Gerard Mortier, the former director of De Munt, the Salzburger Festspiele and the Ruhr/Triënnale and currently general director of the Teatro Real opera-house in Madrid, is not only concerned with opera but also with speech and word. For this reason he considers giving speeches and lectures an integral part of his artistic platform. In his lecture, Gerard Mortier will talk about the necessity of the knowledge of form and excellence, political commitment and historical framework. With Edward Said Reid’s lectures as inspiration and artist Gerhard Richter and theatre producer Alain Platel as example, he will reflect on an artist’s commitment in two areas: the knowledge and control of one’s skill and the question how and how much art can comment on politics and the spirit of the age. A third element in his address is the necessity for historical references, which so many young people question.