Variety is the order of the day when you spend an evening at the Semper Bar in Semper Zwei: that jack-of-all-trades, Axel Ranisch, who is staging „Intermezzo“ at the Semperoper, invites the audience to join him in exploring his own opera highlights. 

Patrick Hahn, conductor of the Strauss opera „Intermezzo“, will present himself over two evenings as a veritable chansonnier, paying homage to the unique humour of Georg Kreisler with sharp-witted and satirical songs.

Patrick Hahn, conductor of the Strauss opera Intermezzo, will present himself over two evenings as a veritable chansonnier, paying homage to the unique humour of Georg Kreisler with sharp-witted and satirical songs

Axel Ranisch, Ragna Schirmer and Matthias Daneck are presenting a very special evening at which they explore the question of whether the GDR had its own unique sound. How political are musical compositions? What picture is painted by the poetry of the GDR? What were the ideals of its artists? What kind of future do they portray? Pianist Ragna Schirmer, percussionist Matthias Daneck and actor, director and author Axel Ranisch illuminate four decades of GDR history in words and music, revealing contradictions between artists of the avant-garde and those aligned with the communist system. They view the music and poetry of this age between two poles, namely criticism of and loyalty to the regime. In addition to well-known figures such as Paul Dessau, Friedrich Goldmann, Bertolt Brecht, Thomas Brasch, Sarah Kirsch and Eva Strittmatter, the three artists also take a look at less familiar names. The selection of works juxtaposes the private and the political, the personal and the partisan. A journey through the years 1949 to 1990, which, against the backdrop of our modern global tensions, also has a truly contemporary relevance.

The Semper Bar doesn’t close its doors until the end of June when Aaron Pegram sends us off into the summer holidays with an entertaining crossover programme.