Soldiers
Podcast & video documentation
Bernd Alois Zimmermann addresses his personal experiences in World War II and the threats facing the world through an atomic catastrophe in »Die Soldaten«.
In collaboration with the Cologne Opera, François-Xavier Roth, the Gürzenich Orchestra, and Spanish star director Calixto Bieito, who has already staged »Die Soldaten« several times, are now working on a realization of Zimmermann's »total theater« for the concert hall.
In this podcast and video documentation, we follow the participants and go behind the scenes. Originally, the performance was planned for February 2022, which is referenced in some of the podcast episodes. The concert was postponed and will now take place on January 18, 2024, at 20:00 at the Cologne Philharmonie!
»Die Soldaten« by Bernd Alois Zimmermann will be performed on January 18, 2024, at 20:00 at the Cologne Philharmonie.
Concert stream from the Elbphilharmonie
A warm welcome to the »Soldaten« podcast from the Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne! This podcast focuses on the opera »Die Soldaten« by Bernd Alois Zimmermann, which the Gürzenich Orchestra premiered in 1965. The orchestra will now perform the work in concert at the Cologne Philharmonie on 18 January 2024, in a co-production with Cologne Opera. And even though it is a concert performance, the evening will be directed by Calixto Bieito.
An incredible number of people are involved, and the work is musically quite demanding – a challenge for everyone involved in the entire project.
0# Jonas Zerweck about the Podcast
While preparations are underway, Jonas Zerweck talks with the people who are working hard to make this a great performance: for example, the conductor of the orchestra, François-Xavier Roth, with whom he discusses the opera, the music, and the orchestra in the first episode. Additionally, you'll hear from the composer's daughter, one of his most important students, the lead actress, and many more.
1# François-Xavier Roth
In this episode, Jonas Zerweck speaks with François-Xavier Roth, the conductor of the Gürzenich Orchestra, about the opera »Die Soldaten« by Bernd Alois Zimmermann.
What does this work mean? Why was it considered unplayable? What makes the piece so difficult? Answers to these and many other questions can be found in this episode.
2# »Marie« with Emily Hindrichs & Arne Willimczik
Jonas Zerweck talks with soprano Emily Hindrichs and Arne Willimczik, Head of Music Studies at Oper Köln, about the opera »Die Soldaten« by Bernd Alois Zimmermann.
This episode focuses on the plot of the opera and its central characters. Emily Hindrichs sings the role of Marie—around whom the entire opera revolves—in the performance on January 18, 2024. After being seduced and then abandoned by a baron, she experiences a continuous social decline and goes through traumatic events. How can such a role be tackled, and what does it mean emotionally for everyone on stage? The three also take a look at the rehearsals: how is the preparation going?