Horror that gets under the skin. In the collection of stories Nachtstücke (1817), writer E.T.A. Hoffmann European readers for the first time quite shudder. One of his most famous ghost stories is Der Sandmann about a gruesome creature that stole children’s eyes at night. The duo of saxophonist Andreas Mader and pianist Christos Papandreopoulos take Hoffmann’s timeless horror story as the basis for a sinister concert afternoon. They asked four composers to write new work for them, in which Hoffmann’s atmospheric narratives had to haunt their minds.

There will be premieres by Bianca Bongers (Netherlands), Nuno Lobo (Portugal), Judit Varga (Hungary) and Gerald Resch (Austria). Visual artists Maxime Weinmann and Robin Beer of Fly Theater make live projections in which they create a play of light and shadow in which the space and the performers are swallowed up. The Mader/Papandreopoulos duo was one of the finalists of the Dutch Classical Talent 2022 and has already played at festivals such as Wonderfeel and Oranjewoud.

Der Sandmann is a co-production of Duo Mader/Papandreopoulos, Gaudeamus and Mierscher Kulturhaus (LUX) and was realized with the support of the Prince Bernhard Culture Fund and the Bundesministerium für Kunst und Kultur.

In collaboration with Gaudeamus.

Programma

Nuno Lobo – new work
Bianca Bongers – new work
Judit Varga – Der Sandmann