Texts by Oskar Maria Graf

read by Katrin Sorko, accompanied by the Eder Blosn

The writer Oskar Maria Graf (1894-1967) was not a quiet writer in his time. That was hardly possible, he was born into and forced into serious upheavals: World War I, the Munich Soviet Republic, the Weimar Republic, World War II, the Cold War.
Often in dire straits himself, he threw himself into the upheavals with all his energy in order to actively change the prevailing conditions, not only with the loud keys of his typewriter, but throughout his life in various movements, as an anarchist and restless civil disobedient. He did not spare himself and even later, as an emigrant in New York, was not inactive and quiet.
It is astonishing, because this power still grips us as readers today, we are immediately in the midst of tight village family constraints, in bakeries, in Munich street battles of white against red, in the daily struggle for survival.
A particular attraction is reading Oskar Maria Graf's texts aloud - in Bavarian - in front of an audience. His texts still grab us today with surprising force. Suddenly we are right in the middle of the chaotic outside world, laughing, worrying, recognizing and despairing, being encouraged, somehow rushing headlong into the revolution, hungry, often freezing, only to enjoy brief pauses to catch our breath again with a far-reaching view over Lake Starnberg, loving, falling in love, painfully falling out of love.

What can the individual do? A question that we are asking ourselves today more actively than ever. Oskar Maria Graf compels us to look, listen and join in the conversation. His texts fit into our present like few others of his time.

The literary readings by texte-statt-brezn have long since ceased to be an insider tip on the Munich cultural scene; Graf has been reading and playing handmade and heartfelt music for over 8 years now. Every evening is a fun and must-attend event.

The readings are accompanied by the Eder Blosn - an ensemble of musicians led by Josef Eder. The selected pieces are always surprising, they are carefully chosen, many of the songs have been forgotten and are sensitively dusted off by Josef Eder and played fresh with his musicians.

Each evening of the group is unique, there is no fixed text or song program, because no two days are the same. Katrin Sorko as the reader draws on the rich repertoire of Graf's texts and she is accompanied by the Eder-Blosn's historical Lied-Gut-Schmankerln. On this evening, the audience can let themselves fall into a lively, gripping time, not historically distant, but inspiringly current and touchingly close.

on Friday, January 23 and Saturday, January 24 at 8 pm