Etta Scollo Trio & Eva Mattes

Advance ticket sales for this event begin on Thursday, July 2, at the Capitol box office (0621-40-17-14-20), as well as online and at all major ticket outlets.

To mark the 50th anniversary of the death of the great German-Jewish poet Mascha Kaléko, Etta Scollo and Eva Mattes, together with the Etta Scollo Trio, are presenting an extraordinary stage project that blends music, poetry, and remembrance. Titled “Nirgendland,” the evening brings Kaléko’s subtle melancholy, humor, and linguistic precision to life once again.

Mascha Kaléko (1907–1975) was regarded as the voice of an entire generation. In the Berlin coffeehouses of the 1930s, she became an overnight sensation with her “Lyrisches Stenogrammheft”—her poems reflect the spirit of big-city life, at once incisive and tender. After fleeing the Nazis, she lived in exile in New York and later in Jerusalem. Her texts speak of uprooting, belonging, and the search for home—themes that seem more relevant today than ever. “Wherever I travel, I’m heading to Nowhereland,” reads one of her poems—a line that lends its title to the evening.

The Italian-German musician Etta Scollo, known for her poetic compositions that blend chanson, world music, and classical music, interprets Kaléko’s poetry with delicate musicality. Together with her trio—Susanne Paul (cello) and Tara Bouman (clarinet)—she creates a rich, emotional soundscape in which words and music intertwine. Scollo, a multiple award winner (including the Ruth World Music Prize and the Italian Order of Merit in 2024), knows how to transform literary texts into music without robbing them of their independence.

Eva Mattes, one of the most distinguished actresses in the German-speaking world, lends Kaléko’s poems depth, warmth, and irony with her unmistakable voice. For decades, she has shaped the theater and film scenes with impressive intensity and sensitivity, whether on stage, in award-winning film roles, or as a long-time detective on the TV series *Tatort*. Her presence and her sense of nuance lend the evening a special emotional tension and make Kaléko’s words immediately tangible.
The result is a powerful, multi-layered evening exploring language, memory, and identity—poetic, political, and moving.
An evening about the power of art to transcend boundaries and place humanity at the center.

*VRN combo ticket valid for this event:
Validity Period
2 trips, one there and one back, for one person on the day of the event until 3 a.m. the following day (please note the instructions on the combo ticket)

Valid Area
Valid throughout the entire VRN network on all buses and trains (DB: RE, RB, and S-Bahn) in 2nd class, as well as in the transition zones to the neighboring KVV and HNV networks

Organizer: Capitol Betriebs-GmbH