SPRACHENVIELFALT IN WIEN (MULTILINGUALISM IN VIENNA)

Vienna is known for its remarkable linguistic diversity, with the city speaking Farsi, Pashto, Serbian, Croatian, Slovenian, Turkish, Arabic and many more languages. This rich tapestry is further enriched by the expressive variety found in social media and a younger generation that communicates through images, signs, and gestures – from “everything gucci” to “wyld,” and from “token” and “trigger” to “cringe.”
Selected works explore the intersection of speaking, singing, movement, gesture and composition. Among them, Kurt Schwitters’ legendary language piece Ursonate transforms nonsensical syllables into a formal structure in Michael Mautner’s ensemble adaptation.
Otto M. Zykan’s Krüppelsprache, based on a text by Wolfgang Bauer, delves into the desperate struggle to express thoughts through language. Meanwhile, Inszene 1 by Helmut Heißenbüttel and Otto M. Zykan treats language in its broadest sense – speaking and singing require breathing and the coordinated movement of mouth, tongue, body and hands. The five performers’ physical actions become the foundation for the concert’s interactive segment.
In collaboration with Wien Modern, Austrian Composers, and the REIHE Zykan+ ensemble, this concert highlights the dynamic tension between language, music, and movement.  A commissioned composition on the theme of “Multilingualism in Vienna” invites fresh artistic perspectives on the city’s linguistic richness, with the new works presented during this event.

In collaboration with wien modern