Performers
Walter Renneisen – winner of the Grimme Prize and the Rheingau Music Prize – brings a brilliant programme to the stage for UNESCO International Mother Language Day. The focus: Frankfurt dialect, that lovely, lascivious and seductive vernacular.
Then there's the Frankfurt native himself and his merciless humour:
‘Our youngest is left-handed.’ ‘My husband too, on both sides.’
His self-awareness: ‘Without a brain, I'm like a fool.’
His wisdom: ‘Before I get worked up, I'd rather not care!’
Frankfurt writers have their say: Friedrich Stolze, Robert Gernhardt, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (did Goethe speak Hessian?). Tribal differences are also addressed. The Sachsenhausen resident looks across the Main and says to his wife: ‘I wouldn't want to live in Frankfurt!’
Then there's the Barrelhouse Jazzband! Since 1953, they have been the figurehead of German jazz, celebrated in 58 countries on five continents. Their sound is pure vitality, modern swing – with local roots, power and soul. As if that weren't enough, Renneisen himself picks up the trumpet, guitar or double bass, plays the piano, even a real cow horn and a tenor recorder. A furious mix!
An evening that is sure to delight not only the people of Hesse – but also anyone who loves language, loves jazz and has a sense of humour. Regional things are often the most universal.
(Walter Renneisen)