Performers
To mark the 50th anniversary of the death of the renowned German-Jewish poet Mascha Kaléko, Etta Scollo and Eva Mattes, accompanied by the Etta Scollo Trio, will present an extraordinary stage production combining music, poetry and remembrance. Entitled Nirgendland (Nowhere Land), the evening will bring Kaléko's subtle melancholy, humour, and linguistic precision to life in a new way.
Mascha Kaléko (1907–1975) was considered the voice of an entire generation. In the Berlin coffee houses of the 1930s, she became instantly famous for her Lyrisches Stenogrammheft (Lyric Shorthand Notebook) – her poems reflect the attitude towards life in the big city, being both astute and delicate. After fleeing the Nazis, she lived in exile in New York and later in Jerusalem. Her texts tell of uprooting, belonging, and the search for home — themes that seem more relevant today than ever. 'Wherever I travel, I go to nowhere,' reads one of her poems – a line that gives the evening its title.
Italian-German musician Etta Scollo, renowned for her poetic compositions blending chanson, world music, and classical music, interprets Kaléko's poetry with sensitivity and musicality. Together with her trio — Susanne Paul (cello) and Tara Bouman (clarinet) — she creates a rich, emotional soundscape where words and music blend together. Scollo, a recipient of numerous awards including the Ruth World Music Prize and the Italian Order of Merit in 2024, has a talent for transforming literary texts into music while preserving their autonomy.
(MSK Events GmbH)