Lullabies

Photo: Britta Passmann

"La Le Lu", "Ninna nanna", "Uyusun da büyüsün ninni", "Rock-a-bye baby" and "Duérmete niño" - simple, tender lullabies can be heard anywhere in the world. For centuries, they have been passed down through the generations, making them an important part of cultural identity. The soothing songs sung by mother and grandmother as they tucked their little ones into bed are many people's first memories of music. With a firm place in one's conscious, they are musical treasures that are often guarded for a lifetime.

But what are lullabies about - in Europe and elsewhere? What significance do they have as regards a country's culture? Haven't cradle songs now been replaced by music boxes and CDs? Do people still sing lullabies? And what about the extensive repertoire in the area of art music?

For one whole weekend, a series of lullaby concerts and talks will bring to life the diversity and foreignness of cradle songs from different cultures. In the foyer of the Mercatorhalle, "oases of sound" will provide the perfect place to relax and day-dream; photos and films will shed light on the significance of cradle songs.

And because singing has continued to decline in recent years, a number of sing-along concerts will encourage the audience to enjoy finding or re-finding their own voices. Visitors of all ages will be given vocal support by passionate amateur musicians, not to mention celebrities from sport and culture and the stars of the music world. The closing event will be a major concert featuring the Duisburg Philharmonic.

30.10 - 31.10.2010
Mercatorhalle Duisburg inside the CityPalais

Singing, humming, dreaming
Sing-along concert with the Vocus Focus Ensemble
Blazej Grek and Klaus Walter, tenor
Michael Busch, baritone
Manfred Klee and Ortwin Rave, bass

The five trained, professional soloists comprising men's vocal ensemble Vocus Focus make a highly homogenous sound. This outstanding ensemble is characterised by its tonal breadth and adaptability. Singing soothingly of starry nights or the Man in the Moon, they draw listeners in to the Land of Nod. But before that it's "joining in permitted!" as the gentlemen get the audience singing, conjuring up a cosy feeling of déjà-vu as they perform classic lullabies from times long past.

Saturday, 30 October 2010, 2 p.m.
Philharmonie Mercatorhalle
Free admission, advance sales of seated tickets

Şevval Sam / Photo: © Şevval Sam

Nachtgestalten (Creatures of the night)
Staged concert of world music
Živeli Orkestar from Paris and Suzana Djordjevic, voice
Şevval Sam, voice
Natasa Mirkovic, voice
Sandy Lopicic, accordion/piano
Matthias Loibner, hurdy gurdy, voice

A skyscraper at the heart of the Ruhr - some time before the closure of the huge smelting works. People from different nations live here. They all came with hopes and dreams. While for the men the local bar is often the only place to get together, the women stay at home with the children. Even if they scarcely rub shoulders with one another in the labyrinth of the estate, bearing their cares and their worries alone, they all share a yearning for their homeland and love for their children. As they rock their little ones to sleep, the cradle songs that they sing - each in their own way and in a different language - are calming and soothing.

Saturday, 30 October 2010, 7 p.m.
Philharmonie Mercatorhalle
Tickets € 25.00 / € 19.00 / € 10.00, concessions € 15.00 / € 10.00 / € 7.00 (incl. fees)

Die Blümelein, sie schlafen (The flowers are asleep)
Lieder matinee with Ingeborg Danz (alto) and Michael Gees (piano)
Christian Brückner (speaker)

With their unusual concert programmes, internationally celebrated alto Ingeborg Danz and pianist Michael Gees have proven that Lieder are much more than simply music - they are rich landscapes of stories. Their "Vergiß mein nicht" (Forget me not) project has already enthralled thousands of children and adults alike. The two artists will perform the most alluring lullabies and bedtime stories together with Christian Brückner, perhaps the most well-known German voiceover artist and audio book reader, who knows how to beguile his listeners with the magical timbre of his voice.

Sunday, 31 October 2010, 11 a.m.
Philharmonie Mercatorhalle
Tickets € 25.00 / € 19.00 / € 10.00, concessions € 15.00 / € 10.00 / € 7.00 (incl. fees)

Schlaf, Menschlein, schlaf (Sleep, darling, sleep) – Lullabies from one world with the Polyphonie Ensemble
Aline Asvian, Niki Bahtsevanidou, Ipek Böler, Marisol Calvillo and Vera Westera, voice; Heinz Hox, accordion/piano; Nico Brandenburg, double bass
Mustafa Mecilioglu, oud/voice
Bojan Vuletic, arrangements/guitar

Lullabies unite parents and children all over the world. Gentle and calming song and quiet breathing make for a ritual familiar to all since time immemorial. It is the ephemeral moments of happiness, love and intimacy that transform these often simple songs into wonderful music. Bojan Vuletic and his ensemble invite listeners to experience these musical gems from all over the world, performed in the most colourful languages and using the most diverse modes of expression.

Sunday, 31 October 2010, 2 p.m.
Philharmonie Mercatorhalle
Free admission, advance sales of seated tickets

Weißt Du wie viel Sternlein stehen (How many stars are in the sky)
Orchestral concert with Salome Kammer (voice) and Günes Gürle (baritone)
Duisburg Philharmonic
Gints Glinka, conductor

Nocturnes, berceuses, cradle songs and a lullaby suite for a large orchestra and female voice arranged by Bernhard Eichner will lull the audience into the arms of Morpheus. But are cradle songs sweet and gentle?! Not always! Witty, cheeky, ironic and with a large dose of vocal acrobatics, Salome Kammer will reveal what happens when a lullaby doesn't work: "Emil will nicht schlafen" (Emil won’t sleep) is the name of a new work by composer Carola Bauckholt. It will be premièred this evening. Voice artist Salome Kammer moves with enthralling agility through the various styles of singing, exploring the variations and depths of her repertoire: heavenly cantilenas, daring outbursts of emotion and parodic and playful elements are used to perform the familiar under a new guise.

Turkish bass-baritone Günes Gürle, who made his acclaimed Germany debut as Don Giovanni at German Opera on the Rhine in 2005, will join Kammer on a rich and varied musical tour. Gürle’s beautifully nuanced, lyric bass voice, spanning a broad range of expression from sensuality to brutality, will provide a dark counterpoint to the music.

Sunday, 31 October 2010, 7 p.m.
Philharmonie Mercatorhalle
Tickets € 36.00 / € 30.00 / € 25.00 / € 19.00 / € 15.00 / € 10.00, concessions € 20.00 / € 16.00 / € 13.00 / € 10.00 / € 8.00 / € 5.00

Sleep-in
Music and stories for children
Members of the Duisburg Philharmonic
Katharina Ritter (storyteller)

At the age of five, Katharina Ritter could tell stories that would have filled entire books. Today she performs at national and international storytelling festivals and says that she has the world’s loveliest profession: storyteller! Accompanied by musicians from the Duisburg Philharmonic, she will entrance the smallest visitors to the lullabies weekend (and their grown-up companions!) with fairytales and stories that promise to amaze, amuse and inspire.

Saturday, 30 October and Sunday, 31 October, 2 p.m. / 4 p.m. each day
Philharmonie Mercatorhalle, foyer
Free admission, advance reservations not required


Weekend pass for all events: € 58.00, concessions € 30.00
Project partner: Duisburg Philharmonic