CALENDAR

Viennese cello quartet “Die Kolophonistinnen” serve up a colourful medley of their favourite pieces. The four female musicians take us through a richly varied programme. From familiar dance pieces to some unusual compositions of their own, there’s a lot to hear!

Was wäre das (Musik-) Jahr ohne die fundiert-charmante Einführung von Wilhelm Sinkovicz? Im Musiksalon stellt der „Presse“-Musikkritiker die Highlights des Wiener Musikprogramms vor, plaudert über aktuelle und zukünftige Stars und erläutert Hintergründe und Zusammenhänge. Mit eindrucksvollem Bild- und Tonmaterial sowie jeder Menge Wissen und Humor!ohne Pause, Buffetbetrieb vor und nach der Veranstaltung

Anlässlich des 25-Jahre-Jubiläums des Bestehens des Mauthausen Komitee Österreich (MKÖ) findet in Kooperation mit der Musik und Kunst Privatuniversität der Stadt Wien (MUK) die Uraufführung der Orchesterfassung von Joe Zawinuls Mauthausen … vom großen Sterben hören statt. Josef „Joe“ Zawinul (1932—2007) begann seine musikalische Ausbildung als Zwölfjähriger am damaligen Wiener Konservatorium, der Vorgängerinstitution der heutigen MUK. Von hier aus lancierte er zum einflussreichen und weltbekannten Jazzmusiker. 2022 wäre er 90 Jahre alt geworden. Zum 60. Jahrestag der Errichtung des KZ Mauthausen erhielt Joe Zawinul vom Mauthausen Komitee Österreich einen Kompositionsauftrag: Sein Werk, entstanden in Zusammenarbeit mit dem ehemaligen Burgschauspieler Frank Hoffmann, wurde am 8. August 1998 bei einem Gedenkkonzert mit fast 10.000 Besucher*innen in Mauthausen erstmals aufgeführt. Diese Veranstaltung war die erste Veranstaltung des neugegründeten Mauthausen Komitees — der Nachfolgeorganisation der Österreichischen Lagergemeinschaft Mauthausen. Der Jazz-Pianist, Komponist und Bandleader Joe Zawinul war einer der österreichischen Jazzmusiker von internationaler Bedeutung. Weniger bekannt ist, dass zahlreiche Kompositionen Zawinuls für „klassische“ Ensembles konzipiert und im Grenzbereich notierter bzw. improvisierter Musik angesiedelt sind. Mit Mauthausen ...vom großen Sterben hören schuf er, in Erinnerung an die Opfer der nationalsozialistischen Untaten, ein „akustisches Mahnmal“, das nun in einem Konzert des MUK.sinfonieorchesters unter der Leitung von Andreas Stoehr in der neuen Fassung für Sprecher, Chor und Orchester zur Wiederaufführung gelangt. Als Erzähler steht erneut Frank Hoffmann, Freund und Wegbegleiter Zawinuls, auf der Bühne. Eine Hommage an einen universellen Musiker und Künstler, der sich stets für Weltoffenheit, Toleranz und Humanität einsetzte.

The Latin Quarter, the Sorbonne, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Montparnasse – all famous places on the Left Bank, lying below L’ Île de la Cité. Home to Notre-Dame, Palais de la Cité, and Sainte-Chapelle, they form the very heart of Paris, and have long been the city’s meeting point for intellectuals and artists of every kind. The Left Bank was not only host to pioneers of musical impressionism such as Debussy and Ravel, but also to members of the Group of Six, such as Milhaud, Honegger and Poulenc, who rebelled against impressionism and German Romantic music, and sought to promote simplicity and clarity in French musical composition. So let’s head for the Seine, and spend an evening with these highly innovative musicians.

Danish pastries and quark, anyone? Puff pastries with fruit? Or maybe ham and eggs? We’ve invited a few of our star performers to take breakfast and chat with members of our audience! This is an opportunity to get more closely acquainted with some of the artists performing at upcoming concerts. You can gain new insight into their work, learn about their backgrounds, get some fresh perspectives and ask questions in person, all in a relaxed yet lively atmosphere. Our very own Café Maximilian provides suitably fine fare for the occasion. Our guest on this occasion: Christian Altenburger. Other Klassik Kipferl dates: With the Minetti Quartett and Ángela Tröndle - Tue. 5th Oct 2021 With Christian Altenburger - Fri 21st Jan 2022 With Maria Radutu - Tue 15th. Mar 2022 With Gerald Preinfalk - Tue 17th. May 2022 The price for this event does not include a ticket for the relevant concert.

New Year. The concert features music from right around the world: old favourites such as “Auld Land Syne” are matched with a whole string of Strauss compositions, including the Blue Danube, the Emperor Waltz, and the Künstlerleben ("Artist's Life”) Waltz. The music of the Waltz King is paired with that of his younger brother Josef, who not only wrote 300 waltzes, polkas and marches, but also invented a working machine for sweeping streets. To get 2022 off to a good start, we hear Josef Strauss’s Matrosenpolka along with the premiere performance of a vocal arrangement of his French Polka, Op.281, “Heiterer Muth” (Cheerful Fortitude).

Some 90 kilometres south-east of Budapest, in the heart of the Hungarian lowlands, lies the town of Szolnok, the district’s administrative centre. The town is also noted for its symphony orchestra, which can trace its roots back to the events held in 1927 to mark the centenary of Beethoven’s death. So it is highly appropriate for our concert in Vienna to feature a classical piece such as Mozart’s Second Concerto for Flute. For a more contemporary work, we hear Alexey Shor’s First Piano Concerto. Born in Kiev in 1970, Shor emigrated to Israel, but nowadays lives mostly in the USA; which is where Dvořák composed the final programme item, the symphony which became one of his most famous works and bore the subtitle “From the New World”.

Mozart’s friendship with the clarinettist Anton Stadler gave rise to some of his finest compositions. Included among these are his five Divertimenti for Three Basset Horns, works which draw the listener in with the warmth and darkness of their tonal palette. Krzysztof Penderecki also explores unusual tonal colours in his Clarinet Quartet as well as in his virtuoso - yet nonetheless playful - Duo for Violin and Double Bass. When listening to Camille Saint-Saens’ “Carnival of the Animals”, there’s only one question: “When will the swan come?” It’s on its way! And then the swan finally arrives — gracious and majestic, brought to life by the song of the cello.

“I had a certain captivating charm”... Director and author Peter Lund, actor Boris Eder and pianist Florian Schäfer recount the story of Max Hansen in a solo drama with musical accompaniment. They tell of the astounding career which “the little Caruso” and “Scandinavian humourist” forged in Berlin and Vienna in the years between 1923 and 1933, enjoying great success on the stage, in film, and on the radio. From his appearance in “Gräfin Mariza” to his role as Leopold in “Weißen Rössl” (The White Horse Inn), this tale of the illegitimate son of a Danish actress and a Hungarian “Artist of Jewish descent” is certain to brighten your mood. In 1936 Hansen played Axel an der Himmelstür (Axel at the Gate of Heaven) in Ralph Benatzky’s eponymous Singspiel at the Theater an der Wien. Lund revived the piece with great success just a few years ago at the Volksoper. It was Hansen who suggested Zarah Leander as an understudy for Greta Garbo. This proved to be the beginning of Leander’s great career in the Third Reich. Hansen survived Nazi rule by fleeing to Scandinavia with a forged Aryan certificate, while many of his former companions met their deaths. A complex tale made of dreams and nightmares, fate, fortune, and guilt.

Someone has stolen the Empress’s favourite diamond in Vienna. Apparently the thieves smuggled the gem out of the palace in a tin of K&K cat food. There’s only one who can solve this puzzle: Caruso the musical tomcat, with his sensitive nose and razor-sharp hearing! The young ginger tomcat made his first appearance in November 2013. He has his very own theme tune, and has already released a number of CDs that tell of his thrilling adventures. Stefan Buri on bassoon and Tobias Rütti at the piano serve up a colourful medley of classical, jazz and folk music. Stefan Buri is artistic director and also plays Caruso the tomcat, while Christina Buri provides the fun-filled dialogue. KS Herbert Lippert also appears in the production at MuTh.

