Hagen Rether (born October 8, 1969, in Bucharest, Romania) is a German cabaret artist. Rether spent his early childhood as the son of German-speaking Transylvanian parents in Bucharest, Romania, and Hermannstadt. In 1973, his family moved to Germany and settled in Freiburg im Breisgau. Rether, who has been playing the piano since the age of eight, currently resides in Essen. In the early 1990s, he studied at the Folkwang University and later began training as a naturopath, which he did not complete due to time constraints. Since 2002, Hagen Rether has been a member of the anti-globalization network attac. He is also a member of the human rights organization Amnesty International and the association "Integrative Kulturarbeit e.V.," which organizes socio-cultural projects in schools in the socially disadvantaged areas of the Ruhr region. Additionally, he supports Medica mondiale, for which he promotes awareness through stands during his performances. Cabaret Before embarking on his own solo tour, Rether worked as a pianist in Ludger Stratmann's program from 1996 to 2005. With his solo program "Liebe" (Love), which he constantly updates and varies, he has been delivering sharp, primarily political cabaret since 2003. While addressing current political issues, he focuses more on socio-political topics such as religion, mass media, capitalism, consumerism, and globalization. Key areas of his thematic explorations include the Catholic Church, its scandals, and the institution of the papacy, as well as the complex political entanglements of major powers, particularly the USA. However, he also questions the co-optation of supposedly left-wing politicians by the power of capital ("Vorzeigelinker") and other contradictions in societal life. Parody (e.g., of Jürgen Rüttgers and Herbert Grönemeyer) is also a part of his work. Figures from contemporary history and current political events become objects of his satires, and he vehemently criticizes factory farming, meat, and milk consumption as a committed vegan. In recent years, he has frequently addressed the growing Islamophobia observed in German society, politics, and the media. A distinctive element of his performances is a black grand piano, which he seemingly bored yet meticulously cleans during his stage appearances, using it for musical interludes and to accompany his verbal presentation—or leaving it completely unplayed. He usually sits not on a piano stool but on an office chair with armrests. In addition to the obligatory glass of water with a water bottle, a cleaning cloth, and a spray bottle with cleaning solution, his stage props often include a baseball bat and several bananas, some of which he occasionally consumes during his performances. Hagen Rether has been a guest on cabaret shows such as "Mitternachtsspitzen" (WDR), "Neues aus der Anstalt" (ZDF), and "Satire Gipfel" (Das Erste) multiple times. <a href="https://www.last.fm/music/Hagen+Rether">Read more on Last.fm</a>. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.