Thomas Quasthoff – Stimmwelten (6)

Five concerts at the Laeiszhalle, one concert at St. Michaelis Church.

Even though most instrumentalists will probably hate him for saying so, Thomas Quasthoff - with his usual joy of provocation – stated that he considers the human voice the richest and most colourful instrument of all. Complaints from those string or brass playing colleagues will, however, be few and far between, because the German bass-baritone proves his theory with his own voice, offering nearly unlimited expressive possibilities.
Obviously, Quasthoff impresses with the pure brilliance of his voice, but above all it is the scope of his expression that fascinates. Where others remain comfortably in the middle range of their voices, Quasthoff actively looks for the depths and heights of human emotion. This spirit of adventure has not only brought Quasthoff to the forefront of his field, it has also allowed him to cross many musical borders.

The »Quasthoff repertoire« is not your typical recital program, as the artist emphasizes himself: »Classical music should stop being so stiff and elitist. We need to return to the basic point of entertainment. A lieder recital doesn't have to mean »look gloomy all evening and then float home enraptured«! We're show people, for goodness sake. Sammy Davis Jr. and Jerry Lewis demonstrated how it's done for 50 years and more. It should be fun.«

Thomas Quasthoff demonstrates his singular versatility with a six-part project rounded off with a masterclass at the Hamburg music college. Quasthoff the entertainer will present programmes extending from the grand masters of the Romantic repertoire – Brahms´song cycle »Die schöne Magelone«, Schumann´s Spanish vocal quartets and Mendelssohn's oratorio »Elias« right through to American popular songs and on to German folksongs. There will be no »gloomy looks« in this series, but you may well »float home enraptured.«

This subscription is no longer available in its original form of six concerts. We can offer you a reduced version of four concerts on this website. For further details please contact one of our service personnel at the Elbphilharmonie Kulturcafé (phone: +49 40 / 357 666 66).