So you’ve not heard of me? Let me introduce myself. My name is Marko Mirkov Join me on this very special evening and I’ll lead you along my very own musical Yellow Brick Road. We’ll wander through a landscape of songs - some new, some more familiar - featuring fantastic chords and melancholy harmonies. The playlist will cover ballroom hits and contemporary ballads and a number of character songs, set deep in the urban jungle. A four-piece band will accompany us on this tour. Their musical arrangements are the masterful creations of Uli Datler. The full line-up includes dear old friends as well as dear new friends, and it has just as much variety as the songs you will hear. You will also see a few videos over the course of the evening. The line-up, in alphabetical order, is as follows: Rosemarie Aumayr-Kraft, Monika Ballwein, Kurt T. Bauer, Rekha Bollansée, Ariane Deimel, Alexander Doevendans, Katrin Fuchs, Lena Gerlach, Martina Hackstock, Roger Hackstock, Mathias Høgenhaug Aaen, Rita Kampl, Andrea Koinig, Sylvia Köpke, Wolfgang Kreuziger, Amina Kristen, Christin Kunzmann, Iris Lang, Annemarie Libbers, Marie Mandelbaum, Gudrun Nikodem-Eichenhardt, Nadine Portillo, Andreas Sauerzapf, Barbara Schreiber, Florian Schwartz, Constanze Strapetz and Anna Stromberger. What’s that? You don’t have your favourite red dancing shoes? Don’t worry. With us you’ll feel right at home anyway. So, I’m delighted to hear that you’re going to come along. Until then, I send you my very best wishes. Stay safe! Yours, Marko Mirkov.

The world of music is just waiting to be discovered. So we’re inviting the very youngest of all to come along and explore. And all the while they are free to crawl about, gurgle, sing, laugh, dance and wobble! In the company of our music facilitator Birgit Reithofer and the young trio DOBONA, we’ll set off and experience music through all our senses. We’re very happy for our young audience to move around during the event. Come along and listen to clarinets and flutes being played really close to you. Hear how they sound — and feel how they sound as well. And what’s more, you can find out what it feels like to sit under a grand piano!

Lots of people like Viennese music. And lots of people like listening to stories. Both can be heard in “'s war ned Wean”, which brings together the talents of seasoned storyteller Paul Daniel and the renowned Viennese duo of Nikolai Tunkowitsch & Peter Havlicek. They perform a mix of amusing Viennese tales and light-hearted anecdotes, all accompanied by lively melodies from violin, contraguitar, and barrel organ. Music which blurs the boundaries between Schrammel, jazz and classical.

The world of music is just waiting to be discovered. So we’re inviting the very youngest of all to come along and explore. And all the while they are free to crawl about, gurgle, sing, laugh, dance and wobble! In the company of our music facilitator Birgit Reithofer and the young trio DOBONA, we’ll set off and experience music through all our senses. We’re very happy for our young audience to move around during the event. Come along and listen to clarinets and flutes being played really close to you. Hear how they sound — and feel how they sound as well. And what’s more, you can find out what it feels like to sit under a grand piano!

Singing together strengthens connections. It builds trust, and it has a calming effect. Unborn babies can hear and feel it when their mothers sing. The sound is transmitted in various ways, including through the mother’s pelvic bones into the amniotic fluid. So the baby has its first musical experiences while it is still in its mother’s body — and what could possibly be finer for a baby than hearing their own mother sing? Singing teacher Giti Huber understands this perfectly. She has years of experience working with mothers-to-be and first-time singers, as well as leading the “I can’t sing” choir. Over the course of these Mamma Papa Mia sessions, parents-to-be learn cradle songs from all kinds of sources, among them Mozart, Lalelu, and Latin American folk music. The programme also includes modern songs which are ideal when you want to bathe, comfort or entertain baby. After the sing-song you can relax and enjoy a short concert with lots of variety.

This “Carnival Saturday” concert celebrates the “Voices of Venice”. The outstanding young violinists and concertmasters of the Ieva Pranskute Orchestra start the programme with Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons”. The second musician with Venetian connections to be featured is Igor Stravinsky, as we hear his ballet music “Pulcinella”. Also on the programme is Ezra Pound, the American poet. Pound lived in Venice for much of his life, and his wife, the violinist Olga Rudge, was largely responsible for Vivaldi’s 20th-century revival. The celebrated actress Valery Tscheplanowa reads from the poet’s work.

Princess Deidamia, who was in love with Achilles; Queen Berenice, who sought to rule Egypt alone; Ariadne, who was left sitting alone by heroic Theseus; Medea, who was tricked in love, cheated in life, and shorn of honour; all walk the stage tonight. With great bravery and enormous strength of will, they all take control of their fate. Classical female protagonists are found throughout literary and musical history, including the dramatic concert arias of Haydn and Beethoven, and in the scenes composed for speaking voice and string quintet by Tanja Elisa Glinslner. We meet these women at the most decisive points in their lives, and we witness how they resolve their internal conflicts and manage their role in society. Sarah Marie Kramer brings them to life in song, while Burgschau actress Caroline Peters gives them a speaking voice and provides readings of related texts.

What’s it like to stand on a real stage? How does it feel to wear a theatrical costume? Can I try dancing in the spotlight?  You can find out the answers to all these questions at our Saturday Children’s Parties (Kindersause), which take place before the start of our productions for families. Together we will dress up, make things, dance, explore the scenery on the stage, and find out how heavy curtains can be made to float across the stage as if by magic. Meanwhile your parents can pass the hour by taking a relaxing walk through the Augarten, or enjoy a pleasant break in our Café Maximilian and indulge in some fine food. Our ELTERNPAUSE – KINDERSAUSE! events start at 14:30 (apart from Sat. 19th Feb, when the event starts at 13:30), and will take place before the following productions in our NACHMITTAGS IM MuTh (AFTERNOONS AT MUTH) cycle: SCHUBADOUR, Sat. 9th. Oct 2021 A NIGHT AT THE THEATRE, Sat 13th. Nov 2021 PÙNKITITITI!, Sat 19th. Feb 2022 DIE REISE DES KLEINEN PRINZEN (THE LITTLE PRINCE’S JOURNEY), Sat. 5th Mar 2022. WAS HAST DU GESAGT? (WHAT DID YOU SAY?), Sat. 23rd. Apr 2022 The ELTERNPAUSE – KINDERSAUSE! ticket price does not include admission to the production which follows.

Danish pastries and quark, anyone? Puff pastries with fruit? Or maybe ham and eggs? We’ve invited a few of our star performers to take breakfast and chat with members of our audience! This is an opportunity to get more closely acquainted with some of the artists performing at upcoming concerts. You can gain new insight into their work, learn about their backgrounds, get some fresh perspectives and ask questions in person, all in a relaxed yet lively atmosphere. Our very own Café Maximilian provides suitably fine fare for the occasion. Our guest on this occasion: Christian Altenburger. Other Klassik Kipferl dates: With the Minetti Quartett and Ángela Tröndle - Tue. 5th Oct 2021 With Christian Altenburger - Fri 21st Jan 2022 With Maria Radutu - Tue 15th. Mar 2022 With Gerald Preinfalk - Tue 17th. May 2022 The price for this event does not include a ticket for the relevant concert.

Violinist Charlie Siem grew up in London. He has played with orchestras including the Israel Philharmonic, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Moscow Philharmonic and the Rotterdam Philharmonic, and played under conductors such as Charles Dutoit, Zubin Mehta, Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Sir Roger Norrington. At this, his first concert in Vienna, he will perform extracts from his latest CD “Between the Clouds”. This album features magical virtuoso salon pieces by the likes of Fritz Kreisler, Henryk Wieniawski and Pablo de Sarasate

Hannes Buchinger spent three years filming his cows, horses and donkeys. A photographer by profession, he mounts his camera on a tripod, presses the shutter release, then walks towards his animals and enters the picture. He is not only the leading man in this remarkably moving film; he is also its screenwriter, director, cameraman and editor. Florian Willeitner has created a programme of live music for “Der Halter – Ein Film über Alm-Alltage” (The livestock owner - a film about everyday life in a mountain pasture ).  The accompaniment intersperses works from widely different periods with improvisations and original compositions, bringing depth and humour to the scenes on screen.

Singing together strengthens connections. It builds trust, and it has a calming effect. Unborn babies can hear and feel it when their mothers sing. The sound is transmitted in various ways, including through the mother’s pelvic bones into the amniotic fluid. So the baby has its first musical experiences while it is still in its mother’s body — and what could possibly be finer for a baby than hearing their own mother sing? Singing teacher Giti Huber understands this perfectly. She has years of experience working with mothers-to-be and first-time singers, as well as leading the “I can’t sing” choir. Over the course of these Mamma Papa Mia sessions, parents-to-be learn cradle songs from all kinds of sources, among them Mozart, Lalelu, and Latin American folk music. The programme also includes modern songs which are ideal when you want to bathe, comfort or entertain baby. After the sing-song you can relax and enjoy a short concert with lots of variety.

A journey through Spain, created out of dance, imagination, and the magic of rhythms and pictures. Karin Schäfer’s “Iberia” is a visual concert which transports and beguiles its audience through the music of Isaac Albeniz (1860-1909). Her work is based on eight of the twelve Spanish dances which Albeniz composed in the final years of his life and brought together under the title “Iberia”. Taking this as her inspiration, Karin Schäfer uses puppets, masks, light and shadow, animations and projections to create another successful piece of what she terms “visual theatre”. In this fascinating, kaleidoscopic work she seizes on many of the styles and creations of visual artists and translates them into moving images, with a technique that combines pithiness, humour and surprise Till Alexander Körber has written fresh arrangements of Albeniz for violin and piano. The violin part was arranged by Martin Walch.

