"Summit meeting"
A musical-literary hike with Ulrich Noethen & the Ensemble Almanach with songs by Mendelssohn, Schuhmann, Schubert & texts by Joseph von Hazzi, Heinrich Heine Over the course of time, the Grand Tour has become a symbol of the pursuit of cultural and aesthetic education. In the Alps, one of the most impressive mountain ranges in Europe, this tradition comes to life in a very special way. Hiking trails lead through untouched landscapes, small mountain villages and glittering lakes. But the beauty also harbors many dangers. Rock slides, icy paths or rapidly changing weather meant certain death for many hikers back then. A risk that was gladly accepted, as fame and admiration awaited at the end of the journey. The "summit meeting" between actor Ulrich Noethen (narrator) and the Munich ensemble Almanach tells the story of a journey into the mountains. The Alps, the Erzgebirge and the Harz mountains are in the mind of the listener. Songs about the mountains by Robert Schumann, Franz Schubert and Josephine Lang are combined with short quotations and stories from hikers. Embedded in sound improvisations, the rugged rocks, the wide valleys, but also the thoughts, fears and experiences of the travelers come to life. The listener becomes a fellow traveler! Instead of a piano, the Ensemble Almanach presents the classical song in a unique mixture of dulcimer, double bass, accordion, clarinet and vocals. The artists
Ulrich Noethen - Speaker
Isabelle Rejall - vocals
Anna Pontz - dulcimer
Eva Euwe - double bass
Vera Drazic - accordion
Barbara Pfanzelt - clarinet / bass clarinet
Ensemble Almanach
It is hard to imagine that the art song, which today has a firm place in high culture, originated in folk music. And yet composers such as Franz Schubert and Johannes Brahms regularly traveled to the countryside to be inspired by the people, melodies and landscapes for their music. And, see Franz Schubert, not least from the inns. Almanach wants to take the art song back to its roots. Instead of using a piano, the five women present the pieces in an absolutely unique and captivating mix consisting of hammered dulcimer, double bass, accordion, clarinet and vocals. Warm, nutty tones alternate with more transparent sounds, forming an intense and detailed stage picture. The instruments reflect the origins of the music, but also the tradition. The landscapes and people that once inspired the composers to write their songs are brought back to life. A unique blend of town and country, past and present, classical music and immediacy. And of course with soul, with Alma! Founded in 2019, the ensemble is made up of five musicians from very different musical backgrounds: Early and contemporary music, pop and folk music, experience in orchestras and musical theater, solo and chamber music playing. The ensemble is characterized by the integration of these different playing styles and approaches, as they allow an unbiased view of the music. Ulrich Noethen
Ulrich Noethen is one of Germany's leading character actors in film and television. After studying acting at the Stuttgart University of Music and Performing Arts, his theater engagements have taken him to Freiburg, Cologne and Berlin, among other places. He worked with directors such as Frank Castorf, Hans Neuenfels and Thomas Langhoff and left a lasting impression with his roles in productions such as "Hamlet", "Faust", "Die Wildente" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream". He became known to a wider cinema audience through his portrayal of the a cappella singer Harry Frommermann in the successful film "Comedian Harmonists". For this role, he was awarded the Bavarian and German Film Prize for Best Leading Actor (1998). In the years that followed, he appeared in numerous cinema and television films, including in "Gripsholm" (2000), "The Downfall" (2004), "The Invisible Woman" (2010), "Hannah Arendt" (2011), "The Diary of Anne Frank" (2016), as Fritz Bauer in "The General File" (2015), as Prof. Dr. Ferdinand Sauerbruch in "Charité 2" (2019) and as Jens Ole Jepsen in "Deutschstunde". For his numerous roles, he has been honored with awards such as the Bavarian Film Award, the German Television Award (2006), the Golden Camera (2006), the Adolf Grimme Award (2009 and 2010) and the German Actors' Award (2012), most recently with the German Academy of Television Award (2022). Ulrich Noethen is also a renowned audiobook narrator and received the German Audiobook Award in 2017 for his reading of the novel "Nackter Mann, der brennt" by Friedrich Ani. He works and collaborated with the Boulanger Trio, the Delian Quartet, the Kuss Quartet and the Grau-Schumacher Piano Duo, the conductors Manfred Honeck, Justin Doyle, Wolfgang Katschner, Vaclac Luks, Hans-Christoph Rademann, Sir Simon Rattle and Thomas Hengelbrock. In the summer of 2023, he delighted audiences with baritone Georg Nigl in three "Nachtmusiken" at the Salzburg Festival.
