Jewish Chamber Orchestra Munich

In the organizer's words:

Mendele Lohengrin: A Klezmer Singspiel - Composition by Evgeni Orkin - With music between Klezmer, Wagner and today - on January 27, 2025 at 7:30 pm - Schauspielhaus, Kleines Haus

The Jewish Chamber Orchestra Munich sees itself as a contemporary Jewish voice and makes contemporary Jewish culture audible, tangible and visible with ever new alliances and formats. Two days after the world premiere, we are delighted to host the composition "Mendel Lohengrin" by the young composer Evgeni Orkin. Singer Ethel Merhaut, actor Stefan Merki, conductor Daniel Grossmann and orchestra bring "an entertaining story with music between Klezmer, Wagner and today" to the stage.

A poor Jewish musician, who earns his living more or less by performing at weddings, fulfills a dream: he uses his hard-earned savings to pay a visit to the imperial court theater in Vienna. By chance - without any prior knowledge - he hears Wagner's "Lohengrin". The opera changes his life: Back in his shtetl, he only wants to play Wagner's melodies at Jewish festivals, no longer the traditional melodies - which naturally leads to a conflict.

We must also ask ourselves the questions that move Mendele: How do we experience art today whose creators had political or social views that we do not share?