Four voices and a piano, that's the "Ladies and Gentlemen Daffke". They tell stories about life.
Songs and chansons from the 1920s, including those by Friedrich Hollaender, Werner R. Heymann, Ilse Weber, Kurt Weill, Hanns Eisler and the Comedian Harmonists | "Die Damen und Herren Daffke" and alumni of the hmt Rostock, united as the "Daffke Band" | Friederike Kühl, Franziska Hiller, Kurt Kuhfeld, Markus Paul (vocals); Ilan Bendahan Bitton (piano); Franzisca Kussmaul (violin); Axel Meier (drums); Andreas Böhm (bass); Oliver Heinze (guitar) & special guests | Followed by a small champagne reception | Admission: 15,00 € (erm. 10,00 €) plus box office surcharge, Kulturticket
It's like a miracle. Maybe it was fate. Perhaps simply chance. Either way, it was a stroke of luck that the "Ladies and Gentlemen Daffke" met eleven years ago at the hmt Rostock. And that's exactly what they celebrate - musically, with a wink and a lot of heart.
The Daffkes play their favorite songs and chansons from the 1920s, reinforced and refined by hmt Rostock alumni, united especially for this evening as the "Daffke Band". They won't be bringing any flowers, but the little green cactus is guaranteed to be there.
After the concert, they toast with their audience: to the past, the here and now and everything that is yet to come.
About "Die Damen und Herren Daffke"
Four voices and a piano, that's the "Ladies and Gentlemen Daffke". They tell stories about life. Sometimes loudly, sometimes quietly, always with heart and soul and sometimes with a drop of rum.
Since 2014, Friederike Kühl, Franziska Hiller, Kurt Kuhfeld, Markus Paul and Ilan Bendahan Bitton (piano) have been hauntingly interpreting the songs of Jewish and ostracized composers. They balance artfully at the interface of political song, operetta kitsch and movie hits and bring the musical melting pot of the 1920s to the boil once again. For the audience, the bubbling can be heard and the ambivalence of the Weimar Republic is almost palpable.
Guest performances have taken "Die Damen und Herren Daffke" to the Kurt Weill Fest Dessau, the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival, the Rheingau Music Festival, the Brandenburg Summer Concerts and the Volksbühne Berlin, among others.
"Die Damen und Herren Daffke" are winners of the "carte blanche" concert series at the Grand Hotel Heiligendamm. They have received funding from the Landmusik initiative and Neustart Kultur. Since 2022, the ensemble has performed regularly as part of the cultural program of the Central Council of Jews in Germany.