Thomas Bernhard described his novel “Alte Meister” as a comedy. Bernhard’s love-hate relationship with his homeland drove him almost to the grotesque in this work. The novel addresses lying and failure, and returns again and again to the subject of art. But it also affirms that nothing, not even art, can replace the “einzigen geliebten Menschen”, that most important and beloved person in one's life. The music surrounds and supports the text. We hear from old masters such as Domenico Gabrielli and Bernhard’s much-loved Mozart. Vienna, the city he so loved and so hated, makes an appearance in the famous “Wien, Wien, nur du allein “, as well as in the unsettling sounds of Anton Webern und Till A. Körber. The evening closes with the music of Franz Schubert, unveiling the unexpected …

“My strength has all gone, I’m old and I’m weak”: Joseph Haydn appended these words to the print of his final string quartet. But his words do not ring true. The principal founder of the quartet form shows that he could still command the heights, especially in his second quartet form Opus 77. Before his death in 1827, Ludwig van Beethoven was still thinking about his tenth symphony. But he was only able to complete his String Quartet in F major. György Kurtág’s 2003 work “Officium breve” is just under twelve minutes in duration and has fifteen movements. A distilled Requiem, it forms the link between these last two masterpieces.

Chorus Juventus is a mixed choir with a powerful sound, composed of children from the Senior Classes of the Vienna Boys' Choir High School. Its conductors are Daniel Erazo-Muñoz and Oliver Stech. The choir rehearses three times each week. Students also receive individual vocal training, and have the opportunity to try their hand at performing solo during regular class recitals.

It was around the year 1700 when the oboe, bassoon and flute achieved great popularity in Venice. These instruments, which had long been highly favoured in France, inspired Venetian composers to write highly imaginative sonatas and concerti da camera. This extravagant music was well received elsewhere, particularly in Vienna. In 2012 the oboist Elisabeth Baumer formed the Austro-Italian ensemble Affinità, named with a nod to the historical affinity between the Habsburgs and Venice. Their debut album “Venice and beyond” has received much acclaim.

What’s it like to stand on a real stage? How does it feel to wear a theatrical costume? Can I try dancing in the spotlight?  You can find out the answers to all these questions at our Saturday Children’s Parties (Kindersause), which take place before the start of our productions for families. Together we will dress up, make things, dance, explore the scenery on the stage, and find out how heavy curtains can be made to float across the stage as if by magic. Meanwhile your parents can pass the hour by taking a relaxing walk through the Augarten, or enjoy a pleasant break in our Café Maximilian and indulge in some fine food. Our ELTERNPAUSE – KINDERSAUSE! events start at 14:30 (apart from Sat. 19th Feb, when the event starts at 13:30), and will take place before the following productions in our NACHMITTAGS IM MuTh (AFTERNOONS AT MUTH) cycle: SCHUBADOUR, Sat. 9th. Oct 2021 A NIGHT AT THE THEATRE, Sat 13th. Nov 2021 PÙNKITITITI!, Sat 19th. Feb 2022 DIE REISE DES KLEINEN PRINZEN (THE LITTLE PRINCE’S JOURNEY), Sat. 5th Mar 2022. WAS HAST DU GESAGT? (WHAT DID YOU SAY?), Sat. 23rd. Apr 2022 The ELTERNPAUSE – KINDERSAUSE! ticket price does not include admission to the production which follows.

Communication is a tricky business. What someone says is not necessarily what gets through. Especially if words are being translated into a different language. Meaning can go missing in the process. It can get “lost in translation”. With music by Elisabeth Naske, a string quartet and four dancers show just how diverse, multi-faceted and hilarious communication can be.

When we experience the magic of the theatre, with all the wonderful music and sets that carry us off to another world — what’s going on in the background? How do the acoustics work? What equipment hides behind, below and above the stage? What skills does a sound engineer need? What clever tricks are used to create such fine illusions? At MuTh you can peer over the technicians’ shoulders, take a peek behind the curtain, and find out just how theatre magic is made. This exciting guided tour reveals just how much technology lies hidden behind each concert and every theatrical event. And afterwards you can have a go at the controls of the lighting desk and the sound desk yourself. We’ll set up all the equipment, ready for a concert! 15% discount for MuTh Club members

The grand finale. To bring his cycle to a close, Christian Altenburger has programmed two works for string ensemble, both of them serenades: Edward Elgar’s pastoral “Serenade for Strings”, inspired by the English Middle Ages; and Antonín Dvorák’s warm and intimate Opus 22. Another well-known piece is Franz Schubert’s sonata for the long-forgotten arpeggione (a kind of six-stringed cello, fretted like a guitar, invented in Vienna in 1823). This piece is performed nowadays in many different versions. The setting performed here is arranged for cello and string ensemble.

Singing together strengthens connections. It builds trust, and it has a calming effect. Unborn babies can hear and feel it when their mothers sing. The sound is transmitted in various ways, including through the mother’s pelvic bones into the amniotic fluid. So the baby has its first musical experiences while it is still in its mother’s body — and what could possibly be finer for a baby than hearing their own mother sing? Singing teacher Giti Huber understands this perfectly. She has years of experience working with mothers-to-be and first-time singers, as well as leading the “I can’t sing” choir. Over the course of these Mamma Papa Mia sessions, parents-to-be learn cradle songs from all kinds of sources, among them Mozart, Lalelu, and Latin American folk music. The programme also includes modern songs which are ideal when you want to bathe, comfort or entertain baby. After the sing-song you can relax and enjoy a short concert with lots of variety

A benefit gala evening in aid of “Wider die Gewalt” (an anti-violence charitable association), with Ana Milva Gomes, Drew Sarich, Uwe Kröger, Annemieke van Dam, Daria Kinzer, Reinwald Kranner, Ann Mandrella, Johannes Nepomuk and Tanja Petrasek. Moderators: Marika Lichter & Alfons Haider Musiical Directorg: Herwig Gratzer Come along and hear your favourite show-stoppers sung by leading performers from the world of musicals! Proceeds from this evening’s concert go to “Wider die Gewalt”, an anti-violence charitable association which has been addressing the needs of victims of domestic abuse for the last 32 years

Max doesn’t find the weekly shopping trip with his parents very exciting. He often gets bored. Until one day a bric-a-brac dealer gives him a present: a drum. But this is no ordinary drum; it’s a drum full of secrets, and it leads him into the magical world of sounds. But Max is not the only one who likes these sounds. König Gier (King Greed) covets them, so he sends three witches to steal these glorious, colourful songs. This makes the world turn grey. And the world falls silent. There is just one colour which manages to escape. With the colour red at his side, Max tries to make the world a multi-coloured place once more. But will he succeed?

Music as a connection: our guests tonight are the chamber orchestra of the Prenk Jakova School of Music from Gjakova in Kosovo, close to the Albanian border. The school takes its name from the celebrated Albanian composer, who lived from 1917 to 1969. The young musicians are making their debut in Vienna. The orchestra, performing under the baton of Johannes Fleischmann, performs Edvard Grieg's romantic homage to the late baroque, his magical suite for strings "From Holberg's Time", which remains one of the Norwegian's most popular pieces. The evening closes with an equally well-loved piece, Mendelssohn's technically demanding Octet, heard here in its original arrangement for eight strings. Between these two works we hear the voices of Johannes Fleischmann's solo violin and the solo viola of Mariko Hara Haselsteiner enter into a lively dialogue with the young musicians in Mozart's "Sinfonia concertante".

Our musical calendar would simply not be the same without Wilhelm Sinkovicz’s well-informed and highly engaging introductory talks. In his music salon, the Presse’s music critic picks out the highlights of Vienna’s current musical offerings. He talks about today’s star performers and the stars of tomorrow, explains the background to the music, and draws insightful connections. This is accompanied by an impressive array of audio-visual media — backed up by in-depth knowledge, and served with a fine sense of humour! No interval. Buffet service will be available before and after the event.

“What the Fugue?” The Pool of Invention’s “New Piano Trio” offer a previously unheard take on that most exalted of disciplines in baroque musical composition: the fugue. In a previous piece, “Fuga in Odd“, Florian Willeitner fused strict counterpoint with the rhythmic fire of Balkan music. Now he has taken this concept further. The preludes and fugues presented here are new compositions; they pay homage to the individual musical languages of various composers from the past and the present day.

Danish pastries and quark, anyone? Puff pastries with fruit? Or maybe ham and eggs? We’ve invited a few of our star performers to take breakfast and chat with members of our audience! This is an opportunity to get more closely acquainted with some of the artists performing at upcoming concerts. You can gain new insight into their work, learn about their backgrounds, get some fresh perspectives and ask questions in person, all in a relaxed yet lively atmosphere. Our very own Café Maximilian provides suitably fine fare for the occasion. Today’s guest: Gerald Preinfalk Other Klassik Kipferl dates: With the Minetti Quartett and Ángela Tröndle - Tue. 5th Oct 2021 With Christian Altenburger - Fri 21st Jan 2022 With Maria Radutu - Tue 15th. Mar 2022 With Gerald Preinfalk - Tue 17th. May 2022 Tickets for these events do not include the relevant concerts.

