«(Hack)Brett, (Orgel)Pfeife, (Alp)Horn»: World Premiere of a Folk Oratorio

Description

What initially was a spontaneous idea among musicians quickly sparked great enthusiasm. From many conversations, a concrete, fascinating project has grown, whose implementation is now well advanced: The Sängerbund Wetzikon is organizing in November 2026, in collaboration with the Musikkirche Neumünster Zürich, a unique concert featuring the world premiere of a work by its conductor Grégoire May titled «(Hack)Brett, (Orgel)Pfeife, (Alp)Horn». The idea impresses through its combination of contrasts: The historic organ of the Tonhalle Zürich, now housed in the Neumünster Church, meets the original sounds of Swiss folk music. This creates a novel "folk oratorio" that weaves narrative elements of the classical oratorio with yodeling, hammered dulcimer, alphorn, büchel, and choral singing. The Sängerbund Wetzikon and the Jodlerklub Bergbrünneli Küsnacht ZH (known for its high level within the folk music scene) form the choral foundation. The performances take place on November 14 in Zürich and November 15 in Wetzikon.
The red thread is an old Swiss fairy tale character from the Grimm fairy tale "The Three Languages": A young Valaisan, whom his father considers foolish because he brings no useful experiences from his travels – only the languages of animals. But what begins as a story of failure leads him on an adventurous journey through Switzerland and far beyond – accompanied by frog croaks, dog barks, and bird songs that reveal more to him than any human ever suspected. May has combined the content of this enchanting fairy tale with a series of already existing, fitting songs into a folk oratorio.
For this project, a top-class ensemble was assembled, whose members are rooted both in the classical scene and in folk music:

• Grégoire May (artistic director of both choirs), conductor, singer, and composer of the "folk music oratorio"
• Nicolas Senn (hammered dulcimer), not only a recognized soloist of his instrument but also known to a broad audience as a well-known TV presenter ("Potzmusig") in Switzerland;
• Zacharie Fogal (tenor), resident in Wetzikon, internationally acclaimed oratorio singer and passionate folk musician;
• Terence Reverdin (yodeler), resident in Wetzikon, impressive yodeler with a classical background;
• Yannick Wey (alphorn/büchel), who combines musicological expertise with the practice of folk music tradition;
• Martin Rabensteiner (organ), concert organist and head of the Musikkirche Neumünster with roots in South Tyrolean brass music.

Highlights

• World premiere of a folk oratorio
• With hammered dulcimer virtuoso Nicolas Senn
• Performances on November 14 and 15, 2026

General Information

The Sängerbund Wetzikon presents, in collaboration with the Musikkirche Neumünster Zürich, a unique concert. The oratorio combines the sounds of the historic organ with traditional Swiss folk music and tells the story of a young Valaisan.

Location

Bahnhofstrasse 133, 8620 Wetzikon ZH, Switzerland

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