Der fliegende Teppich: Die Toteninsel

Description

Between 1880 and 1886, Basel painter Arnold Böcklin created five similar symbolist paintings, which received the name "The Isle of the Dead." They perfectly captured the spirit of the fin de siècle and quickly became popular. Some see in "The Isle of the Dead" a farewell to European culture on the threshold of the mechanized twentieth century. To this day, it has inspired and influenced countless artists in painting, literature, music, and film. We bring together two works related to this subject: Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 – 1943) composed a symphonic poem "The Isle of the Dead" op.29 for large orchestra in 1909; we will hear a version for piano four hands performed by the virtuoso Lithuanian piano duo Poskute & Daukantas from Winterthur, along with a selection from the "Six Pieces for Piano Four Hands," op.11. The impressive actress Miriam Japp, currently part of the ensemble at Theater Neumarkt in Zurich, will present a short novel by a contemporary of Rachmaninoff: "The Man Who Loved Islands" by D. H. Lawrence. Lawrence (1885 – 1930), famous for his scandalous novel "Lady Chatterley's Lover," wrote this short, mysterious anti-Robinsonade in 1926, and even today, a hundred years later, it reveals, like a long lost message in a bottle, magical messages. His island is the spiritual space of a utopia far from the corrupting influence of "modernity." D. H. Lawrence's grand narrative about the depths of human existence is the story of a person who dares to retreat from the world to feel the tides, the vibrations of the soul, until he is finally completely alone, alone with the sea. This presentation is part of the series "The Flying Carpet - Eight Literary-Musical Island Journeys". A subscription can also be purchased for this. 8 performances at a subscription price of Fr. 240.--. Order the subscription here. Participants and additional information: Reading Miriam Japp, Music Vilija Poskute, Tomas Daukantas, Four-handed piano performance, Concept Klaus Hemmerle, Technology Felix Keller, Brian Lee