Den Versen Eins orgeln

‘Organ & Poetry’ brings two great arts into dialogue with each other: the organ – revered by Mozart as the “queen of instruments” – meets contemporary poetry, spoken by authors of our time.

A concert format that opens up spaces for sound and thought.

Each event is a composition in its own right: the dramaturgy contrasts organ works – from Bach to Beat – with contemporary lyrical voices, sometimes in contrast, sometimes in echo, often in dialogue. Many of the contributions arise from a collaborative process – with specially developed improvisations between word and music.

Participants:

Jack Day (Great Britain), cantor of the Luisenkirche and master of organ improvisation, plays the historic Reil organ. Thomas Wohlfahrt, founder and long-standing director of the Haus für Poesie, is responsible for the literary selection and curatorial direction.

Dates:

4 May 2025: Volker Braun

• one of the most important contemporary German-language poets, winner of the Georg Büchner Prize
  

Programme

• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750): Prelude in E flat major, BWV 552
  
• Volker Braun: Poems
  
• Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck (NL 1562-1621): Variations on ‘Erbarm dich mein, o Herre Gott’, SwWV 303
  
• Volker Braun: Poems
  
• Anonymous (Robertsbridge Codex, 14th century): Estampie Retrové
  
• Volker Braun: Poems
  
• In the fourth part of the concert, Jack Day (organ) and Volker Braun will improvise together on poems by Braun.
  

1 June 2025: Kathrin Schmidt

• multiple award-winning poet and book prize winner
  

6 July 2025: Norbert Lange

• poet, translator and essayist, known for his sonorous, experimental texts