Hugo Distler's short life was torn between deep faith and National Socialism in all its horror but also its seductive power. His preoccupation with the 700-year-old subject of the Dance of Death leads to a dramatic cycle of concise choral pieces and spoken passages. Death calls a number of professions and types of people to account and literally makes them dance. Distler's enraptured sounds repeatedly transform the gloomy mood into confidence. We interweave the work with the five dance movements from Bach's Partita. The concluding chaconne is interpreted as a funeral song for his deceased first wife. Our guests from Sweden turn the solo piece into exciting and touching duo music.

Cecilia Zilliacus, born in Stockholm, is not only an internationally sought-after soloist for classical violin literature, she is “living proof that it's always possible to pursue unusual ideas” (The Strad 2018).

His love of music makes Johannes Silberschneider, one of the most distinguished actors in the German-speaking world, the ideal interpreter for the spoken verses. Flora Königsberger is a conductor and singer who has led ambitious projects at the Festspielhaus St. Pölten, the Landestheater Niederösterreich and the Melk Summer Games, among others. The Konzertchor Niederösterreich is a vocal ensemble that has been in existence since 2019 and comes together for a wide variety of projects. At Imago Dei, we are delighted to be able to experience the choir on stage twice.

Konzertchor Niederösterreich:
Flora Königsberger, conductor
Johannes Silberschneider, speaker

Cecilia Zilliacus, violin
Lena Willemark, voice

Fr, 18.04.2025, 19.00 h
Organizer: Festival Imago Dei
Location: Klangraum Krems Minoritenkirche
Minoritenplatz 2, 3500 Krems
Tickets: 
Cat. 1: € 36,-/ € 32,- (reduced)
Cat. 2: € 31,-/ € 28,- (reduced)