A festive song evening: discover the sound palette of the seasons!

A festive song evening: discover the sound palette of the seasons!

On Sunday, January 26, 2025, a special song of songs takes place in the old Winzinger church in Neustadt an der Weinstrasse on Weinstrasse, which deals with the topic "The four seasons in music". The evening begins at 5:00 p.m. and offers visitors a musical journey through various eras and styles.

The two lecturers, Rie Mattil, soprano and music teacher, as well as Nami Okada, pianist, have put together a wide repertoire. This includes classic pieces from the 18th to 21st centuries of greats such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Schubert, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Robert Schumann and Gustav Mahler. French songs by Gabriel Fauré as well as Italian contributions by Francesco Paolo Tosti and Pietro Cimara will also be heard. The works of Edward Elgar and Gustav Holst are intended for the English compositions. A special highlight of the evening are the Japanese art songs, which come from the time after the opening of Japan in the mid -19th century and reflect the influence of western music traditions on Japanese composers. Japanese composers such as Rentaro Taki, Yoshinao Nakada, Makiko Kinoshita and Hideki Chihara.

The artistic context

The song evening pursues the goal of presenting the diversity of the seasons and emotions from both western and eastern perspective. Admission is free, but the organizers are happy about voluntary donations.

The influence of western music on Japanese tradition has produced an interesting synthesis of various cultural elements over the years. The traditional music of Japan, which is strongly shaped by the influences of China, Koreas and other Southeast Asian countries, has unique national features. According to a report on the traditional music of Japan, many forms of music were created under the influence of religions Buddhism and Shintoism. Folklore and important symbols, such as the Sakura (Japanese cherry), are central elements of the Japanese music tradition, which is reflected in ritual actions and folk songs. The oldest genres include Buddhist chants and court music, while modern currents continue to produce what makes Japanese music culture, such as de.digital-school.net reported.

-transmitted by West-Ost-media