The “Presse” musical salon Moderator and host: Dr Wilhelm Sinkovicz “Presse” music critic Wilhelm Sinkovicz really looks forward to “his” music salons! But what he looks forward to most is the opportunity to provide his guests with insights — in his customary charming and highly informative style — into upcoming highlights in the musical programme. The technical facilities at MuTh, including our giant screen, are the ideal environment for creating a sense of anticipation about forthcoming events. These include opera premieres and numerous other productions that the Musikverein, the Vienna Konzerthaus – and of course MuTh – have to offer. A full-size classic cinema setting, plus a witty commentary, in the company of major stars and young talents who are just starting out. No interval. Buffet service will be available before and after the event.     AMAHL UND DIE NÄCHTLICHEN BESUCHER (AMAHL AND THE NIGHT VISITORS) One-act opera by Gian-Carlo Menotti Amahl lives with his mother in a small rural village in Judea, where shepherds tend their flocks. His leg is paralysed, so he needs crutches to get around. One night Amahl is woken by the bright light of a brilliant star. Suddenly, there is a knock at the door, announcing the unexpected arrival of the Three Wise Men – an encounter that will forever change Amahl’s future. Pupils from the High School Senior Class of the Vienna Boys' Choir present Gian-Carlo Menotti’s much-loved opera, which is a Christmas favourite in the English-speaking world. A production by the High School Senior Class of the Vienna Boys' Choir     Ballad ImPulsTanz 2021 So just what it is that makes someone become a dancer? Perhaps the answer lies in the particular pieces which they learn at a young age in dance school, such as those that Lenio Kaklea studied when she took up dancing at the age of ten, in Athens? And to what extent was she influenced by the environment she grew up in? The Greek choreographer answers these and other questions in a solo piece which combines history, dance and music. She recalls pieces that have been important to her — such as Martha Graham’s 1981 Acts of Light and François Malkovsky’s 1925 piece Petit Berger — and performs extracts from them, alongside some of her own recent works. Lenio Kaklea is not seeking to instruct her audience here in the history of dance; rather, she aims to demonstrate that our gestures have the potential to liberate us. And she wants to show that modern dance can also provide an image of a better world. “I became a virtuoso dancer”, says Kaklea. But this marked no more than the very beginning of her trajectory. For Kaklea, art means continuously getting involved, today, tomorrow, and always. Austrian premiere The performance lasts 55 minutes       Bilder einer Ausstellung - Pictures at an Exhibition A production of Wiener Taschenoper and the Natalia Sats-Theatre, Moscow The famous classic in a new guise: Wolfgang Mitterer “remixes” the Mussorgsky piano original and Ravel’s orchestral arrangement with his own unique soundworld. Kirill Simonov, the choreographer and one-time solo dancer at the world-famous Mariinski Theatre in St. Petersburg, collaborates with Vyacheslav Okunev, one of Russia’s most celebrated set and costume designers. Together they present the story of this visit to an exhibition as a piece of modern dance theatre for children, while still reflecting the tale’s roots in classical Russian ballet.     BIRDHOVEN’S BIRTHDAYS SONATA Ludwig van Beethoven meets Charlie Parker WOLFGANG SCHMIDTKE: Birdhoven, Movements 1-4, Lydia and other works A joint birthday celebration for two unorthodox geniuses. The year 2020 not only marked the 250th anniversary of the birth of Beethoven, it was also the centenary of the birth of Charlie “Bird” Parker. Wolfgang Schmidtke offers his belated congratulations!     CHORUS JUVENTUS: FIVE SEASONS Spring-like feelings in Autumn In their first full-length concert of the new season, the young singers of Chorus Juventus lead the audience on a journey through the cycle of the seasons. Their songs tell of springtime cherry blossom, the easy days of summer, the glorious colours of autumn leaves, and the brittle, cold air of a winter’s day. And, during the course of the evening, the audience will learn about the mysterious fifth season. A richly varied programme of a cappella music!     CHORUS JUVENTUS: REQUIEM Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Chorus Juventus is a mixed choir with a powerful sound, composed of children from the Senior Classes of the Vienna Boys' Choir High School. Its conductors are Daniel Erazo-Muñoz and Oliver Stech. The choir rehearses three times each week. Students also receive individual vocal training, and have the opportunity to try their hand at performing solo during regular class recitals.     Christoph Zimper: The Millennials Mass Premiere performance and album release concert Clarinettist and composer Christoph Zimper wrote “The Millennials Mass” to give voice to those many young people who yearn for a spiritual home. The piece is a cross-genre work for ten musicians, structured in the form of a Latin Mass. Whilst not aiming to be a religious piece in itself, it tells of young people’s search of for a spiritual refuge. The vision behind the project is to shrink the seemingly unbridgeable gap that exists between young people and the institution of the Church, and to reflect on the question to which both sides seek an answer: namely, the meaning of life. Also on the programme: Kirill Kobantschenko’s Plattform K+K Vienna give the premiere performance of another Zimper composition, his quartet piece “I don’t like baby elephants”. The evening also features two more of Zimper’s chamber music works: his quintet “The Pilgrimage”, and his “Quartett zur Wende der Zeit”. Zimper has released as an album on the Col-Legno label which includes The Millennials’ Mass, Quartett zur Wende der Zeit and The Pilgrimage. This evening marks the album’s premiere.     colluvio concert colluvio CHAMBER MUSIC Academy 2021 Rising stars from across Europe performing chamber music masterpieces The colluvio course of master classes takes place in Gut Hornegg, Austria. This year it runs from 25th July to 5th August. Musicians from the course then move onto an international concert tour. During the course the musicians study the programme that they will perform on the tour, which comprises works by von Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Pēteris Vasks and Anton Dvořak. 20 years of colluvio Each year between nine and eleven up-and-coming musicians are selected by audition for the colluvio Chamber Music Academy. These players hail from right across Europe. After an intensive course of master classes at Gut Hornegg in Styria (Austria), they embark on an international concert tour, which takes in their individual home countries. It is worth noting that these young musicians, who stem from a wide range of cultural backgrounds, have never met or played together until they arrive at Gut Hornegg. Yet within ten days they are performing the most demanding pieces of the chamber music repertoire to concert standard.     BEST OF THE PROLETENPASSION Songs (in German) by Heinz Rudolf Unger & Co “Wir haben eure Geschichte geschluckt, jetzt machen wir unsere Geschichte. Wir wollen die Wahrheit, die ganze Wahrheit haben, durch eure Lügen ging sie uns verschütt.” (We’ve swallowed all your stories, now it’s us who’ll forge our history; we want the truth, the whole truth, that your lies have kept a mystery). Georg Herrnstadt, singer Beatrix Neundlinger and multi-instrumentalist Peter Marnul together composed many of the songs on “Proletenpassion” (Passion of the Proletariat), the classic political folk-rock album. And in their opinion, many of these songs are still “shockingly relevant” today. The Proletenpassion is a political oratorio from the Austrian political-rock band Schmetterlinge. Along with Herrnstadt, Willi Resetarits and Heinz Rudolf Unger were also heavily involved in its creation. The work was first performed as a dramatic piece. It premiered in 1976 at the Wiener Festwochen, under the direction of Dieter Haspel, and soon gained cult status. The album was released in 1977. It has been reprised many times since that first performance, in a sign of its ongoing relevance.     THE BRAVE LITTLE TAILOR (DAS TAPFERE SCHNEIDERLEIN) Children’s opera, based on a fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm The Brothers Grimm classic, staged as an opera for children. A cheerful hero sets out into the great wide world. He conquers wild boar, a unicorn and giants, and thus he wins the hand of the princess and with her the kingdom. “Musical theatre with humour — and free from platitudes” was the verdict in the Wiener Zeitung. And with regard to the music, Die Presse commented that composer Wolfgang Mitterer produces “... tangible sound worlds, which always create the right mood and are enjoyed by the little ones — you can hear their pleasure.”     DAS UNTERÖSTERREICHISCHE LIEDERBUCH (THE BOOK OF LIEDER FOR LOWER AUSTRIA) An extended evening of Lieder, after Otto M. Zykan, by Michael Mautner. This concert could be seen as a presentation of field research into the different ways in which Austria has viewed itself during the 20th and 21st centuries. “What do we love about Austria? What is it that we still suffer, and what do we no longer suffer from at all?” The evening begins with “Lieder aus Wien”, based on texts by H.C. Artmann and set to music by Egon Wellesz. This is followed by a selection from Ernst Krenek’s 1929 Lieder cycle “Reisebuch aus den österreichischen Alpen” (A travel book on the Austrian Alps). Next is the “Unterösterreichische Liederbuch”. Here the conventional Liederabend framework is deliberately stretched in terms of both instrumentation and staging, at times making use of drama and gesture. The various sections of the programme are punctuated by hosted discussions. These provide a kind of “reference index” which aids navigation and maintains close contact with the audience. We are all Lower Austrians, to some degree or other. This is not so much a matter of geography as a collection of rather sinister character traits. And making that a topic for investigation is, of itself, very much an Austrian passion. The production includes sections on the highs. the lows and the extreme depths of the Austrian soul. This concert could be seen as a presentation of field research into the different ways in which Austria has viewed itself during the 20th and 21st centuries. “What do we love about Austria? What is it that we still suffer, and what do we no longer suffer from at all?” The evening begins with “Lieder aus Wien”, based on texts by H.C. Artmann and set to music by Egon Wellesz. This is followed by a selection from Ernst Krenek’s 1929 Lieder cycle “Reisebuch aus den österreichischen Alpen” (A travel book on the Austrian Alps). Next is the “Unterösterreichische Liederbuch”. Here the conventional Liederabend framework is deliberately stretched in terms of both instrumentation and staging, at times making use of drama and gesture. The various sections of the programme are punctuated by hosted discussions. These provide a kind of “reference index” which aids navigation and maintains close contact with the audience. We are all Lower Austrians, to some degree or other. This is not so much a matter of geography as a collection of rather sinister character traits. And making that a topic for investigation is, of itself, very much an Austrian passion. The production includes sections on the highs. the lows and the extreme depths of the Austrian soul. This concert could be seen as a presentation of field research into the different ways in which Austria has viewed itself during the 20th and 21st centuries. “What do we love about Austria? What is it that we still suffer, and what do we no longer suffer from at all?” The evening begins with “Lieder aus Wien”, based on texts by H.C. Artmann and set to music by Egon Wellesz. This is followed by a selection from Ernst Krenek’s 1929 Lieder cycle “Reisebuch aus den österreichischen Alpen” (A travel book on the Austrian Alps). Next is the “Unterösterreichische Liederbuch”. Here the conventional Liederabend framework is deliberately stretched in terms of both instrumentation and staging, at times making use of drama and gesture. The various sections of the programme are punctuated by hosted discussions. These provide a kind of “reference index” which aids navigation and maintains close contact with the audience. We are all Lower Austrians, to some degree or other. This is not so much a matter of geography as a collection of rather sinister character traits. And making that a topic for investigation is, of itself, very much an Austrian passion.     ELOÏSE BELLA KOHN: THE ART OF THE FUGUE An unfinished Bach work completed, and set alongside Ligeti. The final, unfinished work by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) takes us into a world of unparalleled beauty and ingenuity. Although the manuscript provides no indications regarding the instrumentation for this contrapuntal anthology, its suitability for a keyboard instrument is beyond any doubt. To get a little closer to Bach’s masterpiece, the French pianist Eloise Bella Kohn sets her interpretation alongside another epoch-defining cycle in piano literature: “Musica ricercata”, written by György Ligeti between 1951 and 1953. This concert marks the Austrian premiere of Thierry Escaich’s new conjectural completion of Bach’s final fugue, written in 2021.     ELTERNPAUSE – KINDERSAUSE! (A BREAK FOR PARENTS - AND A PARTY FOR THE KIDS!) Try out things that grown-ups can only dream of What’s it like to stand on a real stage? How does it feel to wear a theatrical costume? Can I try dancing in the spotlight?  You can find out the answers to all these questions at our Saturday Children’s Parties (Kindersause), which take place before the start of our productions for families. Together we will dress up, make things, dance, explore the scenery on the stage, and find out how heavy curtains can be made to float across the stage as if by magic. Meanwhile your parents can pass the hour by taking a relaxing walk through the Augarten, or enjoy a pleasant break in our Café Maximilian and indulge in some fine food. Our ELTERNPAUSE – KINDERSAUSE! events start at 14:30 (apart from Sat. 19th Feb, when the event starts at 13:30), and will take place before the following productions in our NACHMITTAGS IM MuTh (AFTERNOONS AT MUTH) cycle: SCHUBADOUR, Sat. 9th. Oct 2021 A NIGHT AT THE THEATRE, Sat 13th. Nov 2021 PÙNKITITITI!, Sat 19th. Feb 2022 DIE REISE DES KLEINEN PRINZEN (THE LITTLE PRINCE’S JOURNEY), Sat. 5th Mar 2022. WAS HAST DU GESAGT? (WHAT DID YOU SAY?), Sat. 23rd. Apr 2022 The ELTERNPAUSE – KINDERSAUSE! ticket price does not include admission to the production which follows.     