“Ich kann nicht anders – ich muß eine große opera oder gar keine schreiben.”“One thing is certain—I must compose a great opera or none.” W.A. Mozart an Leopold aus ParisAus dem Brief vom 31. Juli 1778 W.A. Mozart was a child prodigy, multi-talented musician and play several instruments. Fun fact, he rejected the opportunity to …
I seldom talk about negative things on my blog, it is really only wasting space. However, it does not mean I have not encountered rudeness, disrespectful and unfair treatment. Sometimes I even question myself what have I done to deserve this. I generally take these things in a very light hearted way because the negativity …
“In the evening the dove returned and carried an olive leaf in its beak.” Bach’s St. Matthew Passion
“In the evening the dove returnedAnd carried an olive leaf in its beak.O beautiful time! O evening hour!We now make our peace with GodFor Jesus’s sufferings are ended.” From St. Matthew Passion no. 64 (an excerpt) In this short text of the recitative “Am Abend, da es kühle war” from J.S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, …
Have you ever had a beautiful dream and somehow lost it somewhere. Schubert’s Nacht und Träume is about bringing back this fair dream from above to us. If it is a beautiful dream, be courageous to dream again, and never let it go. Some dreams are messages from heaven about our purposes on earth. Only …
Time continues to play its organ diligently,Its little song sings to you every day,Mixed with sounds that are not cheerful,That no one wants to hear. The sounds continue. And as the years go byIt becomes a full singing society.It makes you go through the roof.You’d like to be somewhere else. Well, all right. You do …
At Easter 2022, I left my previous occupation as a church musician and started new life as a self-employed musician. Shortly before the Easter, I still have many vacation days available, so I travelled to Freiburg, Dresden, Postdam and Berlin for spinett shopping plus visiting my favourite concerts (Schubert’s Winterreise, Bach’s family). I remembered it …
Ring, ring …“Hello?”“Hi, good morning, your organ is ready, I am calling to organize the delivery date with you.” I could not believe my ears, I could not believe what I’ve heard, I could not believe this day is actually coming and in the foreseeable future. I still vividly remember a month ago, how my …
“No one who was there will ever be able to forget the poignant effect of the St. Thomas Boys Choir singing Bach’s St John Passion on Good Friday in 1945, the first year of peace, performed in the beautiful old St Thomas Church, which had been largely spared from the war, but the windows were …
I spent the first week of 2024 with corona at home. I have had plenty of time to pray, video call with friends and family, reflect on the 2023. I was reluctant to make plan for 2024, because my plan for 2023 has failed thoroughly. Then one friend called, I help her a little bit …
Today I accompanied 3 funerals on the organ. It was a very special day to accompany funeral on 19.12. Around 90% of the funerals that I played, bereaved families wish to have Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s “Von guten Mächten” (By Gracious Power) at the funeral. This poem is originally written for his fiancée Maria von Wedemeyer-Weller, in …