A musical search for a cat

 

 

 

Following “Supervox” and “Sounding suspicious”, Theater Triebwerk now presents with “Tomcat Murr” the last part of the music trilogy, which deals with the processes of learning to listen, comprehension of music as well as thinking beyond language. This time, the musicians and actors Uwe Schade (cello), Heino Sellhorn (bass) and Stefan Matthewes (piano) develop a story with music based on the Kreisleriana, Op.16 by Robert Schumann (a key work of romantic piano literature), put on the stage by Isabel Osthues.

 

A piano player appears out of his piano and meets the two musicians Cello and Bass. This pianist is Johannes Kreisler, the romantic art character of the bandmaster, created by E.T.A. Hoffmann. Coming from the 19th century, he is expressing himself solely on a musical level. He is feeling so very F minor today, his tomcat Murr ran away, he looks for him in E major, describes his extraordinary nature in A minor, but he F-sharply stays lost. Kreisler mourns in C sharp minor. The two friends Cello and Bass try to understand their guest’s odd language, translate his instrument – the piano – into their own instruments’ language (cello and contrabass). They fathom the story of his highly gifted tomcat Murr and support Kreisler in his musical search for him.

A search for the nature and possibilities of music and sound, which gives permission to take a look at how communication beyond language is functioning.