ENSEMBLE ULTREIA: 360° Immersed in the sound of the Eroica Ludwig van Beethoven’s 250th birthday? Bring on the party! And we’ll celebrate right in the middle of the orchestra. Our stage turns into an auditorium, and the auditorium into a stage. The audience will enjoy an “immersive orchestral experience“: an event where listeners are enveloped by the sound of the orchestra, and can still enjoy a concert and drinks. Even now, Beethoven’s symphonies are still set the benchmark for any symphonic work. With the help of the actress Eva Puchner and the music of the Eroica symphony, Ensemble Ultreia investigate what is needed for a masterpiece to be created. And where better to experience a symphony than right in the middle of the orchestra?     ISAAC ALBÉNIZ: IBERIA Visual concert and puppet theatre A journey through Spain, created out of dance, imagination, and the magic of rhythms and pictures. Karin Schäfer’s “Iberia” is a visual concert which transports and beguiles its audience through the music of Isaac Albeniz (1860-1909). Her work is based on eight of the twelve Spanish dances which Albeniz composed in the final years of his life and brought together under the title “Iberia”. Taking this as her inspiration, Karin Schäfer uses puppets, masks, light and shadow, animations and projections to create another successful piece of what she terms “visual theatre”. In this fascinating, kaleidoscopic work she seizes on many of the styles and creations of visual artists and translates them into moving images, with a technique that combines pithiness, humour and surprise Till Alexander Körber has written fresh arrangements of Albeniz for violin and piano. The violin part was arranged by Martin Walch.     Vienna Young Philharmonic FEMMES FATALES Lulu, and self-image among women today. Through the character of Lulu and the music of Alban Berg’s “Lulu suite”, this presentation throws a light on the modern phenomenon of young women promoting themselves on social media. Is Instagram now the place where society displays itself - for me? For an audience? For men? For women? The literary figure of Lulu and her embodiment in one of the most important works in 20th-century music ought offer a good opportunity for critical reflection on the images of women and men contained within those two sources, both in a socio-historical context and in relation to personal experiences and present-day values.       KLANGSALAT” - EXCITING SOUNDS IN THE CHILDREN’S ROOM “ Four drummers, eight hands, and all sorts of strange sounds. Everyone can be a “tiger” - it’s all happening down in the children’s room! Listen: the beat of the drum, the ripple of the rainstick, the sound of the xylophone - and even when it’s time to tidy up, there’s still rattling and tinkling coming from every corner! This is a very special sound experience. It’s ideal for all those who want to get to get to know the percussion family and discover all their numerous noises, scintillating sounds and rip-roaring rhythms. Here is a chance for children to take part in a percussion concert. The session provides an entertaining and memorable sound-making experience for kids.   Everyone can be a “tiger” - it’s all happening down in the children’s room! Listen: the beat of the drum, the ripple of the rainstick, the sound of the xylophone - and even when it’s time to tidy up, there’s still rattling and tinkling coming from every corner! This is a very special sound experience. It’s ideal for all those who want to get to get to know the percussion family and discover all their numerous noises, scintillating sounds and rip-roaring rhythms. Here is a chance for children to take part in a percussion concert. The session provides an entertaining and memorable sound-making experience for kids.     KLASSIK KIPFERL (CLASSICAL CROISSANTS) with the Minetti Quartett and Ángela Tröndle Danish pastries and quark, anyone? Puff pastries with fruit? Or maybe ham and eggs? We’ve invited a few of our star performers to take breakfast and chat with members of our audience! This is an opportunity to get more closely acquainted with some of the artists performing at upcoming concerts. You can gain new insight into their work, learn about their backgrounds, get some fresh perspectives and ask questions in person, all in a relaxed yet lively atmosphere. Our very own Café Maximilian provides suitably fine fare for the occasion. Our guests on this occasion: the Minetti Quartett and the composer Ángela Tröndle. Other Klassik Kipferl dates: With the Minetti Quartett and Ángela Tröndle - Tue. 5th Oct 2021 With Christian Altenburger - Fri 21st Jan 2022 With Maria Radutu - Tue 15th. Mar 2022 With Gerald Preinfalk - Tue 17th. May 2022 Tickets for these events do not include the relevant concerts.     CONCERTS FOR TINY TOTS Concerts where even babies can join in The world of music is just waiting to be discovered. So we’re inviting the very youngest of all to come along and explore. And all the while they are free to crawl about, gurgle, sing, laugh, dance and wobble! In the company of our music facilitator Birgit Reithofer and the young trio DOBONA, we’ll set off and experience music through all our senses. We’re very happy for our young audience to move around during the event. Come along and listen to clarinets and flutes being played really close to you. Hear how they sound — and feel how they sound as well. And what’s more, you can find out what it feels like to sit under a grand piano!     KOSMOS WIENER TANZMODERNE ImPulsTanz 2021 Are there any dancers in 2021 who can perform choreographies dating back to, say, the 1930s? Dancers in today’s dance establishments are instructed, trained and moulded very differently to those from nearly a century ago. At that time “new” meant absolutely new, not just a remix of existing composites whose original sources have become increasingly diluted. What this evening shows is that yes, it’s still possible. Present-day artistic methods have enabled contemporary dancers to forge links back to the history of Wiener Tanzmoderne (Viennese Modern Dance). Works by Rosalia Chladek, Gertrud Bodenwieser, Hanna Berger and Gertrud Kraus have all been rescued from obscurity by this extraordinary array of talent. Credit must go to the Austrian dance historian Andrea Amort, who curated the 2019 exhibition Kosmos Wiener Tanzmoderne at the Theatermuseum. Pieces developed for this performance include Jeanne d’Arc, Urban Luzifer and Tanz. Mit dem Stab, as well as Totengeleite and Fast ein Wunder..  The performance lasts 80 minutes.     KRACH IN CHIOZZA (A RUMPUS IN CHIOZZA) By Carlo Goldoni, in an adaptation created for the Wiener Kindertheater Off to the lagoon! In 1761 Carlo Goldoni published a comedy written in the Venetian dialect entitled “Le baruffe chiozzotte”. Even now – 260 years later – it is a firm fixture in theatrical literature. And rightly so, say the Wiener Kindertheater ensemble! In this piece Goldoni takes his audience to a street by the harbour in the fishing village of Chiozza (modern-day Chioggia), which lies on the south side of the Venetian lagoon. The wives sit in front of their houses, gossiping as they repair fishing nets. They talk about their husbands and fiancés, who all work as fishermen. The only other person present is Toffolo, who owns the boats. His true love is Checca. But, just for fun, he starts to flatter Lucietta, Titta Nane’s fiancée. Naturally enough, this causes uproar among the women. The dispute soon gets out of hand, and ends up in court. Toffolo immediately brings charges against everybody with whom he has a quarrel. It is up to Isidoro, Adjunct of the Court Chancellor, to find a way to reconcile everybody ...and the process is highly entertaining!     KULTURMITTAG (ARTS AT LUNCHTIME) CHARLIE SIEM & MARCO SCOLASTRA Violinist Charlie Siem grew up in London. He has played with orchestras including the Israel Philharmonic, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Moscow Philharmonic and the Rotterdam Philharmonic, and played under conductors such as Charles Dutoit, Zubin Mehta, Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Sir Roger Norrington. At this, his first concert in Vienna, he will perform extracts from his latest CD “Between the Clouds”. This album features magical virtuoso salon pieces by the likes of Fritz Kreisler, Henryk Wieniawski and Pablo de Sarasate   KULTURMITTAG (ARTS AT LUNCHTIME) DIE KOLOPHONISTINNEN Young cellists, performing with spirit and grace Young cellists, performing with spirit and grace Viennese cello quartet “Die Kolophonistinnen” serve up a colourful medley of their favourite pieces. The four female musicians take us through a richly varied programme. From familiar dance pieces to some unusual compositions of their own, there’s a lot to hear!     KULTURMITTAG (ARTS AT LUNCHTIME) DUO NIKOLAI TUNKOWITSCH/ PETER HAVLICEK & PAULS G’SCHICHTEN-WERKL ’s war ned Wean ’s war ned Wean Lots of people like Viennese music. And lots of people like listening to stories. Both can be heard in “'s war ned Wean”, which brings together the talents of seasoned storyteller Paul Daniel and the renowned Viennese duo of Nikolai Tunkowitsch & Peter Havlicek. They perform a mix of amusing Viennese tales and light-hearted anecdotes, all accompanied by lively melodies from violin, contraguitar, and barrel organ. Music which blurs the boundaries between Schrammel, jazz and classical.     KULTURMITTAG (ARTS AT LUNCHTIME) FOLKSMILCH – PALERMO An exciting musical journey around the world It’s “curtains up” for a highly entertaining and colourful musical performance. The trio folksmilch perform their new album “Palermo”, which takes the listener on a mesmerising journey through the richly varied musical styles that this world has to offer. “A compelling and sensual experience.” Leo Fellinger (KunstBox)     KULTURMITTAG (ARTS AT LUNCHTIME) JOVANA RALJIC Tango and jazz have all the rich variety of life itself: sensuality, peacefulness, melancholy, passion and drama. Life is a journey, not the goal. This is exactly what Jovana Raljic convey through their music. With a line-up of violin, vocals, bandoneon, guitar, piano and double bass, they demonstrate the link between music and life.     KULTURMITTAG (ARTS AT LUNCHTIME) LA SERENISSIMA Virtuoso playing from the days of baroque Venice It was around the year 1700 when the oboe, bassoon and flute achieved great popularity in Venice. These instruments, which had long been highly favoured in France, inspired Venetian composers to write highly imaginative sonatas and concerti da camera. This extravagant music was well received elsewhere, particularly in Vienna. In 2012 the oboist Elisabeth Baumer formed the Austro-Italian ensemble Affinità, named with a nod to the historical affinity between the Habsburgs and Venice. Their debut album “Venice and beyond” has received much acclaim.     KULTURMITTAG (ARTS AT LUNCHTIME) LEONHARD LEEB – EGON SCHIELE A concert of poetry, projections and audio. Egon Schiele was convinced that every artist must also be a poet. “Ich bin von Vornehmsten der Vornehmste und von Rückgebern der Rückgebigste. Ich bin Mensch, ich liebe den Tod und liebe das Leben” (I am the noblest of the noble. None hands back more than me when returning what I have been given. I am human. I love death and I love life). These are the final lines of Schiele’s 1910 poem “Ein Selbstbild” (A self-portrait). His poetry is recited here live, interwoven with music recently composed by Leonhard Leeb for trumpet, harp and instrumental ensemble. Schiele’s paintings are shown in projection, set against audio accompaniment. This includes: tape recordings of music from the Jugendstil period, such as Mahler’s Second Symphony; Lieder, which Mahler himself played in 1905, recording them on piano rolls using a Welte “Mignon” reproducing piano; and an audio recording of Sigmund Freud.     KULTURMITTAG (ARTS AT LUNCHTIME) PIONEER YOUTH PHILHARMONIC Young Classics Sofia’s Pioneer Youth Philharmonic is the longest-established youth orchestra in Europe. Now, after an absence of many years, they return to Vienna with an impressive programme. During the course of its long and eventful history, this Bulgarian orchestra has helped numerous children and young people. In this concert, a total of 55 children and young people, performing under the baton of Ljubomir Denev Junior, present a series of musical highlights. The programme includes the premiere performances of pieces from two contemporary composers. This event has been organised by the Kulturmittag association, in partnership with the Lila Schwan cultural society.     KULTURMITTAG (ARTS AT LUNCHTIME) QUARTETT MUNDART, ELISABETH PLANK A light at Christmas time. Carinthian vocal quartet MundART joins forces with Viennese harpist Elisabeth Plank to get you in the mood for Advent and the Christmas season. They perform songs from the Alps and the German-Slovenian area of southern Carinthia - the quartet’s homeland - along with harp music from the great composers. All guaranteed to touch the heartstrings.     KULTURMITTAG (ARTS AT LUNCHTIME) WALTER AUER, JULIA AUER AND JAN THÜMER Silver, gold and ivory Silver, gold and ivory meet quill, ink and paper. A performance by the flautists Julia Auer and Walter Auer (principal flautist of the Vienna Philharmonic), with recitation by Jan Thümer. The silver, gold and ivory hues of their instruments are set against colourful texts of baroque lyric poetry. Words and music here convey a sense of courtly splendour, which comes across with great clarity, vigour and vitality.     MAMMA PAPA MIA Concert and singalong for mothers-to-be and their partners Singing together strengthens connections. It builds trust, and it has a calming effect. Unborn babies can hear and feel it when their mothers sing. The sound is transmitted in various ways, including through the mother’s pelvic bones into the amniotic fluid. So the baby has its first musical experiences while it is still in its mother’s body — and what could possibly be finer for a baby than hearing their own mother sing? Singing teacher Giti Huber understands this perfectly. She has years of experience working with mothers-to-be and first-time singers, as well as leading the “I can’t sing” choir. Over the course of these Mamma Papa Mia sessions, parents-to-be learn cradle songs from all kinds of sources, among them Mozart, Lalelu, and Latin American folk music. The programme also includes modern songs which are ideal when you want to bathe, comfort or entertain baby. After the sing-song you can relax and enjoy a short concert with lots of variety.     