About the production
Start
7:30 p.m.
End
9:15 p.m.
The setting for Thomas Mann's novella »Tristan« is the Einfried sanatorium. This is where fragile artistry and vigorous bourgeoisie meet. The delicate Mrs Klöterjahn, the wife of a wealthy and ordinary North German merchant, is supposed to cure a tracheal defect in the mild mountain air that is considered minor and has been affecting her health since the birth of her fabulously healthy son and family patriarch. The beautiful young mother befriends a subtle poet named Detlev Spinell. He makes her feel, full of adoration, what she lacks and yet dares not admit to herself. While the other spa guests go on a sleigh ride, the two stay behind and immerse themselves in the piano reduction of Wagner's »Tristan and Isolde« in the parlour, furnished in Empire style ... In this comparatively early novella from 1903, Thomas Mann, whose 150th birthday is in June, reflects in a parodistic manner on the painful contrast between the common, triumphant life and beauty in a motivic and artistic anticipation of his later masterpiece »The Magic Mountain«.
At the Lausitz Festival, the scene for »Tristan« changes from Empire to Modernism, to the Schminke House. The specifications from the owner and builder of the factory owner's villa, Fritz Schminke, to the architect Hans Scharoun, master of classical modernism, were as concise as they were prosaic: »A modern house for two parents, four children and occasionally one or two guests.« On this evening, literature lovers can look forward to the actor Hans-Jürgen Schatz welcoming a larger circle of visitors as the protagonist and host of the reading in the living room of the architectural gem that is Haus Schminke. Make sure you secure your place!
Hans-Jürgen Schatz
As an actor, Hans-Jürgen Schatz has appeared in numerous theatre productions as well as cinema and television films. He earned an excellent reputation as a reciter with texts by Erich Kästner, Jean Paul and Thomas Mann. He also works frequently in the field of classical music. His interpretation of Lyman Frank Baum's »The Wizard of Oz« was honoured with the German Record Critics' Award, while his recording of the musical tale »Paddington Bear's First Concert« with the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra was awarded the Echo Klassik. In 2005, Hans-Jürgen Schatz was honoured with the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany for his wide-ranging social commitment.
Artists
Reading Hans-Jürgen Schatz
Location
Location The Schminke House, Löbau
Address Kirschallee 1b, 02708 Löbau
