can, and we are musicians and singers. I think if you play songs from home that people know and that bring people closer together, then hopefully that makes everybody feel better. So that's what we did."
- Embargoed: 5th April 2020 11:18
- Keywords: balconies clapping coronavirus music singing
- Location: COLOGNE, BERLIN, HAMBURG, GERMANY
- City: COLOGNE, BERLIN, HAMBURG, GERMANY
- Country: Germany
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment,Health/Medicine,Music
- Reuters ID: LVA003C64VCCN
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: As the coronavirus outbreak sees Germans ordered to stay home, one couple in Cologne is doing what they can to relieve the boredom by giving concerts on their balconies. Bettina Wagner and Theo Krumbach have been making music together for years, specialising in "kölsche Lieder" - or traditional songs from the Cologne area. Their performances on their balcony - hastily cleared of flowerpots - have garnered enthusiastic applause from their neighbours. Wagner told Reuters she was trying to do her bit to help people get through a difficult situation.
Others have had similar ideas, with balcony sing-alongs and performances taking place in countries hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak, like Italy and Spain. People have also been taking to their windows, balconies and terraces to show support for health workers following calls on social media.
In Berlin and Hamburg on Saturday evening (March 21), applause rang out across darkened streets and courtyards. There have been similar shows of support from Belgium to Bulgaria.
(Production: Stephane Nitschke, Stephan Schepers, Katie Stephens) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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