MAX UND DIE ZAUBERTROMMEL (MAX AND THE MAGIC DRUM) The shopping fiasco miracle Max doesn’t find the weekly shopping trip with his parents very exciting. He often gets bored. Until one day a bric-a-brac dealer gives him a present: a drum. But this is no ordinary drum; it’s a drum full of secrets, and it leads him into the magical world of sounds. But Max is not the only one who likes these sounds. König Gier (King Greed) covets them, so he sends three witches to steal these glorious, colourful songs. This makes the world turn grey. And the world falls silent. There is just one colour which manages to escape. With the colour red at his side, Max tries to make the world a multi-coloured place once more. Will he succeed?     MICHAEL SCHADE’S MUSIC SALON Internationally acclaimed tenor Michael Schade invites you to join him in his salon. Appearing as both singer and host, he welcomes some of his colleagues onto the MuTh stage for a concert to fit the mood of the fourth Sunday in Advent. A selection of students from the Senior Classes of the Vienna Boys' Choir High School join him in song. We also hear the Salterio, a form of baroque zither or psaltery. This provides a magical musical experience, with Franziska Fleischanderl unlocking the instrument’s capacity for wonderful, unique sounds. All this is perfectly complemented by the playing of Early Music specialist Reinhard Führer, who performs compositions by Mozart and Schubert, along with a selection of Christmas music from the English-speaking and German-speaking worlds. The evening ends on a reflective note, rounded off by a cappella renditions of classics such as “Adeste Fideles”, “Es wird scho glei dumpa” and “Andachtsjodler”.     MUSIKKATER CARUSO ALS DETEKTIV (CARUSO THE MUSICAL TOMCAT PLAYS DETECTIVE) A musical adventure with puppets, bassoon, tenor and piano Someone has stolen the Empress’s favourite diamond in Vienna. Apparently the thieves smuggled the gem out of the palace in a tin of K&K cat food. There’s only one who can solve this puzzle: Caruso the musical tomcat, with his sensitive nose and razor-sharp hearing! The young ginger tomcat made his first appearance in November 2013. He has his very own theme tune, and has already released a number of CDs that tell of his thrilling adventures. Stefan Buri on bassoon and Tobias Rütti at the piano serve up a colourful medley of classical, jazz and folk music. Stefan Buri is artistic director and also plays Caruso the tomcat, while Christina Buri provides the fun-filled dialogue. KS Herbert Lippert also appears in the production at MuTh.     THE VIENNA BOYS' CHOIR’S NEW YEAR MATINÉE Recommended for a young-at-heart audience, aged from 3 to 99. A sweep brings good luck and good cheer to MuTh In this Sunday New Year matinée, the Vienna Boys' Choir would like to wish their audience all the very best for the New Year. The concert features music from right around the world: old favourites such as “Auld Land Syne” are matched with a whole string of Strauss compositions, including the Blue Danube, the Emperor Waltz, and the Künstlerleben ("Artist's Life”) Waltz. The music of the Waltz King is paired with that of his younger brother Josef, who not only wrote 300 waltzes, polkas and marches, but also invented a working machine for sweeping streets. To get 2022 off to a good start, we hear Josef Strauss’s Matrosenpolka along with the premiere performance of a vocal arrangement of his French Polka, Op.281, “Heiterer Muth” (Cheerful Fortitude).     Pastime/ Carnation/ Museum Piece Go back in time to the early days of New York’s postmodern dance scene. Get a sense of how it was when everything was just beginning to open up, and dancers seemed to be discovering new movements on a daily basis. Lucinda Childs was a pioneer of the form, and founded the Judson Dance Theater at the beginning of the 1960s, . For a contemporary audience, it is an extraordinary piece of luck that such an iconic dancer and choreographer as Childs should have a close relative who is so highly gifted in the same art form as her niece Ruth Childs. Since there are no film records of her early Judson pieces, the older Childs has passed on three of the dances from that time to the younger artist. Pastime (1963) was Lucinda Childs’ very first solo piece. Carnation (1965) is familiar to European audiences; unlike Museum Piece (1965), an ironic dance set within the circus of George Seurat’s painting Le Cirque. Ruth Childs dances these pieces with wit, coolness and respect, but also puts her own unique mark on them. To make the evening complete, video recordings of two more dances will be shown: Calico Mingling And Katema. Austrian premiere The performance lasts 60 minutes.     Shakuntala Opera by Franz Schubert, adapted by Gerald Wirth Concert performance with Indian dance. Shakuntala (“Little Bird”) is a drama by the ancient Indian poet Kalidasa, which draws its material from that epic poem, the Mahabharata. Shakuntala grows up in the forest as the foster-daughter of an ascetic. One day King Dushmanta passes by as he is out hunting. The two of them fall in love, and the events of the drama are set in motion. It tells of love, duty and righteous anger, of gods and men and heroes. In 1789 Sir William Jones, a pioneering figure in the field of Indian studies, translated the piece into English. Georg Forster produced his German translation in 1791. Intellectual Europe, which at that time was always on the look-out for “the original”, was enthralled. Goethe declared: “Willst du den Himmel, die Erde mit Einem Namen begreifen; Nenn ich Sakontala dich und es ist alles gesagt.” (If you want to understand heaven and earth in a single name, I shall call you Sakontala, and then all is said and done.” Franz Schubert was also entranced by the work, and began to set it to music. But he never completed his opera. What survived were the libretto and voice parts, along with preludes and instrumentation. Together, these give his some insight into Schubert’s intentions. Gerald Wirth has carefully orchestrated Schubert’s original. Shovana Narayan is one of India’s most celebrated Kathak dancers. Her choreography provides a bridge between the music of Schubert and the world of Indian culture.     SING & KLANG (SONGS AND SOUNDS) III The urge to travel - in song Where will the road take us? Summer lies ahead. Shall we go to the North Pole? The South Pole? What does music sound like in the East? What music comes out of the West? Our musical travellers will be your guide. And because this is a concert, we can travel wherever we want! When we travel in our imaginations and in our dreams, there are no borders at all. These songs about roaming, songs about travel and songs in foreign languages will soon get us wherever we need to be. We won’t need our passports. And the songs will be our compass.     SING & KLANG (SONGS AND SOUNDS) III The sound of voices everywhere What can you hear in springtime? The calls of animals. Birdsong. The wind. The gurgle of a little stream. At this event we’ll experiment with our own voices. We’ll try to guess which voice belongs to which instrument, and we’ll sing a song for two voices.     SINGERS NÄHMASCHINE IST DIE BESTE (SINGER SEWING MACHINES ARE THE BEST) Singer sewing machines are the best. Paul van Ostaijen was inspired to write his 1921 ode to Singer when his friend, the poet Floris Jespers, bought one of their sewing machines. In 1966 Otto M. Zykan used this text as the basis for his “Singer opera”. When he asked the Singer Company to provide either financial or moral support, his request was declined. This response had a significant influence on the plot of his “Opera, or Ode, or Opera-Ode”. Only fragments of Zykan’s “Opera-Ode” have survived. Irene Suchy has gathered together all the available pieces of the puzzle, while composer Michael Mautner has filled in the gaps and brought the whole work up-to-date. The programme also includes pieces by Kurt Schwitters, who was something of a forerunner of — and a template for — the Dadaists, including the “Schmäh” (cheap trick) avant-garde in Austria. His work contains an impressive range of vocal utterances, delivered with relish. This event offers a kaleidoscope of scenes and songs, both comic and absurd, on various topics: the consumer society, the advertising industry, and artificiality, all set against the background of politics.     Still / Stranger Than Paradise (live / on screen) Seriously. Our bodies are beginning to look like discontinued models ... We haven’t taken enough care of them by a long way, and we’ve looked at them in the mirror far too briefly. Our bodies live in the here and now. But they can live at the same time in a world that lies beyond the mirror, such as Alice in Lewis Carroll’s Alice Through the Looking-glass or the poet in Jean Cocteau’s film Le sang d’un poète. Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is… well, the dancers in Liquid Loft’s piece Stranger Than Paradise are certainly fair; but they appear like dreamy Stills, lost in the images of themselves, with a certain melancholy when faced with the alternative worlds that open up in this piece. The Wiener Company and their choreographer Chris Haring have spent over 15 years building a team which is expert in the transformation of the body into imagery, in camera equipment, and other mechanical or digital appendages. Today we can no longer ignore the machines which first enticed us to join them in their special dance so long ago, a dance which has led to the body’s own estrangement from itself. And it is precisely this estrangement that Liquid Loft has hooked into in this two-part film and performance event. Premiere performance Performance duration: 80 minutes     SUPERAR SUMMER CONCERT An end-of-year concert with plenty of variety to suit all tastes Just as in previous years, Superar mark the end of the school year with a series of unusual concerts at MuTh  During the pandemic, over 600 children and young people received musical training, insofar as conditions allowed. Now they celebrate their achievement with a short concert. You can expect a bright and colourful programme featuring everything from Classical to contemporary. Come along and experience for yourself the energy and enthusiasm that Superar summon up when the bell rings for the start of the summer holidays.     The Brahms Song Book Jazz reinterpretations of classic art songs part 3/ mathias rüegg & Lia Pale in the MuTh As they assembled their “Brahms Song Book”, Lia Pale and mathias rüegg explored a highly personal selection of Lieder, including some Brahms treatments of German folk songs. This ultimately resulted in a set of fifteen diverse miniatures which are performed “with an understated sonority, a great deal of feeling, and a total absence of kitsch” (Jazzthing). Lia Pale plays bass flute interpretations of romantic songs such as “Liebestreu”, “Der Tod, das ist die kühle Nacht” and “Du mein einziges Licht” before Eichendorff’s “Mondnacht” sounds the final chord in this highly respectful tribute to Brahms. The Schumann Song Book Jazz reinterpretations of classic art songs part 4/ mathias rüegg & Lia Pale in the MuTh Drawing on Schumann’s treasury of over 300 Lieder, Lia Pale and mathias rüegg have created a Lieder cycle of their very own. The programme comprises sixteen pieces in total. Alongside well-known works such as “Mondnacht”, “Erstes Grün” and “Ich grolle nicht”, the selection includes pieces which are much less well-known, among them “Es stürmet am Abendhimmel”, “Herbstlied”, and “O Freund, mein Schirm, mein Schutz”. Reworked rhythms, phrases and harmonies transform these pieces into immaculately rendered new jazz standards. THOMAS BERNHARD’S “ALTE MEISTER” (OLD MASTERS) Michael Maertens & Merlin Ensemble Wien Thomas Bernhard described his novel “Alte Meister” as a comedy. Bernhard’s love-hate relationship with his homeland drove him almost to the grotesque in this work. The novel addresses lying and failure, and returns again and again to the subject of art. But it also affirms that nothing, not even art, can replace the “einzigen geliebten Menschen”, that most important and beloved person in one's life. The music surrounds and supports the text. We hear from old masters such as Domenico Gabrielli and Bernhard’s much-loved Mozart. Vienna, the city he so loved and so hated, makes an appearance in the famous “Wien, Wien, nur du allein “, as well as in the unsettling sounds of Anton Webern und Till A. Körber. The evening closes with the music of Franz Schubert, unveiling the unexpected …     ULRICH DRECHSLER: CHROME Album presentation CHROME, the latest project from Amadeus prize-winner Ulrich Drechsler, takes ideas from neoclassicism and film music and fuses them together. This new music starts with absolute silence; then delicate lines and rhythms gradually combine to reach a graceful whole, in which every single sound is of fundamental significance. Music with a dream-like beauty, where everything is reduced to the essential. A string trio and a live electronics performer create the CHROME experience, which progressively wraps the audience in a finely-woven, atmospheric carpet of sound. Finally we hear the moving tones of Ulrich Drechsler’s clarinet, which connects all the elements together. “Liminal Zone” is saxophonist and clarinettist Ulrich Drechsler’s large-format project, which has been transcending musical boundaries now for many a year. Here is a universe of sounds, into which has flowed — through three separate, independent projects — all his musical influences and ideas; a place where he can experiment with those concepts, and ultimately bind them into new genres, styles and sounds. This is Ulrich’s giant, multi-coloured musical playground.     WENN DIE WEIHNACHTSKERZEN BRENNEN (WHEN THE CHRISTMAS CANDLES BLAZE) A reflective and magical experience Creating space for a little peace and contemplation in the hectic run-up to Christmas takes nothing short of a small miracle. But that’s exactly what the children of the Vienna Boys' Choir Primary School have attempted. They and their teachers invite you to join them in the reflective ambience of this pre-Christmas concert. “When the Christmas candles blaze … we all learn once more through those tales of long before … let the light just travel through, passing on from me to you … in this Christmas candlelight, we thank God with all our might.“ This promises to be a reflective and magical experience - something that we all might need! VIENNA BOYS' CHOIR – CLASSICAL Right around the world, and right here in MuTh. The Vienna Boys' Choir are one of the oldest boy choirs in the world - and also the most widely travelled. So what has made them so successful? A kaleidoscope of music. A concert by the Vienna Boys' Choir means two hours of musical enjoyment, two hours of escape from everyday life.          

