Konzertlesung „Nussknacker und Mausekönig”

Mystical Moments at VENTANA in Cologne

A Christmas fairy tale by E.T.A. Hoffmann, with ballet music by Peter I. Tchaikovsky, arranged and narrated by Hans-Jürgen Schatz, with Albert Lau on piano.

On December 6, Cologne’s Christmas markets come alive, the air is filled with the scent of mulled wine and almond pastries, and VENTANA in Cologne is transformed into a fantastical, mythical place. At midnight on Christmas Eve, the toys in the parlor of Medical Councilor Stahlbaum’s house come to life. At the same time, a sinister horde of mice crawls out from under the floor. Little Marie witnesses a fierce battle between her beloved Nutcracker and the dreaded seven-headed Mouse King. Bravely, she stands by her favorite toy’s side and plays a decisive role in the story’s outcome. E.T.A. Hoffmann’s tale also transports the listener to a land “where one can see sparkling Christmas forests, transparent marzipan castles—in short, the most magnificent and wondrous things—everywhere, if only one has the eyes to see them.” 

For over 200 years, the world-famous Christmas fairy tale “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” by E.T.A. Hoffmann, the grand master of fantastical, delightfully eerie storytelling, has fascinated children and adults alike and captivated them. At VENTANA, the fairy tale is presented as a concert reading featuring excerpts from Peter I. Tchaikovsky’s famous “The Nutcracker” ballet music in the composer’s piano version. These include the “March of the Tin Soldiers,” the “Reed Flutes,” the “Spanish” and “Arabian Dances,” and the “Flower Waltz.” Arranged and narrated by the well-known actor Hans-Jürgen Schatz, with sensitive, narrative accompaniment on the concert grand piano by the internationally acclaimed Cologne pianist and Steinway Artist Albert Lau