Close up KIDS 25/26

It is time to recognise the change: birds are altering their migratory habits, shifting their routes, and even modifying their characteristic calls. Researchers are increasingly aware that these calls provide valuable insights into the state of our environment. In this concert, a tarantula dances to the notes of Sergei Rachmaninov, and ten fingers evoke the sound of a spider's web to the music of Susanne Stelzenbach. Gershwin takes us on a walk with a dog, while the renowned French composer Olivier Messiaen captures birdsong, inviting us to accompany him on the woodland walks that inspire his compositions. Carola Bauckholt’s Double Exposure features a solo violin with electronic amplification, continuing to chirp cheerfully. We all join in an expansive bird music improvisation! With Alexei Igudesman, Austria's most humorous composer, we venture into a zoo of lively animals in Funny Animals. The evening concludes with Ferdinand the Bull by Alain Ridout, the heartwarming pacifist tale of a bull who refuses to fight and prefers a peaceful life amidst blooming flowers. Judith Fliedl plays and narrates this enchanting story, a celebration of a world where animals and humans live in harmony.

Feet play an important role – not only in classic film clips of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Even legends need teachers – the tap dance icon took her first steps with John Bubbles, while Bill “Bojangles” Robinson served as a major stylistic influence. We will all learn a few steps too! (Please choose shoes with good-sounding soles!). All kinds of combinations will be heard: Pom Pom Redux – a duo for piano and tap dance composed by Alexander Lackner – is featured alongside Dana Suesse’s Jazz Nocturne for solo piano, celebrating the renowned Gershwin contemporary. Also included are two movements from Igor Stravinsky’s 1924 Sonata, dedicated to the influential patron Winaretta Singer-Polignac. Mitra Kotte and Sabine Hasicka perform and dance to standards from Gershwin’s American Songbook as well as Black Diamond – a ragtime piece by Grace Bolen.

Childhood is a special topic in Japan – how children celebrate and play, their rights and responsibilities, how daily routines are organised, the rules in schools, methods of teaching instruments, the rituals in music lessons and how music is notated — all of this is shared through the music itself. Japanese music has a special affinity for the marimba: Keiko Abe composed Reflections on Japanese Children's Songs II for marimba duo. This modern 20th-century instrument blends beautifully with the traditional bamboo flute, shakuhachi. Together, marimba and shakuhachi perform a composition by their master, Hosan Yamamoto. Dieter Strehly spent a year studying the shakuhachi – a traditional bamboo flute – in Japan, while Gaby Zechmeister has mastered the koto, an arched-board zither. The harmony between koto and shakuhachi is truly magical, and we’ll show you how this music is notated. In Japan, the koto is respectfully called O-Koto, and performances traditionally begin with the performer bowing to the audience. The Austrian premiere features a duo by Japanese composer Dai Fujikura titled Kodama – a heartfelt tribute to tree spirits and ghosts!