The famous classic in a new guise: Wolfgang Mitterer “remixes” the Mussorgsky piano original and Ravel’s orchestral arrangement with his own unique soundworld. Kirill Simonov, the choreographer and one-time solo dancer at the world-famous Mariinski Theatre in St. Petersburg, collaborates with Vyacheslav Okunev, one of Russia’s most celebrated set and costume designers. Together they present the story of this visit to an exhibition as a piece of modern dance theatre for children, while still reflecting the tale’s roots in classical Russian ballet.

The famous classic in a new guise: Wolfgang Mitterer “remixes” the Mussorgsky piano original and Ravel’s orchestral arrangement with his own unique soundworld. Kirill Simonov, the choreographer and one-time solo dancer at the world-famous Mariinski Theatre in St. Petersburg, collaborates with Vyacheslav Okunev, one of Russia’s most celebrated set and costume designers. Together they present the story of this visit to an exhibition as a piece of modern dance theatre for children, while still reflecting the tale’s roots in classical Russian ballet.

The famous classic in a new guise: Wolfgang Mitterer “remixes” the Mussorgsky piano original and Ravel’s orchestral arrangement with his own unique soundworld. Kirill Simonov, the choreographer and one-time solo dancer at the world-famous Mariinski Theatre in St. Petersburg, collaborates with Vyacheslav Okunev, one of Russia’s most celebrated set and costume designers. Together they present the story of this visit to an exhibition as a piece of modern dance theatre for children, while still reflecting the tale’s roots in classical Russian ballet.

