Johanna Ihrig
    Johanna Ihrig
    Philip Frischkorn
    Philipp Rumsch
    Philipp Rumsch
    Mahler Festival 2023

    563

    A Research Project on Friedrich Rückert’s and Gustav Mahler’s “Kindertotenlieder (Songs on the Death of Children)”
    When Friedrich Rückert’s children died of scarlet fever in 1834, he tried to come to terms with this tragedy in a way that is unparalleled in literary history: He left behind a series of 563 poems in which he mourned – and tried to cope with – the children’s death every single day.
    Gustav Mahler set five of these so-called “Kindertotenlieder (Songs on the Death of Children)” to music between the years 1901 and 1904 – addressing a subject that has remained a major social taboo to this day.

    Later, when Mahler was compelled to mourn the death of his own daughter Anna-Maria in 1907, his wife Alma reproached him for these compositions: “I can understand that someone who has no children of their own or has lost children might compose such terrible texts. But I cannot understand how one can sing about the death of children when you have hugged and kissed them half an hour earlier, happy and healthy!”

    Each in their own way, Rückert and Mahler created both emotionally touching and highly concentrated works in their form and aesthetics. Be it as an attempt at overcoming and processing grief through art or be it as an artful lied.

    This production will explore the impact of these songs, their secrets, their connection with society then and now – in an encounter between experts from the field of research, medicine, musicology and musical practice.

    Enrico Lübbe has been Schauspiel Leipzig’s artistic director since 2013. In his works here, he has repeatedly combined drama and music, for instance in “Die Maßnahme / Die Perser” (Brecht & Eisler / Aeschylus) or in “Winterreise / Winterreise” based on Wilhelm Müller & Franz Schubert and Elfriede Jelinek. Beside his productions at the Schauspielhaus, he has created several works of musical theatre, most recently Strauss’ “Electra” at Oper Bonn and Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde” at Oper Leipzig.

    The Leipzig-based musician Philip Frischkorn will take on the musical direction and create the musical concept of “563”. He previously contributed to the musical and choral staging of “Winterreise / Winterreise” and most recently created the musical design of Enrico Lübbe’s production of “Das kalte Herz”.
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    Premiere on 14.05.2023

    Cast

    Piano

    Philip Frischkorn

    Live-Elektronik

    Philipp Rumsch

    Members of the Children's Choir of the Gewandhaus zu Leipzig

    Elena Derr, Martha Georgi, Stella Greif, Clemens Igel, Ellen Köhnlein, Fiona Poser, Helena Schulze-Regoyo,Rosalie Seifert, Nora Suckfüll, Julia Süß, Ljudmila Vader

    Team

    Director: Konstanze Kappenstein
    Stage Design: Franz Dittrich
    Costume: Carolin Schmelz
    Musical direction: Philip Frischkorn
    Choir direction: Frank-Steffen Elster
    Musical rehearsal: Franziska Kuba
    Dramaturg: Benjamin Große
    Sounddesign: Philipp Rumsch
    Light: Ralf Riechert
    Nele Hoffmann

    Extended Team

    Sound: Ralf Ludwig, Nico Teichmann
    Stage Manager: Jens Glanze
    Assistant to the Director: Johannes Preißler
    Prompter: Philine von Engelhardt
    Assistant Stage Design: Stella Vollmer
    Make-Up: Ute Markow
    Props: Steffen Schädel-Mechsner
    Stage Master: Julius Besen
    Intern stage and costume design: Bühnenbild- & Kostümhospitanz
    Intern Dramaturgy & director: Dana Folz

    Trailer

    Introduction