Juliane Banse & Martin Helmchen

In his song cycle Das Marienleben, Hindemith evokes the most important phases of the life of the Virgin Mary. Hindemith opts for a sober, almost chilling arrangement.

Remarkably enough, the resulting music is not stiff, but is an elegant field of sound full of refined and fragile emotions. This extreme vulnerability will hold you spellbound for 75 minutes. Although Hindemith was one of German-speaking Europe’s most important artists in the 1920s and ‘30s, his music is not often performed today. He could kick sacred cows and thumb his nose at convention like no one else at the time, but he was also a creative genius.

Das Marienleben is without a doubt the jewel in his (very ornate) crown, especially in its uncompromising original version, which is seldom performed.

(Visuals: Klaas Verpoest)

Copresentation concertgebouw Brugge