Singing together strengthens connections. It builds trust, and it has a calming effect. Unborn babies can hear and feel it when their mothers sing. The sound is transmitted in various ways, including through the mother’s pelvic bones into the amniotic fluid. So the baby has its first musical experiences while it is still in its mother’s body — and what could possibly be finer for a baby than hearing their own mother sing? Singing teacher Giti Huber understands this perfectly. She has years of experience working with mothers-to-be and first-time singers, as well as leading the “I can’t sing” choir. Over the course of these Mamma Papa Mia sessions, parents-to-be learn cradle songs from all kinds of sources, among them Mozart, Lalelu, and Latin American folk music. The programme also includes modern songs which are ideal when you want to bathe, comfort or entertain baby. After the sing-song you can relax and enjoy a short concert with lots of variety.

Where will the road take us to? Summer lies ahead. Shall we go to the North Pole? The South Pole? And what does music sound like in the East? What music comes out of the West? Let our musical travellers be your guide. Because this is a concert, we can travel wherever we want! When we travel in our imaginations and in our dreams, there are no borders at all. These songs about roaming, songs about travel, and songs in foreign languages will soon get us wherever we need to be. We won’t need our passports. And the songs will be our compass. .

It’s “curtains up” for a highly entertaining and colourful musical performance. The trio folksmilch perform their new album “Palermo”, which takes the listener on a mesmerising journey through the richly varied musical styles that this world has to offer. “A compelling and sensual experience.” Leo Fellinger (KunstBox).

„Presse“-Kritiker Wilhelm Sinkovicz freut sich schon ganz besonders auf „seinen“ Musiksalon! Vor allem aber freut er sich auf die vielen Gäste, denen er auf gewohnt charmante und höchst informative Weise die Highlights des bevorstehenden Musikprogramms nahebringen wird.Die technischen Möglichkeiten des MuTh – inklusive Riesenleinwand – schaffen das perfekte Ambiente, um stimmungsvoll Vorfreude auf die nächsten Opern-Premieren zu wecken sowie auf die vielen anderen Produktionen, die Musikverein, Konzerthaus und natürlich auch das MuTh zu bieten haben. Ganz großes Klassik-Kino, launig kommentiert, mit Stars und jungen Talenten, die sich gerade auf den Weg machen.ohne Pause, Buffetbetrieb vor und nach der Veranstaltung 

Singing together strengthens connections. It builds trust, and it has a calming effect. Unborn babies can hear and feel it when their mothers sing. The sound is transmitted in various ways, including through the mother’s pelvic bones into the amniotic fluid. So the baby has its first musical experiences while it is still in its mother’s body — and what could possibly be finer for a baby than hearing their own mother sing? Singing teacher Giti Huber understands this perfectly. She has years of experience working with mothers-to-be and first-time singers, as well as leading the “I can’t sing” choir. Over the course of these Mamma Papa Mia sessions, parents-to-be learn cradle songs from all kinds of sources, among them Mozart, Lalelu, and Latin American folk music. The programme also includes modern songs which are ideal when you want to bathe, comfort or entertain baby. After the sing-song you can relax and enjoy a short concert with lots of variety.