NEWSLETTER 02/20

"We asked ourselves whether there was potential in the daily and actually trivial routine that we should take a closer look at artistically. There is music in every corner, you just have to look.
What's more, the students come from all over the world, with the most diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Everyone has to go to the bathroom, it doesn't help.
The result is partly scenic miniatures that have taken the idea further in an associative way: It's about bathing, but also about supposed cleanliness (of sounds, for example), about removing make-up and unmasking, about sacred toothbrushes."

So much for a brief insight into possible themes for budding composers, in this case Prof. Gordon Kampe's class.
These and other treasures are waiting to be discovered at the Mini-Festival of Composition Classes from February 15-17 under the title "Exploring the Unknown".

The specialist group choir for church music under the direction of Prof. Annedore Hacker-Jakobi was able to present a number of interesting events last semester: the multifaceted undertakings ranged from Haydn's "Creation" and the "Christmas Oratorio" to a workshop concert, the founding of a new all-female choir ensemble and an experimental contribution to the reopening of the Forum.

And at the end of the semester, they initiated an ecumenical university vesper together with other departments: "Nowadays, many people are looking for places or activities that have something to do with meditation or contemplation," says Annedore Hacker-Jakobi. "Traditionally, our religion can be used for this. Religion and faith are deeply rooted in our society. And yet the integration of religion and faith in everyday life is no longer a matter of course. Listening to oneself, reflection, contemplation, peace and finding oneself are incredibly important, especially in the music profession. Why don't universities dare to reflect on the semester together in a spiritual setting?"

Ecumenical is actually too short a term. Ms. Hacker-Jakobi finds "interreligious" more appropriate. All people of all religious beliefs are invited. On February 13 at 6 p.m. in the Little Michel

Haydn's work "O Praise the Lord with one consent" is emblematic of the idea: that we all pull together for a peaceful coexistence of all religions.

Once a year is "Concisa time". The opera department attracts audiences with its own format, which it created almost 10 years ago and which has become an integral part of the HfMT repertoire:
"Opera to the point". Only the bare essentials, but the finest. Pure vocal artistry - spiced up with a supporting pinch of fine scenic work - is the focus of attention here.

This year with a piano-accompanied and moderated version of Mozart's "Cosi fan tutte", trimmed down to 90 minutes and briskly transferred into the age of smart phone conversation. The "School of Lovers" turns into "Lessons of Love", which purr away at breathtaking speed.

Premiere is on February 14 (Valentine's Day!!)

Mathias Spaan (born 1989 in Oberhausen) worked as an actor on major German stages before studying directing. He is completing his directing studies at the HfMT this year. His first work as a director in 2020 took him to the Junges Schauspiel Hamburg and the Stadttheater Ingolstadt, among others. With Michael Ende's "The Neverending Story", he will present his final project on the large rehearsal stage at the Schauspielhaus from February 21-23.

His recommendation for February:
"Wie der Wahnsinn mir die Welt erklärt" on February 1 and 2, directed by Dominique Enz.

When I think of my colleague Dominique, the first thing that comes to mind is her shining eyes and always slightly open mouth. Dominique is always alert, always amazed and, above all, always positive. I am writing this because all these attributes also run through her work artistically, like a neon-red thread. And yet, despite all the positive lightness, her productions have always told me something new about the world and how we all live together. Especially the latter.

I'm currently rehearsing in St. Pölten, but when I get back to Hamburg, I'm really looking forward to seeing my colleagues' final works. And I'm also looking forward to Dominique and her team explaining the madness of this world to me in this dark time of year.